check the policy: glass excess is separate
Advanced options
heated, HUD or rain-sensor glass: GBP 500-900
0 = not obtained yet
The chip is a countdown: cold snaps, cabin heaters and speed bumps turn today's repairable GBP 0-25 chip into next month's GBP 300-600 replacement (the first frost is the glass trade's harvest festival). Most comprehensive policies repair chips FREE with no excess and no no-claims impact: the excess only bites on full replacement. ADAS windscreens add GBP 100-200 of mandatory camera recalibration to any replacement: another reason the free chip repair is the bargain of the year.
What The Windscreen Repair Calculator Works Out
- Likely cost to you: for a repairable chip, GBP 0-25 (free on most comprehensive policies, GBP 25-60 privately); for a crack or a chip in the driver's sightline, your glass excess capped at the replacement cost. A replacement runs GBP 300-600 fitted, more for heated or head-up-display glass.
- Repair vs replace vs wait: a resin repair takes 30 minutes and stops the countdown; cold snaps, cabin heaters and speed bumps turn a chip into a crack. Clear tape over the chip until the appointment keeps out the dirt and water that ruin repairability.
- Insurance + MOT angles: glass claims sit outside no-claims on most policies but a minority count them. Damage over 10mm in the driver's central sweep, or over 40mm anywhere the wipers cover, is an MOT fail.
- Replacement windscreen and recalibration (advanced): the simple mode assumes GBP 350 for the glass and GBP 150 for ADAS camera recalibration. Override with your own quotes: dealer-only glass with sensors, heating or HUD can reach GBP 500-900, and recalibration is a safety requirement, not an upsell.
- Private chip repair price (advanced): what a mobile technician charges without insurance, typically GBP 25-60. Used to show the saving from repairing now rather than replacing later.
- Independent fitter's cash quote (advanced): for older cars without ADAS, independent mobile fitters sometimes beat the policy excess, so quote before claiming. Enter the quote and the calculator says which route is cheaper.
- Premium and no-claims effect (advanced): if your policy does count glass claims against no-claims, the true cost of claiming includes the premium loading for the following three years. On a GBP 600 premium a 15% loading is GBP 270, often more than the excess itself.
- True cost of claiming (advanced): excess plus any premium loading. This, not the excess alone, is the number to compare with a cash quote.
- Saved by repairing the chip now (advanced): the cheapest replacement route minus the private repair price. Fleet and lease return inspections charge full replacement for the chip a tenner's resin would have erased.