Scratch and dent insurance pays for small cosmetic damage, the kind of scuffs and parking dings you'd never claim for on your main policy because the excess would swallow the claim. It's a separate product, sold alongside car insurance by banks, insurers and dealers.
Repairs are usually done by the product's approved "smart repair" network, often at your home or office.
Most products also cap the number of repairs, or the total amount, per year. Read those limits before you buy.
Your car is new or nearly new, you'll trade it in or return it on a lease, you park in busy shopping centres, or you'd fix small damage anyway.
Your car is older, small marks don't bother you, or the premium over a year is more than you'd spend on a couple of repairs.
Scratch and dent cover is offered by several South African banks and insurers, including Absa, Nedbank (MyCover Dent and Scratch) and FNB (as an add-on), and by many dealers when you buy a car. You're not obliged to buy it from the dealer; compare it with other providers first.
Related: car warranty insurance · comprehensive car insurance · what excess means
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A separate, optional policy that pays for small cosmetic repairs, such as minor scratches, scuffs and small dents, usually through specialist quick repairers, without you claiming on your main car insurance.
It can be if you park in busy places, keep your car in good condition for resale or trade-in, or your car is on a lease with return-condition rules. It's less worth it on an older car where small marks don't matter to you.
Because the repair often costs less than, or not much more than, your excess, and a claim can affect claim-free rewards such as cash back bonuses.
Several banks and insurers sell it, including Absa and Nedbank (as MyCover Dent and Scratch), and FNB as an add-on to its car insurance. It's also often offered by car dealers when you buy a car.
Tracker Prices SA is an independent information site. We are not an insurer or a licensed financial services provider, and nothing here is financial advice. Insurer details are summarised from each insurer's own published information, last checked September 2026. Cover, benefits and prices change, so always confirm them in your quote and policy wording. For a complaint about an insurer you can contact the free National Financial Ombud Scheme.
Tell us about your car once and we'll arrange for quotes to be sent to you, so you can compare premiums and excesses side by side.
