Our insurance experts delved into our extensive car insurance database to look into the cost of insuring electric vehicles and hybrids. 

We reveal how much you may need to budget to protect your car. 

• How much does it cost to insure an electric vehicle?
• How much does it cost to insure a hybrid vehicle?
• What’s the cheapest EV to insure?
• What’s the cheapest hybrid to insure?
• Why is it more expensive to insure an electric car?
• Is electric vehicle insurance different?

How much does it cost to insure an electric vehicle?

Electric vehicle owners in Australia pay more for insurance. The average premium for an electric vehicle is $2545, whereas the average premium for a petrol vehicle is $1702. Electric vehicle owners pay around 40% or $843 per year more than petrol car owners.

That’s not just because electric vehicles tend to be newer and more expensive. Comparing average premiums for cars of the same age shows that owners of new electric vehicles pay nearly 30%, or $575, more for a year of insurance than owners of new petrol cars. 

This gap persists for older vehicles too, if you look at the average price to insure a 1-year-old electric car compared with a 1-year-old petrol car, the price difference is still staggering: $2458 for an EV compared with $1949 for a petrol car. Owners of 1- to 4-year-old electric vehicles overall pay 22–27% more for insurance than owners of petrol cars of the same age.

How much does it cost to insure a hybrid vehicle?

The average cost to ensure a new hybrid is $2005. The average premium for a new petrol car is $1865, so hybrids are a little more expensive to insure than petrol cars, but not as expensive as EVs.

Comparing prices for cars of the same age, hybrids are roughly 10–20% more expensive to insure than petrol cars.

What’s the cheapest EV brand to insure?

Geely are the cheapest EVs to insure, with an average cost of $1622 for a new car, and Tesla the most expensive, at an average cost of $2985. 

The price to insure any vehicle varies according to many factors, and EVs are no exception. The car brand alone plays a big role due to things like the price tier of the brand, the availability and price of spare parts and service centres, and even the rate of theft and presence of safety features. 

Click through the infographic below to find roughly how much it should cost to ensure your EV, or an EV you’re considering.

What’s the cheapest hybrid vehicle brand to insure?

MG hybrids are the cheapest to insure at an average price of $1463 for a new car. A new Lexus is the most expensive on average at $3400.

Scroll through the infographic to see how average premiums vary by brand and vehicle age.

Why is it more expensive to insure an electric car?

The parts network in Australia isn’t as well established for EVs as it is for combustion engines, so you’re more likely to have parts imported from overseas to repair your car. On top of that, there’s not as many trained EV technicians in Australia yet, so the labour for repairs is higher. All of this feeds through to car insurance premiums.

On the plus side though, as the networks develop in Australia, repair costs should come down. EVs are estimated to have 20 moving parts compared to over 2000 for a combustion vehicle, so they are less likely to require repairs. And of course, there’s the savings on fuel costs to consider.

Is electric vehicle insurance different?

While brands like Tesla sell their own insurance, Australian insurers don’t generally sell separate EV policies. Instead, EVs and hybrids are covered under the same policies as petrol cars and other vehicles with internal combustion engines. 

Most insurers don’t specify any difference in cover between EVs and petrol cars. Although a couple of insurers have EV-specific inclusions. Kogan and Allianz specify that wall chargers and charging cables are included in the value of, and insured with, your car, while Allianz also points out that battery thermal runaway (when the internal temperature of a battery rapidly increases in a self-sustaining way, potentially leading to fire or explosion) is covered under fire incidents. 

The post The cost of insuring electric vehicles appeared first on ĚÇĐÄVlog.

While driving less is a fairly obvious way to save money on fuel, did you know that reducing the number of kilometres you drive each year can also lower what you pay for car insurance? If you drive fewer kilometres than the average person over the course of the year, you could be eligible for a discounted premium.

It’s common sense that driving less should mean that you’re at a lower risk of having an accident, so it follows that you should have a lower premium.

This has always been a factor that insurers take into account when determining your premiums, but some insurers are now also offering separate policies designed specifically for people who drive less. These give the same comprehensive cover as regular policies, but for lower premiums.Ěý

We look into these low-kilometer policies, and help you decide if you need one to save money on your car insurance.Ěý

Does driving fewer kilometers actually lower your premium? 

In short, yes. It’s clear that the less you drive, the lower your insurance cost can be. The ĚÇĐÄVlog insurance experts crunched the numbers in their database of over 200,000 comprehensive car insurance quotes from January 2026 to see how much your mileage influences your premium.

How can I get these savings?

