I have an induction hob….i e had one for several years and have just replaced it recently. It didn’t cost anywhere near the amount you think it will. Anyway, the householders insurance should cover but only if the say they’d done it. I had a cleaner several years ago who, in their wisdom decided to take out the glass door on my oven and dropped it. I told the truth to my insurers and because she’d done it, I wasn’t covered.
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I also have an induction hob and, as @Elsa1 said, it didn’t cost even near the amounts you say. I don’t have any specific instructions. If the surface is not even or the right material it doesn’t heat, that’s all, so I don’t think you caused the damage and even if the cause is what you said, it still wouldn’t be your fault. As everyone has suggested, talk to the owner, it will probably not be as bad as you think.
I fully agree with @Fatamorgana that this forum
And I think it does. Nevertheless, saying
doesn’t come anywhere near realism.
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Top of the line induction cooktops in the U.S. can cost what the OP described, and sometimes more. But again, no need to panic. There’s been a lot of constructive advice on this thread.
In your shoes, I’d first let the hosts know and see what their response is. I wouldn’t propose any possible solution immediately, because maybe they’ll come up with something reasonable. If not, you can always go from there.
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Ugh, I feel for you! Reminded me of a couple of my own mishaps.
Nobody has mentioned TH’s insurance? The HOs should be able to claim with this?
I think THS coverage is secondary — they require that hosts first tap their primary insurance. Like in the U.S., homeowners typically have insurance for their home, in case of damages or someone getting hurt at their place.
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Ah yes, you are right. I looked into the fine print.
I should have remembered that, because I looked it up that time I thought I’d wrecked someone’s spotless quartz countertop 
(LOL, turned out the mark was already there and just didn’t show till the angle of light changed! 
)
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@meggoose DITTO big time.
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Ugh. I realize my suggestion is totally cynical but maybe screenshot the WG now to verify that there was no instruction on this. The HO could alter it.
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I have had them, can’t imagine it cracked because of an uneven pan. Why would they have the pan if that was the case? I think you just tell them. You were cooking and it cracked. Must have been something faulty in the system. It is a stove top. It shouldn’t be fragile. Unless you dropped the pan.
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I’d take full responsibility and let the ho know asap (and do not mention anything about them not having told you about the stove, pans, etc).
TBH, I’d offer to pay as the offer itself tells the ho everything about your integrity and responsibility. Chances are strong that they won’t ask you to cover the damage when you take ownership, apologise and explain everything. If I were the ho and you responded in this manner, I’d appreciate it and let it go (pay for it myself).
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I understand that you feel bad, I would too. But from your description, you didn’t do anything accidentally or deliberately to cause the cooktop to crack. Things break, things stop working, things go kaput. I have two homes, and it feels like there’s always something breaking or just wearing out. Yep it’s frustrating but it’s not anyone’s fault.
In your shoes, I’d tell the host calmly and factually what happened. I’d express sympathy & dismay but would not offer to pay to repair or replace it.
Maybe this goes without saying, but you shouldn’t use a glass cooktop that’s cracked. If you’re sitting for an extended period and the host can’t get it repaired quickly, they could order a single induction plug-in burner so you have something to cook with. In the US, Amazon has models that aren’t very expensive (around $50).
BTW, I’ve had an induction cooktop for years. Using a pan that doesn’t have a flat bottom will not damage it. It just won’t heat the pan evenly or efficiently.
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It does not make much difference to how much heat is developed in the pan. But there will be contact with the glass only in a small area. At those points the glass will get hotter, it will heat unevenly, causing localized stresses. But nothing excessive, the temperature of the bottom of the pan will not be much above boiling temperature if it was soup or sauce. A bit higher if one had been frying something. It should not make the glass crack.
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We’ve used induction hobs for years, and even carry a portable one with us to sits. There are 2 main reasons why the glass on induction hobs can break; if something is dropped on them, or thermal shock; you shouldn’t put a hot pan from the oven onto a cold induction hob and when using a large pan on a small ring, the heat from the pan can crack the hob. Did any of these things occur, @meggoose ?
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Unfortunately it was neither of those things — we were just heating something up when I heard the crack. Lifted the pan to find little glass shards had “mini-exploded” onto the pan in the shape of the crack — only about the length of a small pinky. Only thing I can think is that something about the pan being slightly elevated (there are four little “knobs” spaced evenly around the perimeter on the base) must have done … something?
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Have you spoken to the owners yet?
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It does not need an immediate cause. Such glass panels are aften manufactured with built-in compressive stresses on the outside. This is supposed to stop scratches from growing. But things can crack anyway, especially if there was a manufacturing error.
It is like earthquakes not having an immediate cause.
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I think they can keep their integrity intact without offering to pay for some accidental damage. It would be totally different if it is was a negligence.
I would do as everybody here suggests: talk to the HO ASAP and follow @MaggieUU and @Maggie8K’s advice.
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I would think the cooktop would be able to handle uneven cookware, especially since the cookware was right there and clearly used by HO.
I would let HO know what happened, and that’s it. I would NOT offer to reimburse anything. You were not being negligent in any way.
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Yes, and she was very cool about it and acknowledging that we’ll just have to figure out what steps need to be taken and assess as we go.
One thing we finally realized is that the pan we were using was enamel, and a sliver of hot enamel actually seems to have melted off the bottom and onto the glass, which caused the crack.
Tough thing to acknowledge given that I assume “seasoned” induction users would know to avoid this. My understanding was that if the pan doesn’t work with induction, it won’t heat up. This one heated up, so I thought we were good 
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That’s good news about the owner’s reaction. Keep us posted as to how this matter is resolved in the end please.