Will a glass claim
cost me my no-claims?

This is the single most common reason people pay out of their own pocket for work their policy would have covered. The fear is reasonable. It is also usually misplaced.

Glass is its own section

On a comprehensive policy, windscreen and glass cover is typically written as a separate benefit with its own excess. It is not treated as an at-fault claim, because nobody is at fault when a lorry throws a stone.

That separation is why the bonus is normally untouched. The claim sits against the glass section rather than the main policy.

What you will actually pay

A glass excess is usually stated separately and is often lower than the main policy excess. On a repair it is frequently zero, because insurers would far rather fund a repair now than a replacement plus recalibration later.

• Chip repair: commonly nothing to pay at all.
• Replacement: the glass excess stated in your policy, typically much lower than your main excess.
• Recalibration: normally included in the same claim rather than billed separately.
• Anything above an approved-fitter cap, if your policy has one.

You choose the fitter

An insurer can recommend somebody from its own network. It cannot compel you to use them. What some policies do is cap the payout if you go outside that network, which is a different thing and worth checking.

If there is a cap and a gap, you should hear the number before the work starts. We check the wording first and tell you, rather than letting it appear on an invoice.

Will the premium go up anyway?

Insurers ask about all claims at renewal, including glass, and a history of them can feed into pricing. In practice a single glass claim rarely moves a premium meaningfully, and weighing that against paying the full cost yourself usually still favours claiming.

If you are unsure, ring your insurer and ask two questions: does a glass claim affect my no-claims discount, and what is my glass excess. Both answers take a minute and settle it.