It is crucial for car drivers to know and understand the features of car insurance to make the most of it.
Third-Party Liability:
This policy covers any bodily injury or death or property damages of any third party that may arise out of an accident with your insured car. The Motor Vehicle Act mandates having this car insurance policy for every car owner, and in its absence, you will have to pay a penalty if caught by the traffic police. The policy does not cover any damage that is done to your vehicle.
Comprehensive Car Insurance Policy or Package Policy:
Comprehensive Car Insurance policy protects you and your vehicle against a number of risks along with third-party liabilities. Any damage caused to the vehicle due to an accident, theft, natural calamity or man-made disaster is covered. Likewise, the death of the driver and/or passengers inside the vehicle in the event of an accident are covered. Though not a mandatory policy, it is advised to have comprehensive car insurance coverage for your vehicle.
Insured Declared Value:
IDVor the Insured Declared Value of your car is the sum you can claim in case of total loss or damage to your car. IDV is calculated on the basis of its depreciation rate. Calculated basis manufacturer’s listed selling price after deduction of depreciation as per age of the vehicle.
Premium:
It is the amount you pay for the car insurance. It depends on many factors like the model and age of the car, its fuel type, the city where you reside, your age, profession, etc. You can use your NCB points and other discounts to cut down on your premium.
Cashless claim:
If you get your car repaired at one of our network garages, you will not have to pay for it. The repair bill will be taken care of by us. This facility is referred to as cashless claim.
What is Covered in Car Insurance Policy?
A ccidents:
Any damage done to your car because of an accident is covered against any expenses towards repair or replacement. You can get it repaired at one of our cashless network garages, while in case of total damage, you will receive the IDV of your car as reimbursement.
Loss or damage due to natural disasters:
Damages caused to your car due to any natural calamity like floods, typhoon, hurricane, tsunami, lightning, earthquake, landslide, etc., are covered.
Loss or damage due to man-made disasters:
Damages caused to your car due to any riot, vandalism or any malicious acts are covered. Any damage that occurs in transit by road, rail, air or elevator, is also part of the car insurance policy’s coverage.
Theft:
The car insurance policy covers your losses if your car gets stolen.
Personal accident cover:
This policy covers the expenses of the owner-drivers in cases where they get injured (or death) while driving the insured car. A similar cover for the co-passengers of the car is available and can be added to the policy by paying extra premium.
Third-party legal liability:
If a person, vehicle or property gets hurt or damaged due to an accident with your car, you stay protected against liability due to accidental damages.
What is not Covered in Car Insurance Policy?
A car insurance policy does not promise that your claims will be settled by the insurer. Your claim request can get rejected in the following situations:
Drunk Driving: If you are caught driving under the influence of alcohol or any other intoxicating drug, you will not be covered by the car insurance policy. It is also a punishable offense.
Depreciation or any consequential loss: Any subsequent damage, which may occur as a result of the original damage, is not covered. Similarly, loss due to depreciation of the car’s value is not a part of the policy coverage
Damage due to negligence: If your car gets damaged because of negligent behavior, like driving it through a waterlogged lane or if the damage seems intentional, the policy will not cover you
No requisite add-on cover: Some damages are covered only if you have a certain add-on cover. In absence of that, the standard car insurance policy will not cover such damages
Breach of any term or conditions: Going against the policy wording like using your personal vehicle for commercial purposes can jeopardize your policy coverage
Normal wear-and-tear of the car parts and any mechanical or electrical breakdown is not covered
Loss or damage due to war or nuclear risks is also not covered in car insurance
The fixed amount that gets deducted at the time of the claim, known as compulsory deductible, will not be paid by us
It’s important to note that the depreciation cover is not applicable in cases of theft or total loss claims
Car Insurance Add On Coverage
Take a look at some of the add-on covers in car insurance at Reliance General Insurance offers:
1) NCB Retention Add On Cover
No claim bonus (NCB) is a discount, given by an insurer to a policyholder for making no claims during the policy term. NCB can be accumulated over the years and the discount ranges from 20% to 50% on the own damage premium. This is simply a general insurance company’s way to reward customer’s good driving behavior.
Say at the end of 12 months, the insurer did not claim any own damage; then in that case the insurance company provides them a discount by giving NCB based discounts in their premium.
– Discount earned by insured for a claim-free completed year.
– In the case of Own Damage claim, No Claim Bonus gets back to 0%
– NCB can be Transferred in Same Class of vehicle
– NCB Reserving letter is issued for 3 yrs from the date of sale of the vehicle
2) Nil Depreciation
This cover pays the amount of depreciation deducted on the value of parts replaced under own damage claim
– The cover operates for maximum of 2 claims during the policy period
– Special Conditions applicable to this cover in addition to the General Conditions:
– A claim where replacement of any part is not involved and no depreciation is deducted under its own damage claim, will not be considered as a claim under this cover.
– Vehicle is repaired at any of our Authorized Garage / Authorized workshop / Authorized service station.
