Any individuals in possession of a motor vehicle must purchase vehicle insurance coverage. In addition to allowing road tax renewal, insurance renewal also offers financial protection to the policyholder. Examples are untoward incidents such as accidents, fire, and theft.
However, does the insurance cover unrelated accident damage like car component damages? In simple words, any damages concerning failing car component that wears over time.
Read on to learn more about this matter.
Make sure you understand the coverage
Three types of insurance policies in the market provide different coverages. You may refer to the visual below for more information:
Referring to the table, no policy provides coverage for unrelated accident damage. This includes comprehensive insurance as well.
*Note: Comprehensive policy covers damages that solely were due to an accident.
Can you claim insurance for unrelated accident damage?
Justeru, bagi menjawab persoalan sama ada kereta yang rosak bukan disebabkan oleh kemalangan boleh claim insurans atau tidak, anda boleh fahaminya berdasarkan dua situasi ini:
SITUATION A
Suzana drove her car and ran over another vehicle (third-party) on the highway. As a result, both cars suffered damage.
Suzana’s car suffered damage to the front bumper and several other components. Meanwhile, the third party suffered damage to the rear bonnet.
Say if Suzana is a comprehensive policyholder, Suzana is allowed to claim from her insurer for:
- Own damage claim
Suzana has to claim for Own Damage under her policy plan because she was the party at fault. Suzana will lose her NCD entitlement.
- Third-party claim
The third-party may claim for the Third-Party damage under Suzana’s policy plan to repair her car damage.
SITUATION B
Suhaimi’s car suddenly breaks down when driving. So he stopped his car on the roadside. Since Suhaimi is a comprehensive insurance policyholder, he called his insurance company to enlist the help of a towing service to deliver his car to the workshop.
Despite getting free towing service, Suhaimi cannot claim for his car damage.
This is what you should know:
- Most insurers offer free towing services (limited distance) to the comprehensive policyholder. Hence, Suhaimi is allowed to receive towing service from his insurance company even if the damage was not caused by accidents.
- Except for damage-related, policyholders (including comprehensive coverage) cannot claim for own car damage.
*IMPORTANT NOTE
In the event of an accident, you need to lodge a police report within 24 hours to ensure you have the proof. You need to provide the report to allow the insurer to compensate you (the policyholder) and the affected party.
In the event of own damage, no need to lodge a police report. Thus, no reason to esnure the insurance company to compensate you.
How about a windscreen crack (cracked on its own)?
This is a different case. You can claim from your insurer to replace the cracked windscreen. But, on a condition that:
- You are a comprehensive policyholder
- Your insurance is still valid
NCD rate
However, the status of your NCD entitlement depends on:
- You can claim insurance without affecting your NCD if you have additional windscreen coverage in your comprehensive policy
- You can claim insurance even if you do not have additional windscreen coverage in your comprehensive policy. But, you will lose your NCD (return to 0%). Your insurance premium will also increase during your next insurance renewal.
Understand the details in car damage claim
In a nutshell, you cannot claim to repair your car damage unless it is due to accidents.
This is because the condition of the car will indeed deteriorate over time. Thus, it becomes your responsibility to cover the repair cost.
Therefore, please do not understand the coverage in your insurance policy clearly. Owning insurance coverage does not mean you can claim anything.
Bjak is one of Malaysia’s biggest insurance comparison websites, offering policies from over 10 brands. Get your free insurance quote from Bjak today!
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