Know All about Roadside Assistance

Be it a flat tire, electrical fault or a minor mechanical defect, anything can disrupt your otherwise smooth car journey. It can be intimidating if your car breaks down in an unfamiliar territory. And this is when roadside assistance comes to your rescue. It offers direct towing service in the event of problems, such as puncture, car running out of fuel and other emergency situations. Some insurance companies offer it along with the car insurance policy while such companies as AXA Assistance India and Cross Roads India Assistance offer roadside assistance as a standalone product. 

How Roadside Assistance Works?

Call up your motor insurance online for help and it will send a crew to your rescue point in no time. Essentially all the services are free, however, in some cases you will have to bear the costs. For example, if you run out of fuel, you will have to pay for refueling. Again, if your vehicle has to be towed, you would have to pay for it. Some companies also provide taxi assistance and hotel accommodation if need be. This facility is most useful during the monsoon season when a vehicle is more susceptible to breakdown.

What does it cover?

Roadside assistance offers a host of benefits to you, the policyholder. Here’s what you can get:

Towing service

Battery jump start

Spare key arrangement

Alternate battery/jump start

Phone assistance

Alternate transport/accommodation

Emergency fuel

Minor repairing

Factors to consider before taking Roadside Assistance Cover

Age of the car: As a car ages, chances of mechanical problems tend to increase. As a result, most of the service providers are reluctant to offer cover for cars aged above five years. And, just in case they do offer the cover, the annual charges would be very high. Additionally, car manufacturers also provide roadside assistance packages along with their vehicle. For example, Honda’s Roadside Assistance costs Rs 1,780 in the first year, Rs 2,950 in the second year and Rs 3,750 after the third year.

Number of services available: The cover may have a cap on the number of times a service can be availed. For example, TVS Automobile Solutions offers two types of roadside assistance packages—Gold Card and Platinum Card. The Gold Card holders can get emergency breakdown assistance six times in a year, while, Platinum cardholders get unlimited emergency breakdown assistance in a year.

Plan prices: The prices for roadside assistance depend largely on the age of the vehicle and the number of services availed by the car owner. But another key aspect is your typical travel route. If you travel within your city, your plan may vary from someone who has to travel inter-city frequently. For instance, Cross Roads India Assistance offers a City Standard plan comprising six free services in a year and costing Rs 911. However, to get highway services, you would have to take either City Premium or City Platinum plan and pay Rs 1139 and Rs 1367, respectively.

Should you take Roadside Assistance Cover?

Roadside assistance is an essential aspect of your car maintenance and protection. In the unfortunate event of a breakdown or accidents, it is of great help.  If you feel your current car insurance is able to take care of such emergency requirements, you can avoid buying a standalone policy. However, if your current car insurer does not give ample features in its add-on roadside assistance plan, go for a standalone policy.

[Source: http://www.policybazaar.com/motor-insurance/car-insurance/articles/know-all-about-roadside-assistance/]

Everything you need to know about Motor Insurance in India

Motor or vehicle insurance is an insurance policy that protects the owner of the vehicle against any financial loss arising out of damage or theft of vehicle. Motor vehicle coverage also includes damage caused to third party or property. Motor Insurance is mandatory in India.Motor Insurance is available for both cars and two wheelers. Owing to low value of two wheeler vehicles, their premium is very nominal.

Comprehensive Cover and Third Party Cover

A third party cover is base insurance policy which covers only damage caused to third party by the vehicle. Comprehensive car insurance is a complete car protection insurance policy. The generic cover includes damage to vehicle, loss and theft of vehicle as well as third party cover.

Add-ons with Car Insurance

One can extend the coverage for car insurance by opting for add-ons. These add-ons will increase the financial coverage but additional premium amount will be added to the base premium amount. Some of popular add-ons available with car insurance are:

Zero Depreciation: There is certain value to part of the vehicle. When a claim is made, depreciation is calculated on these parts and the amount is paid accordingly. By opting for zero depreciation cover, the entire amount of the part is paid as a part of claim.

Engine and Gear Box Protection:  In case damaged is caused to engine parts or gear box of the vehicle due to water ingression, leakage of lubricating oil etc, the costs for repair and replacement will be covered.

Car Insurance Quotes

Car insurance quotes can be found online directly from insurer’s website. Motor insurance online quotes can also be checked from online comparison portals which offer comparison of car insurance quotes from different insurance companies.

Car Insurance Calculator

Car insurance premium calculators are available on insurer’s website. One can get the premium amount for the vehicle. Car insurance calculators take into account parameters like no claim bonus etc and then provide the premium amount.

Coverage

The cover with car insurance includes:

Damage to vehicle caused due to accident, riots, strikers, malicious acts, earthquake, flood, storm etc

Loss or theft of vehicle

Liability to third parties

Personal Accident Cover available for owner driver

What is not covered?

