Do I get my excess back if I am not at fault?

Typically you pay your excess up front, then it is refunded once the other driver's insurer accepts liability. If fault is disputed and you cannot prove your version, recovery can stall, which is exactly where clear footage earns its keep.

Dashline Tools · Free calculator

Dash Cam Insurance Savings Calculator

A dash cam almost never cuts your premium directly. Its real money value appears the day a crash is disputed — when clear footage proves you weren’t at fault. This tool estimates what that’s worth to you.

Currency

Your policy excess

Your annual premium

Your no-claims discount

Excess you’d frontPaid up front on any claim — recovered only if fault is accepted £400

No-claims discount at riskExtra premium over ~2 renewals if your discount is docked £672

What proving you weren’t at fault could protect £1,072

Honest note. An at-fault marker can also load your premium 20–50% for years — not added above, because it varies too much to total honestly. This is an estimate of exposure, not a bill you always pay: footage only helps when it clearly proves your case.

What your number means

Three things worth quoting

The excess is your money, first

On most claims you pay the excess up front. You get it back only when the other driver’s insurer accepts liability — and footage is how that gets accepted quickly.

One junction can undo years

A single at-fault claim can reset a no-claims discount worth up to 70%. That’s years of built-up savings gone from one disputed moment.

Evidence, not a discount

A dash cam is not a coupon. It’s proof — and proof is what turns a “your word against theirs” claim into a settled, paid one. See the full answer.

How the math works

No black box — here’s the formula

The calculator adds two honest, non-overlapping figures. The at-fault loading is shown as context, not summed, so the total can’t overstate your case.

Total = Excess + ( Premium × No-claims discount% × 2 renewals )

Excess — the cash you front on a claim. Fully recoverable only if the other side is held liable.
No-claims setback — losing your discount raises your premium; we count roughly two renewals of that higher cost before it rebuilds.
At-fault loading (context only) — a separate 20–50% surcharge insurers may add after an at-fault claim. Too variable to total, so it stays out of the headline number.
Assumptions — UK averages; your policy differs. Cold weather, claim value, age and insurer all move these figures.

What’s at stake

Where the money goes if you can’t prove it

The default scenario — a £400 excess, a £560 premium and a 60% no-claims discount — puts around a thousand pounds on the line in one disputed junction. Clear footage is what keeps it in your pocket.

Bar chart of what a disputed not-at-fault car insurance claim can cost a UK driver: excess around 400 pounds, no-claims discount setback around 672 pounds, and an at-fault premium loading around 168 pounds. — Illustrative UK averages: the excess you front, the no-claims discount you can lose over two renewals, and the first-year at-fault loading a dash cam may help you avoid.

The figures behind it

Every number, sourced

Figure	Typical UK value	Source
Average total car-insurance excess	£200–£500	NimbleFins
Average annual comprehensive premium	£560 (Q1 2026)	Brumble (ABI data)
Maximum no-claims discount	up to 70% (some 75%)	MoneySuperMarket
Premium rise after an at-fault claim	+20–50%	Simply Quote
Major UK insurers accepting dash-cam footage	all of them	Aviva

The numbers

Why proving fault is worth money

Three key UK car insurance figures: average annual premium around 560 pounds, no-claims discount worth up to 70 percent, and a 20 to 50 percent premium rise after an at-fault claim. — The sourced UK figures behind the calculator: average premium, the no-claims discount at stake, and the typical at-fault premium rise.

The honest part

What a dash cam does — and doesn’t do — for insurance

It rarely lowers your premium

A handful of insurers offer up to ~20% off for a dash cam; most offer nothing. Treat any direct discount as a bonus, never the reason to buy.

It only helps if the clip is clear

Speed, angle, light and a clean lens decide whether footage proves anything. A dark, blurred plate settles no dispute.

It protects disputes, not accidents

A camera can’t stop a crash. It changes who gets believed afterwards — and that is where the money is. What to do at the scene.

It works for any car, any insurer

This calculator isn’t Dashline-specific. The math is identical whatever camera records the clip — use your own policy’s numbers.

Use this tool

Cite this page

Found this useful for an article, forum answer or class? You’re welcome to cite it.

Dashline Cameras — “Dash Cam Insurance Savings Calculator.” Retrieved from dashlinecameras.com/dash-cam-insurance-savings-calculator

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<p><a href="https://dashlinecameras.com/dash-cam-insurance-savings-calculator/">Dash Cam Insurance Savings Calculator</a> &mdash; free tool by <a href="https://dashlinecameras.com/">Dashline Cameras</a> estimating what proving a not-at-fault claim is worth.</p>

FAQ

Dash cams & insurance, answered

Does a dash cam lower my car insurance premium?

Usually not directly. A small number of insurers offer up to around 20% off for having one, but most give no discount at all. The real saving is indirect: footage helps you win a disputed not-at-fault claim, which protects your excess and your no-claims discount. For the full picture, read does a dash cam lower your insurance.

How does this calculator estimate my saving?

It adds two honest figures: the excess you’d front on a claim, and roughly two renewals’ worth of the higher premium you’d pay if your no-claims discount were docked (Premium × discount% × 2). A possible 20–50% at-fault loading is shown as context but not added, so the total never overstates your case.

Will insurers actually accept my footage?

Yes. Every major UK insurer now accepts dash-cam footage as evidence in a claim, and many have upload portals. What matters is that the clip is clear, time-stamped and unedited, showing the moments before and during the incident.

Do I get my excess back if I’m not at fault?

Typically you pay your excess up front, then it’s refunded once the other driver’s insurer accepts liability. If fault is disputed and you can’t prove your version, recovery can stall — which is exactly where clear footage earns its keep.

Is the calculator only for Dashline owners?

No. The math is the same for any dash cam and any insurer — enter your own policy’s excess, premium and no-claims discount. Dashline appears only once, at the end, as the camera we make.

Can a dash cam stop my premium going up at all?

It can’t change an accident that was genuinely your fault. But when you’re wrongly blamed, footage can keep the claim off your record as at-fault — which is what protects your discount and prevents the loading. It shifts who is believed, not what happened.

One honest note from us

The camera that records the proof

We built this tool because the honest case for a dash cam is financial, not flashy. If you want a straightforward 4K camera that captures a clear, time-stamped clip — the kind that settles a claim — ours is €85.95, with a screen and memory card included.

View the Dashline 4K

Free tool by Dashline Cameras. No sign-up, no data stored — the calculation runs entirely in your browser.