Cashless car repair: why the garage still asked me to pay at delivery
Written for policyholders in India · Last reviewed 2026-10-10
Even under a cashless repair, the insurer pays only what it has assessed, and the garage bills you for the rest. Your share can include the compulsory deductible, depreciation on replaced parts unless you have a nil-depreciation add-on, consumables unless you have a consumables add-on, and any work the surveyor did not link to the accident. Ask the garage for the bill split into the insurer's share and yours, and check each line of your share against the policy.
Cashless means the insurer pays the garage directly for its share. It does not mean the insurer pays the whole bill.
What can end up in your share
| Item | In the example policy | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Compulsory deductible | ₹1,000 for private cars below 1500cc and EVs, ₹2,000 above 1500cc, on own-damage claims | The amount shown in your schedule |
| Depreciation on parts | Deducted on replaced parts at the policy's rates | Your vehicle's age band, and any nil-depreciation add-on |
| Consumables such as nuts and bolts, washers, grease, engine oil and filters | Covered by a separate add-on in the example insurer's range | Whether your schedule lists that add-on |
| Tyres and tubes | Paid only if the vehicle is damaged at the same time, and then limited to 50% of the replacement cost | How the tyre damage happened |
| Wear and tear, mechanical breakdown | Excluded from own-damage cover | Whether the surveyor linked the item to the accident |
| Parts or work outside the insurer's assessment | Not part of the approved amount | The assessment line by line against the invoice |
The example insurer's own sample calculation shows the order: the gross assessed liability, less depreciation, less the compulsory deductible, gives the amount it pays. Why depreciation is deducted explains the rates.[1]
If you used a garage outside the network
Where cashless is not available, you pay the garage and claim the money back; IRDAI's list of general insurance claim documents includes repair bills for exactly that case, and one insurer asks for the repair bills and payment receipts once the job is done. Keep the garage's estimate, the final invoice and the receipt, and expect the policy's deductions to apply in the same way.[3, 4]
Before you pay at delivery
Ask for the split bill.
Ask the garage to show, line by line, what the insurer approved and what is left for you.
Ask for the insurer's assessment.
Ask the insurer for the surveyor's assessment or settlement sheet for your claim.
Match each line of your share to a clause.
Deductible, depreciation, consumables, tyres, exclusions: each amount you are asked to pay should trace back to one of them.
Query the gaps in writing.
Write to the insurer the same day if you can, and keep the reply. If a deduction still looks wrong, make it a grievance; the insurer should resolve a complaint within 14 days.[3]
Sources
The official documents this page relies on. Rules change: where it matters to your claim, check the current version at the source.
1. The New India Assurance Company Limited
Private Car Package Policy – Customer Information Sheet (UIN IRDAN190RP0042V01100001)Accessed 2026-10-09 · Cited at: New India Assurance, Private Car Package Policy Customer Information Sheet (UIN IRDAN190RP0042V01100001), item 8 'Loss Participation'; New India Assurance, Private Car Package Policy Customer Information Sheet (UIN IRDAN190RP0042V01100001), item 7 'Available Add on', 2 'Consumable Items'; New India Assurance, Private Car Package Policy Customer Information Sheet (UIN IRDAN190RP0042V01100001), items 11–12, 'Sample Claims Calculation'
2. The New India Assurance Company Limited
Standard Form for Private Car Package Policy (UIN IRDAN190RP0042V01100001)Accessed 2026-10-09 · Cited at: New India Assurance, Standard Form for Private Car Package Policy (UIN IRDAN190RP0042V01100001), Section I, depreciation items 1–3, page 1; New India Assurance, Standard Form for Private Car Package Policy (UIN IRDAN190RP0042V01100001), Section I exclusions, item (b), page 1; New India Assurance, Standard Form for Private Car Package Policy (UIN IRDAN190RP0042V01100001), Section I exclusions, item (a), page 1
3. IRDAI (scanned copy of the circular, hosted by caalley.com)
Master Circular on Protection of Policyholders' Interests, 2024 – Ref IRDAI/PP&GR/CIR/MISC/117/9/2024 dated 5 September 2024 (full scanned text with IRDAI letterhead; OCR text layer)Dated 2024-09-05 · Accessed 2026-10-09 · Cited at: IRDAI Master Circular on Protection of Policyholders' Interests (IRDAI/PP&GR/CIR/MISC/117/9/2024, 5 Sep 2024), Section 1, Part C (Retail General), V.2(ii), printed page 45; IRDAI Master Circular on Protection of Policyholders' Interests (IRDAI/PP&GR/CIR/MISC/117/9/2024, 5 Sep 2024), Section 1, Part C (Retail General), VI.2(i), printed page 47
Read from a copy hosted at caalley.com · Official page
4. IndusInd General Insurance Company Limited (formerly Reliance General Insurance Company Limited)
Motor Claims DocumentsAccessed 2026-10-09 · Cited at: IndusInd General Insurance, 'Motor Claims Documents' page, 'Accident Damages' list
ClaimAssure is an independent private platform. It is not an insurer, IRDAI, Bima Bharosa or the Insurance Ombudsman, it never files anything on your behalf, and it cannot promise any outcome. What it does is read your documents and show you what they say.
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