GENERAL INSURANCE BLOG

If you nurture and protect every little thing in your life, why not your car. Your car is something that you will use the most in your life, and it needs to be safeguarded against accidents, natural calamities, theft and malicious damage. Right now, when even minor repairs and maintenance costs can be so high, you can imagine what will be the extent of expenses in case your car gets damaged or in the worst case stolen. To avoid such a huge sudden financial loss, car insurance is important. Every year, a large number of vehicles make their way to Indian streets, and due to this reason, car insurance has been made mandatory by the Government of India under the Motor Vehicle Amendment Act of 2019.

You can easily buy motor insurance online with a very simplified process. There are no hassles such as visiting the office of the insurance provider, and you can compare all the different car insurance policies online just by visiting the websites of all the insurance providers and then choose the one provider that provides the best benefits and the plan that best suits your needs. Before you go and finalize any particular vehicle insurance plan, you should be well aware of what all kinds of damages are included in the plan and what all kinds of damages are not included in the plan.

• Loss or damage caused due to accident, theft, natural calamities, fire explosion is included in the car insurance plan.
• Loss due to gradual wear and tear of different spare parts of the car are not included in the insurance plan.
• Personal Accidental insurance cover is included in car insurance
• Loss or damage to the vehicle as a result of intoxication or drugs is not included in the car insurance.
• Financial liability caused by the injury of a third party or damage to the property is included in the car insurance.
• Loss or damage to the vehicle when it is being driven by a person without a driver's license is not included in the car insurance policies.

Car Insurance becoming mandatory should not be the only reason to buy insurance for your vehicle. You should look at the important aspects and benefits of buying car insurance and then buy a policy that is best for you according to your financial stability.

• The most important reason for buying car insurance is that it is mandatory by law with punishment for failure to do so.
• It is effectively an investment because you will save on costs that are incurred on your vehicle for repairs in case your car is involved in an accident.
• Having car insurance also provides a health insurance boost since many policies also cover injuries that may be caused to the driver and the passenger in case the vehicle is involved in an accident.

Some of the big names in the insurance field, which provide car insurance are:

• Magma HDI General Insurance
• New India Car Insurance
• Bharti AXA General Insurance
• Future Generali India Insurance
• Liberty General Insurance
• National Insurance
• HDFC ERGO General Insurance
• IFFCO Tokio General Insurance

All these companies provide a wide range of insurance policies from which you can choose the one most compatible with your needs and buy motor insurance online in a few simple steps. Along with the basic benefits of each plan, you can also opt for Add-on facilities which cover many different things at the cost of an increased yearly premium.

Even if you live in one of the safest cities of the world, you should not leave your home open and unattended else you might lose all your valuables to thieves. Everyone knows that the first reaction to theft is calling the police but very few people know what to do to prevent such thefts from happening in the first place. There are plenty of expensive as well as inexpensive ways to burglar-proof your home. Some of the best home insurance companies in India provide insurance against theft as well and it is the first thing that must come in your mind if you live in an area which is prone to thievery. Certain steps can be taken to protect your house from thieves and prevent your valuables from being stolen.

• Never leave your house open if no one is there in your house. Always lock the main door and check if it is locked properly if you are leaving your house unattended for a longer duration. Burglars do not need more than 10 minutes of time on an average to identify the most valuable things inside your house and take it away with them. A slight mistake and you risk losing it all.
• Check your locks on a regular basis and see if they are functioning properly and replace them as soon as possible if they are not functioning as they should. If any of the exterior locks are easy to pick, jimmy or bump open, they must be replaced immediately.
• Don’t cover your house from the street. There must be a clear line of sight from the street to your house so that anyone trying to break open into the house is clearly seen by your neighbors. Cut back any trees or bushes that hide your house and obscure the front door.
• Install home alarm systems and sensors so that as soon as there is a break-in inside your house, the fire alarm sounds immediately and informs the neighbours that there is something wrong.
• Upgrade all your doors and windows and reinforce the doors, windows, locks and all hardware required to keep your house safe from burglars and thieves.
• Use motion light sensors inside as well as outside your house, so that they light up in case there is unpredictable movement outside your house. Such sensors can sense movement outside the house and may even warn the owner if there is some unusual movement outside the house.
• Don’t broadcast details about your upcoming trips on social media. This is one thing that thieves may be on the lookout for and if there is no one at your house, they will have the perfect moment to attack your house and take away your valuables.
• Always keep your valuables inside lockers and safes. The keys to such lockers and safes must also be kept secured and out of normal sight.
• Garages and garden sheds are the softest targets for entry into your house. An automatic lighting system attached to your garage or your garden shed can be a useful deterrent to protect your house from burglars.
• Keeping a good relationship with your neighbours can help you in making your house look occupied even though it is unoccupied. You can tell your neighbours to collect the mail, clean the porch or to mow your lawn and some neighbour can even park in your driveway.

An empty house looking empty is the safest target for burglars. A house not looking unoccupied even though it is unoccupied deters the burglars because they can never be sure if it is a safe target to attack. You can keep in mind the above tips to protect your house and also get a suitable policy from the best home insurance companies in India, in case you are going out for that long holiday you have been longing for.