While insurers generally charge lower premiums for customers who estimate they will drive fewer kilometres than average, some insurers also have a separate policy for short-distance drivers. For example, Budget Direct offers customers its Gold Low Kilometres Comprehensive policy and CommBank has a policy called Comprehensive Saver.

Many others refer to it as a Pay-as-you-Drive (PAYD) option. A number of brands underwritten by Hollard – AHM, Bupa, Huddle and  Real Insurance – offer PAYD options.

These policies require you to advise the insurer of your odometer reading at the beginning of the policy, and how many kms you expect to drive that year, in return for a lower premium. If you’ve gone over that estimate when you make a claim, you have to pay an additional excess. This was an extra $1000 in all the policies we looked into.

These options are available to those who drive less than 10,000km per year (Budget Direct), or 15,000km (CommBank and most PAYD options). Given that Australians are estimated to drive an average of just 12,000–15,000km per year, these options could be feasible for most consumers.Ěý

Even insurers who don’t offer these low-kilometre policies do offer reduced premiums for customers who drive less. But the amount by which your premium is reduced is unclear, and depends on the insurer’s algorithm. A number of insurers, like AAMI, Apia, Coles, Everyday, GIO and Suncorp, may specify that lower kilometres mean a lower premium, however, it generally does reduce your premium with other insurers too.

How much can I actually save?

We took a quick look at online quotes and found you could save roughly 30% buying a low-kilometer policy from Budget Direct capped at 5000km, compared with a regular policy estimating a mileage of 30,000km, with all other options remaining the same.ĚýDriving less (5000km) with a PAYD policy from Real Insurance could save you even more – around 50%.Ěý

Even without taking out a special low-kilometre policy, estimates for AAMI’s regular comprehensive policy were nearly 30% cheaper when we said we expected to drive 5000km as opposed to 30,000kms.

By contrast, when we entered the same details for a QBE quote, we only found a saving of 4% for driving less. So, as always with insurance, it pays to shop around.Ěý

One important difference between simply entering a low kilometre estimate when applying for insurance versus actually taking out a dedicated low-kilometre policy is what happens if you underestimate your kilometres. With a dedicated low-km policy, you’ll have to pay an extra $1000 excess if you’ve underestimated.

With a regular policy it’s not so clear. Since they ask about “average annual kilometres” during the quoting process, rather than determining a specific target or requesting your odometer reading, there’s obviously a bit of leeway in the estimate. It is important to try to be accurate however, so that the insurer can’t use an incorrect estimate as grounds to reduce or deny your claim.

How we compared prices

To explore whether you can save more with low-kilometer policies compared to regular policies, we tested two scenarios driving either 5000km or 30,000km per year, with 4 different insurers. We looked at: 

• Scenario 1: A 2022 Rav4, based in Sydney’s inner west with a 40-year-old female driver  
• Scenario 2: A 2016 Mazda2, based in South Adelaide with a 65-year-old male driver 

And compared quotes from:

• AAMI
• Budget Direct (low-km policy)
• Real Insurance (PAYD)
• QBE

The post Can you save money on car insurance by driving less?  appeared first on ĚÇĐÄVlog.

The idea of your car insurance premium holding steady, let alone decreasing, may be too wild to even consider. This is because insurers are big believers in the loyalty penalty – especially car insurers. 

In the last financial year, car insurance prices rose an average of 8% overall. But the price of new car insurance policies in the same period was flat – the price rise came entirely from policy renewals by loyal customers.

This is because insurers generally offer lower prices to customers shopping for a new policy in order to win more business. Meanwhile, prices for the majority – the loyal customers who simply accept the renewal offer they’ve been sent – skyrocket.  

If you don’t shop around for a new car insurance policy, you’re paying a premium. To help your search, we’ve analysed hundreds of thousands of new car insurance policy quotes collected in January 2025, and compared them with quotes for the same scenarios collected in January 2026. We found the prices offered to new customers rose by 4.4%, on average, between January 2025 and January 2026.

We broke the prices down by insurer – Bingle increased their average new car insurance policy prices by 25% in this period. Kogan’s prices on the other hand, dropped an average of 31%.

We also looked at the age of the vehicle, driver age and gender, and fuel type to see which factors are affecting your premium. 

“Each insurer has a range of levers they can pull to manage risk and improve their profitability, whether that’s changing the price for all automatic SUVs in suburban Perth, or upping the premiums of 23-year-old renters in regional NSW,” explains ĚÇĐÄVlog insurance expert Daniel Graham.

“Fine-tuning prices this way disproportionately affects certain customer groups.”

