Car Insurance Plans

Car Insurance/Four Wheeler Insurance is an agreement between an insurance company and a car owner under which the former provides an insurance cover to the policyholder for financial damages incurred by his/her car in unforeseen events. Depending on the coverage, there are three types of car insurance plans - third party car insurance policy, standalone own-damage car insurance and comprehensive car insurance policy.

There are a number of benefits of owning car insurance. Firstly, it helps you meet the legal requirement of owning at least a third party car insurance cover. Moreover, a car insurance policy helps you meet financial liabilities that may arise towards a third party or own-damages to your car due to a road accident or any other unfortunate event.

On the basis of coverage, there are three types of car insurance in India - third party car insurance policy, standalone own damage car insurance policy, and comprehensive car insurance policy. While a third party (also known as liability only policy) provides coverage for third party liabilities only, a comprehensive car insurance policy provides coverage for own damages in addition to third party liabilities. A standalone own-damage cover provides coverage only for own-damages incurred by the insured’s car.

The premium for third party car insurance depends on the engine capacity of the car and is fixed by the IRDAI. However, the premium for standalone own-damage and comprehensive car insurance policies varies from car to car depending on a number of factors such as car's MMV (Make, Model and Variant), RTO location, engine capacity, registration city, fuel type, etc.

Every car insurance comes with a validity period, post which you need to renew it to continue to enjoy its benefits. However, even if you miss to get your car insurance plan renewed by the expiry date, you can still get it renewed till the next 90 days from the date of expiry. After the expiry of this 90-day period, a car insurance cannot be renewed. In such a case, you need to purchase a new car insurance policy.

Car insurance policy number is a unique 8 to 10 digit number, given by your car insurance company for the identification of your insurance account. It is generally written on your insurance card or statements issued by the insurance company. The number remains the same as long as your policy is active with the respective insurance provider.

There are a number of factors which make a car insurance company better than its peers. One such important factor is Claim Settlement Ratio (CSR). It is the percentage of claims settled by a car insurance company out of the total number of claims received by it during a financial year. In the financial year 2018-19 the insurance companies which registered the highest claim settlement ratio are IFFCO Tokio General Insurance (96.44%), Royal Sundaram General Insurance (94.07%), and Oriental Insurance Company (93.16%).

As per the Indian Motor Tariff, every car owner in the country is compulsorily required to own at least a third party car insurance cover. Absence of a valid third party car insurance plan is a punishable offence which attracts a fine of Rs. 2,000 and/or imprisonment of up to 3 months for the first offence.

The premium of third party car insurance plans is determined by the IRDAI, whereas the premium for standalone own-damage and comprehensive plans vary from insurance company to insurance company. Following are some factors which affect the premium for own-damage four wheeler insurance cover:

1. Insured Declared Value – The Insured Declared Value (IDV) is the current market value of the four wheeler. It is one of the important factors which affect the calculation of the premium as IDV is the amount which insurance companies pay the policyholder in the event of total loss of car. Higher IDV attracts a higher premium.
2. Engine Cubic Capacity – The premium of a car insurance plan is also a function of the car’s engine cubic capacity. Greater the car’s cubic capacity, higher is the premium.
3. Age of the Car – With time the value of the four wheeler reduces due to depreciation. The normal wear and tear reduce the value of the car in the market due to which its insurance premium also reduces. Thus, greater the age, lower the premium.
4. Make, Model and Variant – The make, model and variant of the car affects the IDV of the car which eventually affects the car insurance premium. For different make, model and variants of the car, the different premium is applicable.
5. RTO Location – Another important factor is the RTO location of the car. It gives the insurance company an idea about the density of traffic in the area/city where the car will be driven and thus the probability of road accidents and other mishaps.

Yes, the four wheeler insurance can be transferred from the old owner to the new owner in case the sale of a second-hand car. As per the Indian Motor Tariff, the policy transfer should be completed within 14 days from the car’s purchase date.

No, one car owner can not have two insurance policies for the same four-wheeler. However, a third-party insurance plan and own damage cover can be purchased separately for a four-wheeler, in place of a comprehensive four wheeler insurance policy.

A car insurance claim can be made online by following the below-mentioned steps:

1. Step 1: Register the claim by visiting the website or mobile app
2. Step 2: After claim registration, the car’s owner gets a claim registration number
3. Step 3: After claim registration, the four wheeler insurance company sends a surveyor the place of accident/mishap to assess the extent of damage. The policyholder needs to submit the required documents at this stage to the surveyor to proceed with the claim.
4. Step 4: The damaged four wheeler is then sent to a garage for repairs. Depending on the type of garage, the payment for the claim will be made.
5. Step 5: If a network garage is chosen, the bill is directly settled by the four wheeler insurance company with the garage. In case, the garage is not a part of the insurance company’s cashless garages network, the policyholder needs to settle the bill which is later reimbursed by the insurance company.