Let’s say your vehicle suffered losses totaling $4500. Your insurance pays $4000, while you cover the remaining $500 out of pocket. This is how things usually go with deductibles, but there is a way to avoid making a dent in your wallet: opting for the diminishing deductible program.
Read on to learn about:
Unlike regular deductibles, vanishing (disappearing) deductibles – applied exclusively to comprehensive and collision coverage – can be reduced to $0 over time, meaning you won’t have to pay if a loss occurs, dodging the bullet of financial stress. Some auto insurance companies offer vanishing deductible programs as a stimulus to drive safely and avoid accidents.
A vanishing deductible program works as follows:
Auto insurers award you deductible credits as soon as you sign up for the program, and some may even grant the first cost reduction at the end of the first year. The gradual decrease in the deductible can be a percentage of the deductible or a fixed sum, possibly depending on the required period of accident-free driving.
A vanishing deductible option may not suit those who don’t drive much or aren’t prone to major accidents. However, if you tend to file claims regularly and fear significant damage to your vehicle, adding a diminishing deductible option to your insurance policy can help you save money on your auto insurance claim.
A few additional factors dictate whether this is the solution for you, so it always makes sense to peruse your disappearing deductible program before committing to it.
The big caveat that comes with vanishing deductibles is that after you’ve maintained a clean driving record for years and managed to diminish the cost to 0, it’s possible that as soon as you file a claim, your deductible can climb up to its original value, erasing all the time and effort you’ve dedicated. This downside isn’t universal but the one to keep in mind.
Whether you save money depends on how likely you are to use your deductible, and your risk tolerance.
Here’s what you can do:
Some car insurance companies may require you – or even all drivers on the policy – to have a clean driving record (no at-fault accidents, convictions, or violations) for a few years before you can apply for the vanishing deductible program. What is and isn’t penalized usually depends on the insurance company.
To get a better understanding of what a typical vanishing deductible program looks like, let’s examine the offers from a few insurance companies:
Allstate grants $100 off the collision deductible just for signing up, subtracting $100 every year of collision-free driving. You can earn up to $500 off your deductible and reduce it to nothing in four years. No clean driving record is required to apply.
Nationwide shrinks your deductible by $100 yearly as a reward for being a safe driver, with a maximum of $500. When you add this coverage to your policy, the initial $100 credit is applied after a month-long waiting period. Nationwide started offering their diminishing deductible option back in 2011, the year they released their vanishing deductible commercial.
The Nationwide vanishing deductible applies to both the collision and comprehensive deductibles, which separates it from other solutions. Accident-free driving history is not required to apply. Upon an accident, your deductible won’t return to its starting amount but will be set at $100.
Liberty Mutual Deductible Fund lowers your collision deductible by $100 for every year of accident-free driving, down to $0. Unlike other plans, the Liberty Mutual car insurance deductible program doesn’t charge more for additional vehicles, and a spotless driving record is not required to apply.
The Hartford’s Advantage Plus Plan includes “Disappearing Deductible” as part of their package. Your collision deductible is instantly lowered by $150 and then by $50 each subsequent year of safe driving, potentially to $0. The fly in the ointment, though, is that The Hartford does require five years of accident-free driving, three of which must be with them, to qualify for the deductible.
If you want to save money on auto insurance, but are unsure if a vanishing deductible program would be the right fit, we suggest you explore a few other solutions.
As you can see, there are plenty of ways to save on your auto insurance, whether via a vanishing deductible or one of the conventional discounts. Make sure to research your options before committing to collision, comprehensive, or other auto insurance.
Fresh articles, news and other insurance oriented content.
