We can help you get your head around the types of car insurance on offer in Australia, the tips and traps when choosing a policy, and how to save money on your premiums.
On this page:
- Types of car insurance
- What level of car insurance do you need?
- Agreed value and market value: what's the difference?
- Insurance tips, discounts and traps
- Avoiding the 'loyalty penalty' from insurers
Types of car insurance
This is the best cover option but also the most expensive. It includes the cost of crash repairs or replacing your car, even if you're at fault.
Recommended for
Anyone who just can't do without four wheels at any time.
What does comprehensive car insurance cover?
Most comprehensive car insurance policies cover the same basic events, like:
- theft
- accident
- fire
- hail
- flood
- vandalism.
The differences are in the details. For example, not every policy covers the contents of your car, and even if it does there might be restrictions.
Commonly excluded items are electronics and cash. We've also seen a couple of policies that don't offer cover for stolen belongings.
Another thing to consider is roadside assistance – while car insurance doesn't cover you in the event of a breakdown, insurers may offer roadside assistance programs.
A third big point of difference is contaminated fuel: will your car be covered if it's damaged because you filled up at a petrol station that cut corners?
This provides essential cover against claims for compensation if you injure or kill someone in a car accident.
If your car's registered then you already have compulsory third party insurance (CTP, or green slip insurance).
- In all states and the Northern Territory (apart from the ACT, New South Wales and Queensland), CTP insurance premiums are regulated.
- In the Northern Territory, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia, CTP is provided by only one state-owned or government-licensed insurer.
- In the ACT, New South Wales and Queensland, it's offered by a number of insurers and it pays to shop around for price or cover. For an online price guide, go to the ACT Treasury website,New South Wales'State Insurance Regulatory Authority, or Queensland'sGovernment Motor Accident Insurance Commission.
- In South Australia, AAMI, Allianz, QBE and SGIC provide CTP insurance.All insurers provide the same cover and charge the same amount for CTP, but they can offer incentives such as multi-policy discounts.
- Think CTP is enough? It doesn't cover you for damage caused to other people's property such as you driving into a Ferrari – and that makes for a whole lot of repair bills coming your way.
- Find out more about CTP insurance and what it covers.
If you're at fault in an accident, third party property insurance helps to have cover to fix the other person's car (unlike CTP, which doesn't cover you for damage to other people's property).
Third party property cover is the least expensive option after CTP. It covers you for the damage you may cause to another car and may include limited cover for damage caused to your car by an uninsured driver.
Recommended for
If you're under 25 and driving a 2002 Mazda 121 with a broken tape deck, then this is probably the policy for you. Insure everyone else's car instead of your own. The money you save on premiums will have you driving something better much sooner.
This also covers you if your car is stolen or burnt. It's a step up from third party property, but not as broad as comprehensive insurance.
Recommended for
This is the car insurance equivalent of an each-way bet. You've upgraded to a 2010 Holden Berlina with a broken CD player that you tend to park in dark alleys so you're worried about it getting stolen, but you still can't justify paying for comprehensive premiums.
What level of car insurance do you need?
Ultimately it comes down to how much your car is worth and how much it would hurt to go without your car if you ever wrote it off in an at-fault accident.
Comprehensive policiescover your car even if you're at fault. Some insurers even give you the option to add bells and whistles to your policy, such ascar hire if you write your vehicle off in an accident where you're at fault.
Is it worth getting comprehensive insurance for an old car?
No one wants to be caught underinsured, but if you're paying more than 20% or even just 10% of the car's value every year in premiums, you might want to consider if a cheaper policy would be better value for money.
Third party propertycovers the basics – no one wants to be stuck paying for someone else's repair bill.
Third party property with fire and theftwill cover your vehicle for a couple of calamities as well.
If your car's market value is low, you might want to consider a cheaper type of policy.
Agreed value and market value: what's the difference?
For drivers with comprehensive or fire and theft policies, the amount your insurer will pay if you write off your car depends on your agreed value or market value.
Agreed value
This is when you insure your car for a specific amount (within a range set by the insurer).
If your car is a total loss (i.e. written off or stolen), the insurer will pay you this amount, less the excess.
If your car is under finance, consider insuring it for an agreed value that's at least equal to the amount remaining on the loan. That way, if you have a total loss you'll be able to square away the debt before looking for a new car.
Market value
This is when you insure your car for what its value is at the time of an accident.
Selecting this option reduces your premium, but it gives you less certainty about the value of your payout in the event of a loss.
Insurance tips, discounts and traps
Know your excess
An excess is the amount you pay to make a claim. The higher your excess, the lower your premium.
Increasing your excess can save you money, but be wary of a really high excess – it won't be worth your while to make a smaller claim.
Look for 'no claims bonus' discounts
Every insurer has a name for this: no claims discount (NCD), safe driver bonus, the list goes on. Essentially it's a discount for not making a claim. The amount of the discount varies depending on the insurer, but a 'maximum' rating (which usually means no at fault claims for five years) can save you up to 70%.
You can often pay extra to protect your NCD, meaning if you do have an accident, it won't affect your rating. But if you have a protected no claim bonus, don't assume an 'at fault' claim won't have an impact on your premium. Some insurers increase your premium regardless. Even a 'no fault' claim such as hail damage can affect your premium.
Some insurers let you pay extra to protect your no claims discount, so your rating won't be affected if you do have an accident.
Get a discount for restricting drivers
Some companies discount the premium if you restrict the use of your car to nominated drivers or those over a certain age.
If you take this up you shouldn't let an excluded person drive – if they have an accident, it's you who'll pay a high additional excess or you may not be covered at all.
How to get other discounts
Discounts may be available if you have other policies with the same company, have an approved engine immobiliser or alarm installed in your car, or take out insurance online. Long-term customers, pensioners, people aged 50–70 and young drivers who've completed a skilled driver's course may also receive discounts.
But some discounts only last for your first policy year – they're just there to get you through the door, and you'll be stung with a steep increase in a year's time.
Insurers don't automatically reward loyalty or make discounts available. You may have to ask a company for discounts when shopping for a policy.
Some insurers will give you a discount for insuring more than one vehicle, or if you insure your home through them. This can be a good way to shave some dollars off your premium, but don't let that be the deciding factor in your purchase.
Buying a car?
If you're trying to decide between different models, it's worth checking out what the insurance would be on each. Some models attract a much higher premium because they're more likely to be stolen, for example. This could add hundreds of dollars to your insurance bill each year. Even the colour of the car can affect your premium.
Avoiding the 'loyalty penalty' from insurers
A lot of people remain loyal to their current insurer, which is a contributing factor in renewal premiums being raised each year.
Insurers can and do increase premiums more for renewing customers than for new customers. This is essentially a 'loyalty penalty' – the price we pay for the reluctance to switch.
Several insurers attribute the premium difference to the online discount, which is available to new customers but not to renewals sent to existing customers.
Insurers can and do increase premiums more for renewing customer than for new customers
You should shop around at least every one or two years to make sure you get the best deal. We've heard from members who got an online quote from their own insurer and found that it was cheaper than their renewal slip.
Always check your insurer and at least three other insurers' quotes online before renewing your premium.
Several insurers in our car insurance comparison said they'd match or beat competitors' quotes, usually as part of a campaign.
If you show more of a willingness to switch, then insurers will have to recognise this in their premiums or risk losing business to their competitors.
Stock images:Getty, unless otherwise stated.
