Windscreen claims now average £298, so check your glass excess first
The average windscreen claim has risen 9 per cent in a year as screens fill up with cameras and sensors. What a glass claim costs you, what it does to your no claims discount and when a chip becomes a problem.
A cracked windscreen is no longer the cheap claim drivers assume. Before you ring anyone, the number that matters most is the glass excess on your own policy.
My view is that a chip is worth fixing the week it appears, because waiting turns a cheap repair into the most expensive glass job on the car.
Why are windscreen claims getting dearer? The ABI says the average claim to repair or replace a windscreen was £298 in the third quarter of 2026, up 9 per cent on a year earlier. Part of the reason sits in the glass itself. Cameras and sensors built into modern screens need recalibrating after a replacement, which adds to the bill, as Aviva’s windscreen cover guide explains.
Am I covered at all? Usually only on comprehensive cover, and even then some basic comprehensive products leave glass out. Third party, fire and theft generally pays for glass only when the damage came from a fire or a theft, so a stone thrown up on the motorway is yours to pay for.
What will I pay? Your glass excess, which each insurer sets. On Aviva’s Signature comprehensive policy it is £115 for a replacement and £10 for a chip repair, according to the same guide. Check yours, because it decides whether a claim makes sense.
Will it hit my no claims discount? Most insurers will not touch it for a glass claim. Some may still raise the premium, and you are expected to tell a new insurer about the claim when you switch.
When does a chip turn into trouble? Damage larger than 10mm in the driver’s line of vision, or larger than 40mm elsewhere, risks an MOT failure.
If a stone does hit, book the chip repair straight away, before cold weather turns it into a crack running across the screen.