The deductible is the most important adjustment lever in casco cover – and the most commonly misunderstood part of it. The typical structure is twofold: a percentage rate AND a minimum amount apply together, and at claim time, whichever of the two is higher takes effect. Anyone who only looks at the percentage is misreading half of every quote.
- The typical casco deductible has two parts: percentage + minimum amount – whichever is higher applies at claim time.
- For small claims, it's almost always the minimum amount that applies – so it matters a great deal where each quote sets its minimum.
- The deductible isn't a penalty but a trade-off: it replaces the admin of trivial claims with a lower premium.
How does the dual structure work?
The logic is simple: the insurer deducts the deductible from the claim amount – calculated at the percentage rate, but at least the minimum amount. For smaller claims, the minimum almost always applies: the percentage only "takes over" for larger claims. This leads to a practical rule: for use that's exposed to small claims (city parking, tight spaces), the minimum amount is the more important figure; for high value and rare but severe risk, the percentage matters more.
Why does a deductible exist at all?
For two reasons. Reporting, inspecting and administering trivial claims costs the insurer money too – if the contract filters these out, the premium can be lower for everyone. The other reason is incentive: if part of a claim is your own burden, you park more carefully, lock up more diligently, and look after your keys more carefully – this is the logic of loss mitigation. For you, the deductible means: you settle the small annoyances yourself, and keep the insurance for the big, unexpected losses.
Different rules by claim type
The deductible isn't necessarily a single figure for the whole contract. For glass damage, many policies offer a more favourable, separate rule; theft may carry a different rate; and some add-ons can have their own deductible logic. That's why, when comparing quotes, we don't look at "the deductible" as one number, but at the deductible MAP: how much for each claim type – in our comparison table, this is its own block.
The premium-deductible trade-off – without promising numbers
The general relationship: higher deductible → lower premium, and vice versa. Whether that trade-off is worthwhile depends on how exposed you are to claims – this question is covered in detail in how to choose your deductible, together with the "bad month test". We deliberately don't list specific percentage-amount pairs here: the combinations vary by insurer and change over time – the current picture comes from competing quotes from several insurers, side by side in one table.
Not sure what the deductible line in your own policy actually means in practice? book a free 20-minute consultation →