Note: Voluntary and Compulsory Excess shall be as per normal practice.
3) Total Cover
This cover pays for the amount spent on the registration fee, Octroi and/ or any other charges levied by the government authority towards the insured vehicle. Also, the insurance premium shall be paid.
– This cover will trigger in the event of theft or total loss/ CTL.
– Road Tax & Insurance Premium is payable on Pro-rata basis for the unexpired duration of the policy period.
What are the Benefits of Buying/Renewing Car Insurance Online?
Buying or renewing a car insurance policy can be done both online and offline, however, the former is recommended for the following reasons:
Saves your time and energy:
The process of buying and renewing car insurance takes only a few minutes. You just need to follow some simple directions. The process is absolutely hassle-free as you no longer need to visit any office, fill out forms, and stand in line to buy/renew the insurance.
Saves you money:
By buying/renewing car insurance online, you eliminate the need for an insurance agent, and thus, save yourself some money that would have otherwise gone towards paying commission. The benefit of the reduced cost of operations is passed on to customers this way.
Informed choice:
When you go online, you get to compare different offers, and therefore, can pick the one that suits your needs the most while giving you maximum benefits at a lower premium.
Easy customisation
Another customer-friendly feature is that you can add or delete the various add-on covers attached to your standard policy, at the time of renewal.
Transparency:
Since every term and condition is out on the website, there is no scope of the customer being duped by false promises. Also, all your details are kept confidential.
Safe documentation:
The possibility of losing or damaging car insurance policy papers is minimized as documents are exchanged online and can be accessed from anywhere anytime. Going paperless is so eco-friendly too!
Easy and secure payment:
Online car insurance transactions are not only quick, but there is also no fear of losing receipts. Since you make the payment through secure payment gateways online, you are safe from any kind of fraud.
Car Insurance Discounts
If you think the car insurance premiums will exert stress on your budget, you will be glad to know that you can make them extremely affordable with several discounts.
No Claim Bonus:
If you have not made any claim requests in your last insurance period, you have established yourself as a safe and responsible driver, and will be rewarded with NCB points. It can decrease your payable premium by a good margin. No Claim Bonus accumulated over the years can get you a discount of up to a whopping 50%.
|
No. of Years |
Discount |
|
One claim-free year |
20% |
|
Two consecutive claim-free years |
25% |
|
Three consecutive claim-free years |
35% |
|
Four consecutive claim-free years |
45% |
|
Five consecutive claim-free years |
50% |
Voluntary Deductible:
|
Opting for a voluntary deductible while buying the car insurance policy is another way of lowering premiums. A voluntary deductible is an amount that you agree to pay from the claim amount and reduce the risk factor for the insurer. Therefore, the higher the deductible amount, the lower will be your car insurance premium. |
You get discounts if you are a member of any recognized automobile association
If you install any certified anti-theft device to protect your car against theft, you are eligible for additional discounts on online car insurance
Another way to reduce premiums is to opt for pay as you drive insurance. In this, premiums are proportional to the kilometers for which you drive the car around. The less you use the car, the smaller will be the online car insurance premiums
Not sure if you need car insurance? Numbers Don’t Lie!
The poor road conditions and a blatant disregard for traffic regulations make Indian roads one of the most dangerous in the world.
These fatalities are only expected to rise in the future. We don’t mean to scare you by these grim statistics. The statistics reflect the kind of dangers that the roads entail. Hence, It’s better to be safe than sorry!
How to Claim Your Car Insurance Online?
Filing a claim online for your car insurance is quite an easy process.
You can call our toll-free number +91 22 4890 3009 or mail to register a claim
You will be glad to know that you can do it on the Reliance Self-i App. The app also offers the facility to have a live video call with claim experts where you can learn about the status of your claim
To initiate the claim process, you must inform us as soon as possible and share with us the details about the accident and damage
You should file an FIR to register the accident at the nearest police station. It will help if you can note the time, take photos and videos of the damage, and save some contact details of key eyewitnesses
Once you file the claim and submit the required documents, we will assign an expert for the verification process and estimate the expenses that might arise from the repair
You will have to take the car to one of our network garages if you opt for the cashless facility. Here, you won’t have to pay upfront for the repairs. The bills will be settled directly by us and the payment made to the service centre will be based on the car insurance policy wording
If you opt for a reimbursement claim, you will have to pay for repairs from your pocket, and later you can submit the bills/receipts to us along with a request for reimbursement.
For motor claims, we have also come up with Reliance Self-i App where you can intimate the claims instantly. Moreover, you can now have a live video call with our claim experts and be informed about the status in real time.
How to Choose the Type of Car Insurance that Suits You the Best?
Now that you understand the nuances of both types of Car Insurance Policies you must be contemplating about which one to choose.
Here are some valuable recommendations to help you with your decision:
The Third Party Liability Car Insurance policy is generally chosen by individuals who want to buy car insurance as it is mandatory by law
If you seek overall protection from the damages caused due to unforeseen accidents, opting for a comprehensive car insurance policy is the best option. Additionally, you can pick add-on covers for car insurance as per the risks which are more relevant to you
How is a Car Insurance Premium Calculated?