The insurers with the biggest price increases

Based on our analysis, we found that a number of car insurers increased their prices by more than 10% on average. Given that the inflation rate of insurance and financial products across the same period was 2.5%, we’d consider these average rises to be unnecessarily high. 

The insurers with the largest average price increases between January 2025 and January 2026 were:

• Bingle: 25%
• CBA: 19%
• BOQ: 17%
• Aldi: 16%
• AHM: 13%
• Suncorp:12%
• RAA: 10%

Why is Bingle’s rise so high?

Bingle’s prices showed the largest price increase by quite a margin. The average prices in each state showed an increase, though not uniformly.

Tasmania, ACT, Northern Territory and South Australia were hit hardest – Tasmanian premiums increased by a whopping 65% on average, but prices in Queensland only increased by 7% on average.

Bigger price hikes were also seen in Bingle’s premiums for electric vehicles, which were up 46%; newer vehicles (made later than 2020), up 40%; and cars worth over $30,000, up 37%.

“Bingle has pulled all the same pricing levers as the rest of the industry: they’ve just yanked them harder than everyone else,” says Daniel.

Bingle appealing to young drivers

The only area we found Bingle’s prices to reduce (ever-so-slightly) was for drivers under 21 – their premiums went down by 1%.

“Judging from their marketing, young drivers are Bingle’s target demographic, so they want to hike prices overall but stay competitive with that age group. It’s a delicate balancing act,” says Daniel.

“Only time will tell whether hiking prices by at least a quarter for any new customers over 30 will pay dividends for the budget brand.” 

Quotes for drivers aged 21–24 years only went up a (relatively) modest 12%, with increases of between 22% and 33% for other age groups.

The insurers with more reasonable price hikes

With the rate of inflation for insurance and financial products across 2025 being 2.5%, this is the level of increase we’d expect from car insurers who are looking to cover a rise in their own costs.

The insurers with reasonable average price increases between January 2025 and January 2026 are:

• Allianz: 2%
• Hume Bank: 2%
• Great Southern Bank: 2%
• Bank of Melbourne: 2%
• BankSA: 2%
• Real Insurance: 2%
• St.George: 2%
• Westpac: 2%
• RACT: 2%
• Everyday Insurance: 1%
• National Seniors: >1%

The insurers that dropped prices

With prices for almost everything seeming to spiral upward at the moment, it’s nice to see that some insurers actually reduced their premiums.

The insurers with an average price decrease between January 2025 and January 2026 are:

• AAMI: 5%
• TIO: 6%
• Apia: 6%
• QBE: 8%
• RAC: 12%
• Kogan: 31%

Why are Kogan’s prices decreasing by so much?

Kogan’s prices for car insurance dropped by a massive 31% on average. Curiously, over the same period, Kogan had the biggest price hikes in home insurance in 2025 (and 2024). When we broke Kogan’s price change down by groups, there weren’t any groups that were singled out – average price cuts were made across the board.

Kogan did change underwriters in 2025, which means the quotes collected in January 2026 are for a different product with different product features to those collected in 2025. However, when our experts assessed the cover provided by the new policy, they assigned a cover score very similar to that of the old policy, indicating that the overall level of cover remains largely unchanged.

“After changing their underwriter in 2025, Kogan appears to be attempting a price reset,” says Daniel.

“Hopefully the same price cuts are being extended to renewing customers, who now have to experience the frustration of having the policy they signed up for switched out for a totally different one.”

How your car affects your premium increase

According to our analysis, premium increases were affected by the age of the vehicle being insured, and by its fuel type.

Vehicles that are not new (but not too old) had gentler premium increases than newer vehicles, with the cost of insuring vehicles released in 2000–2014 increasing by just 2–4% on average, while premiums for 2025 models grew by a substantial 11%.

Fuel type also played a role in premium change. Premiums for hybrids had a 10% increase and electric vehicles had a 9% increase, showing marked growth compared to petrol cars (5% increase) and diesel cars (2% increase).

Even among newer vehicles (2020–2025), premiums for EVs and hybrids rose more than for petrol and diesel cars, so the higher rate for EVs isn’t due to the cars simply being newer.

Daniel points out that “EVs are not the novelty they were 10 years ago, but insurers still seem to be figuring out how to price these complex machines”. 

“EVs are just starting to appear at the affordable end of the market; it would be a shame if an insurance price bubble discouraged uptake,” he adds.

