Insurance Excess Calculator
Compare two insurance quotes with different excesses to see how often you would need to claim for the cheaper policy to cost more.
💼 Are you a real estate agent or broker? Send this calculator to your buyers on your own branded listing page — every enquiry comes straight to your WhatsApp. Create free agent page →Insurers offer a lower premium for a higher excess, and the trade only makes sense against how often you actually claim. Property claims are rare, which usually favours the higher excess — but only if you could comfortably pay it on the day something happens.
The useful figure is how many years between claims the higher excess needs in order to win. Compare that against your own claim history rather than a general average.
The comparison
Over your expected period between claims, each policy costs its premium for every year plus its excess once. Whichever total is lower wins. The break-even point is the extra excess divided by the annual premium saving.
Worked example
Policy A has a 250 excess at 480 a year; Policy B a 1,000 excess at 380. B saves 100 a year against 750 of extra excess, so B wins if claims come less often than every 7.5 years. Over a 12-year claim gap, A costs 6,010 and B costs 5,560 — B is 450 cheaper.
Only choose an excess you could actually pay
The arithmetic assumes you can produce the excess on the day of a claim. A high excess that you would have to borrow to meet defeats the purpose of insurance, so the affordable maximum matters more than the optimal one.
Turn a calculation into an enquiry
Buyers who run these numbers are ready to talk. Give every listing its own page with your photo, phone and WhatsApp on it — leads land straight on your phone.
Create your free property pageFrequently asked questions
How often do property owners claim?
Far less often than most people assume — many go decades without a buildings claim. That rarity is why a higher excess usually wins on expectation, provided the excess itself is genuinely affordable.
Does a higher excess affect the payout?
It reduces every settlement by the excess amount, which matters most for small claims. Some claims below the excess become not worth making at all, which is a real reduction in cover rather than only a saving.
Are there separate excesses for different claims?
Frequently. Subsidence, escape of water and storm damage often carry much higher excesses than the standard one, sometimes many times over. Check the schedule for each peril rather than only the headline figure.