The word recovery could have different meanings in car insurance.

Roadside Recovery:  This service refers to recovery of a car after a mechanical breakdown or an accident. Roadside recovery is usually included in comprehensive car insurance and only an approved towing operator should be allowed to tow your car. See car towing insurance in this glossary for further details.

Recovery can also be the amount of money recovered from a third party, or his insurance company, if he was responsible for the loss or accident. Your insurance company will pay out your claim but then try to recover the money on your behalf. As the insurer has already refunded you they are entitled to the recovery but they will refund the excess to you if they were able to recover that as well.

Where an insurer has a reinsurance agreement with a reinsurance company they will also recover a portion of your car insurance claim from the reinsurer, depending on the type of reinsurance treaty in existence.

In the case of a write-off or total loss, once the insurance company has settled your claim, any recovery or amount received from the sale of the salvage will belong to the insurance company. See the glossary entry on salvage for further details.