How to Buy Car Insurance in South Africa

How to buy car insurance? You want to be assured of value for money when you buy your car insurance.

If this is the case then here are some valuable pointers that’ll help you in how to buy car insurance

Honour the requirements

Every car insurance policy comes with stipulated requirements which you will get when you ask for a quote.

Observing them will not only lower your premiums, it’ll boost your chances of getting your claim on time.

Some insurers require an alarm system in your car while others will want a tracking device fitted.

How to Buy Car InsuranceWhile some policies will not require it, others will need you to name nominated drivers who use the insured vehicle.

When making a claim, you require making a standard co-payment for these drivers.

If a driver not in the list is in an accident with your car, this co-pay will be higher and in some cases they will reject the claim.

How to Buy Car Insurance and Take care of yourself and your car

The lower your claims, the more eligible you become for discounts. Some companies even offer policyholders cash payouts if they don’t claim over a certain period.

It is therefore in your own interests to drive carefully and observe all traffic laws. Stay within speed limits and don’t drive under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

If you are in an accident and be above the legal alcohol limit, your insurer will not foot the bill.

You can also reduce the chances of your car being stolen by parking in secure, well-lit locations. Avoid driving on desolate roads in the wee hours of the morning, making yourself easy prey for highway robbers and carjackers.

If you have valuables when driving, hide them or take them out of the car when you park.

Remember that car insurance policies mostly don’t cover the contents of the car so you will have to replace any stolen items from your pocket.

Claim guidelines

To boost your chances of being reimbursed when an incident or accident occurs, make sure you do the following:

  • Be honest when making a claim, be it online or at the insurer’s office. Claims officers have a knack for telling when you’re lying and if they suspect you’re not telling the truth, they will reject your claim.
  • Report any accident vehicle to the police. Even if you have little faith in South Africa’s law enforcement arm, be sure to file a report and get a case number. This number will be required at some point during the claims process.

Give a proper valuation of your car

You need to take the time to get a correct valuation of your car before you insure it. A wrong valuation will come back to haunt you when you claim and find that your payout is not enough to do the necessary repairs or replace the car if it’s a write-off.

Complete and send the form on this page to get your own car insurance quote

All info was correct at time of publishing November 27, 2018