Typically, with a deductible recovery, the insurance company will work through a process referred to as subrogation. Subrogation is a way to protect yourself and your insurance company from paying for a motor vehicle collision that was not your fault. Basically, with subrogation, an insurance company receives money from the liable driver’s insurance company, so the not-at-fault driver gets their deductible back. Typically, subrogation with motor vehicle insurance works in the following way:
You pay your deductible, and your insurance company pays for the damages.
The insurance companies determine who is at fault for the crash: To figure out this liability, insurance companies will often ask for a statement from the involved parties about the crash and collect as much information about the incident as possible. That is why it is important that if you were involved in a motor vehicle collision, you obtain a police report of the crash, pictures and videos of the accident, and any other evidence from the scene that can help show the insurance company who was at fault for the accident.
Your insurer will recover your deductible: Once it is determined the other motorist was at fault for the crash, your insurance company will work through the subrogation process to recover your deductible. During this step, you may also need to submit proof that you paid your deductible, which can be shown through a credit card statement or a body shop invoice.