When you buy a car insurance policy online, you enter into a contractual agreement wherein you have to pay a specified amount as premium to your insurance provider in return for the protection the company provides you against damages to your car. In case your car meets an accident, the insurer is liable to pay you the compensation as per the contract but to get that compensation you need to file a claim with the insurance provider. The insurance claims are generally classified into two types:

1. Cashless Claim - If the customer has a cashless claim, the customer will not have to pay any amount upfront for repairs at any of the network car garages of the insurance provider. It will be the job of the car insurance provider to settle the claim with the workshop on behalf of the policyholder. In such a claim, the insured has to get their car repaired at the partner workshops of the insurance company

1. Reimbursement Claim - For a reimbursement claim, the insured has to pay for the repair of the damages to the car and later depending on the terms of the car insurance policy, the reimbursement claim is made. In such a claim, the insured does not need to get their car repaired at any of the partner workshops of the insurance company, but all the bills have to be produced at the claim.

To raise a cashless claim, you need to follow certain steps in case your car meets an accident: -

• Note down the license number of all the vehicles involved in the accident and also get the names and contact details of the witnesses, if possible.
• In case there are third-party damages such as injuries/deaths, property damage, or any other such critical issue, you should file an FIR at the nearest police station.
• Contact your insurer and report the accident, and you will receive a claim number.
• Ready all the documents as told you by the car insurance company, which you will have to present before the company representative.
• Take the vehicle to a network garage whose details will be provided to you by the insurance company to get your vehicle repaired.
• A Customer Service Manager will get in touch with you within 24 hours, and you will have to show him all the documents related to your car and its insurance.
• If the Customer Service Manager is satisfied with your papers, he will give the go-ahead for the repair work and you can get your vehicle repaired.
• Once the repair work is completed, the insurance company will make the claim payment to the garage for the repair costs.
• You will have to pay the deductibles which will be intimated to you by your CSM once the repairs are done.

You can also make a Reimbursement claim if you need to get your car repaired after meeting a severe accident:

• Take a note of the details of all the cars involved in the accident and if possible, try to get the contact details of some witnesses.
• Report the accident to your insurance provider immediately through a toll-free number provided by the company.
• A Customer Service Manager or CSM will get in touch with you within 24 hours and will tell you to submit all the bills and invoices to the company to get the claim.
• Once the claim is approved, the company will start the claim settlement process.
• The claim amount is sent directly to the customer according to the terms and conditions of the contract.
• If you have proper documents, you will get your claim, but your claim can also get rejected if you were driving without a valid driving license or if you were drinking and driving. Once you buy a car insurance policy online, make sure to read the policy documents completely, so that you do not face any issues while filing a claim for the damages to your car.

Nowadays, renewing your car insurance is also as simple as just buying new car insurance. You don’t have to make several phone calls or wait in a queue at the insurance company’s office to get your insurance renewed. While renewing your insurance, you also have the option to switch to a different insurer which provides better benefits to you at the same or lesser premium. Although the process of renewal is very simple and hassle-free, you should take care of certain things before you are going to renew your insurance or are thinking about buying new car insurance: -

• Check the Insured Declared Value or IDV - Depending on the age of your car, the insurance premium amount may change, so get the IDV re-evaluated. This will not only help you in getting a better price, but you will also get compensated accordingly in case of theft or loss.
• Do claims check - In case you are thinking of changing your insurer, always make sure to check the claims ratio of the previous insurer and verify it against any claims you have made.
• Appropriate Coverage with your plan - If currently you only have third-party insurance plan, consider getting a better and comprehensive plan which will also provide you coverage against the heavy expenses incurred on your car if it meets with an accident.
• Make sure to check Cashless Garages - Always check for cashless garages in your area when renewing your insurance plan with a different insurer so that you get the benefits of free repair for your car.
• Check the discounts and other deductibles- When renewing the insurance plan, make sure to check if you have got all the discounts you are eligible for with the plan, just like you do when you buy new car insurance. A deductible is an amount that you are required to pay before every claim and if it exists, make sure that it fits your budget.
• Get Add-ons with your insurance plan - There are many add-ons available with the insurance plans, and you should consider getting them. Add-on covers like Zero Depreciation, Engine Protector or Return to Invoice can help you if your car is less than 5 years old.

Here is how you can renew your car insurance online:

• Once you have finalized your plan, you need to enter your details on the website of the insurance provider. Some details you need to be ready with while renewing your insurance are: -

  1. Your Full name

  2. Your Address

  3. Car Registration Number

  4. Car-maker and model

  5. Previous Policy Number

• Select the Add-ons that you want along with your insurance plan. Some of the common add-ons are: -

  1.Zero Depreciation

  2.Roadside Assistance

  3.Return to Invoice

  4.Engine Protection

  5. NCB Protect

  6. Loss of Personal Belongings

• Once you are done with all the above steps, the final thing is only the payment. Complete the payment procedure and you will be done with renewing your insurance plan.

Renewing car insurance is as simple as buying new car insurance. Make sure you completely understand all the policy terms before you finalize the payment procedure for your insurance.