Vehicle owner’s age:
The individuals between 18 to 25 years of age have to pay more premium amount than the others.
Fuel Type:
The premium for a CNG type vehicle is higher than that of petrol of diesel type vehicles.
Geographical Location:
A lot depends on where you drive your car. An area with a higher density of traffic like cities will have higher car insurance premium rates.
IDV:
Insured Declared Value (IDV) is the maximum amount to be paid to the insured person in case of any damage. This is decided by RTO details, brand, selling rice and affects own damage cover.
Cubic capacity:
The cubic capacity of your car will affect the premium rate you pay to get your vehicle insured.
Other factors:
Factors like car insurance add-on covers, discounts, purpose of the vehicle and safety features such as airbags and anti-theft devices will also be taken into consideration while calculating your car insurance premium.
Types of Car Insurance Policy:
Third-party Cover:
In India, this is a mandatory cover and there are strict fines if a person does not have a Third-Party cover. These cover the financial losses or other kinds of losses to the third party which is involved in any kind of accident with your car. It does not cover your expenses. TPL depends on the car’s capacity and is issued by the Insurance Regulatory Authority of India.
Own Damage Cover:
This is the best car insurance cover which also covers your vehicle from any kind of damage even due to natural calamity. This means that it will have a higher premium. As the car grows older the IDV decreases and premium decreases too. It is calculated by the percentages of IDV.
Formula to calculate IDV is equal to the showroom price of the car added to any additional accessories that may have been installed in the car subtracted by the depreciation value of the car with every passing year.
This makes the formula to calculate OD as IDV multiplied by premium rate decided by insurer added to any kind of add-ons which could be in the form of bonuses subtracted by the discounts and benefits like no claim bonus or theft discounts.
Personal Accident Cover:
The car insurance goes beyond protecting your car and also safeguards and cover your personal injury costs as well. This is a vital part of being completely protected. With rising prices of medical health care, the insurance must cover even any basic injury caused by the accident which could ease out the financial burden.
As the sum insured to the person goes higher, and the premium rate also keeps on increasing similarly . Use Our Car Insurance Calculator to calculate your premium easily!
How to Save on Car Insurance Policy Premium?
Know Your Car’s IDV
The value of your car depreciates overtime. Hence it is important to know your IDV. A lower IDV attracts a lower premium.
Claim Your No Claim Bonus:
The No Claim Bonus is your rightful reward for being a responsible driver. Earn discounts of up to 50% on your car insurance premium year-on-year.
Become AAI Member:
Become a member of the Automobile Association of India and you can secure a concession on personal-damage premium.
Increase the Voluntary Deductible
A voluntary deductible is the amount you agree to pay out of your pocket. The higher your voluntary deductible, the lesser will be your premium. Know what are deductibles for car insurance before purchasing.
How to Renew Car Insurance Policy If It Has Expired?
There could be many reasons that your online car insurance policy could have lapsed and you need to renew the policy before the expiration date to continue driving your vehicle safely. Thus, you must keep in mind to renew expired car insurance as fast as possible to avoid any kind of legal action and also to have safe coverage for you and your vehicle.
If due to any reason your car insurance has expired here are the steps to follow:
Getting in touch with the agent
In case the policy is expired car insurance the first thing to do is to get in touch with your agent through which you got the insurance or to fill the renewal form online. The form is always available on the website of the insurance provider. An experienced agent has good knowledge of the working of online car insurance and things to do after the insurance has expired and may guide you through the process smoothly. Online renewal can save a lot of time if you are already familiar with the basics and don’t need an agent to renew your insurance, this process is convenient too. It is important to keep in mind that wasting time is useless as you may have to pay a high premium at a later stage and also could face a penalty while driving on the road without insurance.
Do Not Drive
While the car insurance is expired and is in the process of renewal it is important not to drive the vehicle. This is the reason why it is advised to apply for renewal before the expiration of the previous insurance. Driving without insurance is like driving at higher risk and in case of an accident you would have to pay the third party for the damages. As well as for vehicular loss without any coverage from the insurer.
Choosing Policy
Driving without motor insurance is illegal thus you must renew the insurance as quickly as a possible and quickest way is renewing the insurance online. Choose a car insurance policy suitable for you. You can even switch the company and the features. This will allow you to compare various insurance and make an informed decision about the product.
Keeping the documents ready
After you have decided which policy you want to go for, all the documents must be kept handy and a call should be given to the insurer. The documents include a copy of the previous policy and registration certificate of the vehicle which is needed to renew the car insurance. Additional details may also be required depending on the insurer. As fast as you provide these details faster would be the process of generation of insurance.
Expired car insurance renewal is not a difficult process. The process is easy with some basic understanding of the document and can be done online at home. Click here to renew expired car insurance easily .