General ageing, wear and tear

Mechanical or Electrical Breakdown

Damage caused by person under influence of alcohol, drugs and any other intoxicating substance

Damage caused by person driving without valid driving license

Consequential loss

Loss damage outside India

Factors which affect premium

IDV: This is the cover amount of the vehicle. Cover is decided on basis of value of vehicle with depreciation adjusted.

Age: As a person matures, he becomes more responsible and with less tendency to drive rashly. Accordingly, premium discount is provided.

Occupation: Discount on premium is offered to people belonging to certain professions. The professions include medical doctors, chartered accountants etc.

Claim History: If you make no claim during your policy years, you can get discount which is called no claim bonus and it ranges from 10% to 50%. Conversely, making too many claims can result in increase in premium amount (loading).

How to reduce insurance premium for:

New Car: If you have brand new vehicle, it makes sense to get comprehensive coverage with add-on covers. However you can still save premium amount by comparing car insurance premiums from multiple insurance companies.

Old Car: If you have old vehicle, you can opt for basic comprehensive car insurance plan. If vehicle is too old, you can go for just third party car insurance. It will certainly save a lot of premium amount.

Claims

There are many ways to apply for a claim. The first and foremost thing about making a claim is to notify the insurance company as soon as possible. Then register the claim by providing requisite documents like claim form, vehicle registration copy etc. Some insurers allow registration online.

Cashless Claim: If you take the vehicle to network garage for repairs, the complete claim process can be cashless.

Claim Reimbursement: If you take vehicle to any other garage, you need to pay for claim amount. After repairs, you can apply for claim reimbursement with the insurance company.

[Source: http://www.policybazaar.com/motor-insurance/car-insurance/articles/everything-you-need-t-know-about-motor-insurance-india/]

Motor Insurance Explained | Bajaj Allianz General Insurance

Your car is precious, the one asset which you cherish in life and is the sole reason for many happy memories. But what if you were to meet an accident? Protect your vehicle with Bajaj Allianz motor insurance. With a range of features, this is the best way to protect your car.

Don't let dealers take you for a ride on insurance world

Car insurance is mandatory by law in India. The optimum cover that you need to hold is the third party insurance. With number of companies introducing lucrative insurance packages and competition getting stiff each day some dealers and manufacturers come up with cashless car insurance for customers during festive season. They say that they will take care of the premiums for the dedicated tenure and you enjoy the benefits on motor insurance. The offer entices buyers as it helps them save money on the premium on this mandatory cover. However, according to automobile industry experts it is not possible to offer motor policy free of cost. You need to understand the pros and cons along with the hide charges behind your car policy. Regulations do not permit motor policies for tenure of more than a year. The dealers merely give an undertaking to fund the premium when the policy comes up for renewal. They might have made provisions for these payments.

Dealers bundle these policies with the entire sales package, and offer to pay the premiums instead of providing a cash discount. Nowadays for flexible sale they often put across such advertising tactics to provoke customers in buying motor insurance online. Honestly speaking, these are not free insurance covers, as an insurance policy can never be offered free. These policies are like plain vanilla policies without add-on covers like depreciation, return of invoice, etc. You need to understand the scope of coverage being offered before signing up. Besides, since the dealer would have tied up with a particular insurance company to offer the package, your choice will be restricted.

With the advent of internet insurance world has become transparent and simple. It is advisable you can compare car insurance features, benefits, discounts etc. and then buy motor insurance online on the spot. While buying insurance online pricing could be better than what is otherwise available in the market. Also, in the event of a claim, the dealer is likely to be more supportive and manage the liaison with the insurance company and surveyor. It is advisable customers should take a close look at these policies before signing up for them.

One more concern is most car insurance policies offered free do not carry the necessary riders to provide wholesome coverage for a car. The key factor to consider is the coverage of the policy in terms of riders like depreciation shields, engine protector, 24X7 spot assistance and vehicle replacement advantage. That is why you should study the policy to find out whether it is merely a third-party cover, comprehensive policy or a fully-loaded package with add-on covers. The customer needs to study the coverage closely. It is important to have a policy on zero depreciation as the deductibles could be very high on claims under such a policy. So, compare motor insurance online available in the market with the bundled cover being offered to you before making a decision.

Also, if you are signing up for policy, find out how the dealer plans to honour the commitment. Motor insurance online policies offer various benefits, discounts and no-claim bonuses. Find out how a claim will affect the arrangement. Things could get complicated, so it is better to bargain for a cash discount instead of the bundled cover, if possible. A customer, who does not make a claim in a particular year, gets a no-claim bonus (NCB), which lowers the premium for the subsequent year. Similarly, if he or she makes a claim, he or she needs to pay a higher insurance premium.