How your age and gender affect your premium increase

Over the year of our analysis, quotes for policies where the main driver was female increased by 4% on average, while quotes for male main drivers increased by 5%. These changes slightly increase the overall gender gap in insurance prices, with quotes for women tending to be lower than those for men.

Insurers are also adjusting premiums differently across age groups. Quotes for the 70+ age group saw the largest increase at 7% on average, with progressively smaller increases for younger drivers. 

Drivers under 21 experienced an average increase of less than 1%, likely reflecting that this group already carries the highest average premiums. 

“The market for young drivers is very competitive, since under 25s already pay some of the highest premiums in the country,” says Daniel. 

“Possibly insurers have decided they can’t squeeze any more blood from that stone, and have increased premiums on age cohorts that had lower prices to begin with.” 

How do insurance price rises affect you? 

If you’re a savvy consumer and shop around before renewing your car insurance, you can often  limit the effect of broad insurer price rises on your premium.

If you’re concerned about how much your current policy is increasing, start with checking our car insurance comparison to find other policies that suit your circumstances and then gather quotes from their websites. 

You could prioritise companies with more reasonable rates of average increases, or overall decreases but remember, these are just averages. There are many factors that also influence the quote you get as a potential new customer, such as where you live, how much you drive, and the excess you choose – just to name a few.

Prices vary a lot from insurer to insurer, so when your renewal notice lands in your inbox, the important thing is not to renew on autopilot, but to make sure you shop around.

The post The car insurers with the biggest price hikes appeared first on ĚÇĐÄVlog.

If you’re looking for the best policy for the lowest price, use our tool to compare over 50 comprehensive car insurance policies. You’ll save money and get better cover with car insurance policies recommended by ĚÇĐÄVlog.

Unlike other insurance comparison websites, ĚÇĐÄVlog doesn’t get paid by any of the insurers we’re comparing. ĚÇĐÄVlog is nonprofit, so your membership fees help our fight for fair consumer rights, and empower you to get the best products.

Here are six simple ways to save on your premium this year.

1. Switch to a cheaper car insurer

Loyalty doesn’t pay, unless you’re a car insurer. Shopping around is the most effective way to save on car insurance. Not only do premiums vary widely between insurers, they also vary between new and old customers.

We call it the loyalty penalty: the insurers cash in on consumers who renew their policies without shopping around. So even if you have stayed with your insurers for years and years and are promised high loyalty discounts, shop around when your insurance is up for renewal.

In all states, the average premiums for the most expensive comprehensive car insurance policy are more than double the average premiums for the cheapest, so there are a lot of savings to be found.

The Australian Security and Investment Commission (ASIC) has recently cracked down on complex pricing practices by insurers that means that promised loyalty discounts have not fully eventuated as they were applied to a higher base premium instead of on the lower base premium new customers paid. 

2. Take out one of our recommended policies

The policies our experts recommend have superior cover, and they’re often cheaper than average policies. When we compare car insurance we look at what cover a policy provides and how much it costs on average in a state or territory.

The best policies are recommended by our experts and they are the ones you should start with when shopping around. You can compare car insurance using our comprehensive car insurance comparison.

3. Pay a higher excess if you can

The excess is how much you’ll pay out of your own pocket when you make a claim. Choosing a policy with a higher excess will reduce how much you pay for your cover.

So if you can afford to pay more than the standard excess should you need to make a claim, then it could be a good idea. But consider all the excesses that could apply in case of a claim. For example, if you’re under 25 and you’re the at-fault driver, there’s an added age excess you’ll have to pay on top of your policy excess. Read more tips for young drivers.

Increasing the excess on your policy will not only lower your premium upfront, it might also protect you from future premium increases. How?

Well, when you make a claim that the insurer has to pay out, you may find your premium goes up when it’s time to renew. Even claims for damages that are out of your control – such as windscreen claims, hailstorm, theft and collision with animals – commonly increase your premium.

But if you have a higher excess, you won’t be putting small claims through your insurance, but rather paying for smaller repairs yourself. Not putting these through the insurer means you won’t be penalised with higher premiums for making a claim.

4. Ask about a cheaper premium for driving less

Comprehensive policies with a “drive less, pay less” approach limit your cover to a certain number of kilometres, for a cheaper premium. 

If you know how much you’re driving on average, mention this when you get a quote and use it to negotiate a cheaper premium. Some insurers offer a discount for low kilometres, they include:

• AAMI
• Apia
• Australian Seniors
• Budget Direct
• Coles
• Everyday Insurance from Woolworths.
• GIO
• Suncorp

Insurers that don’t advertise this may still offer a discount if you ask for one. 

5. Get a discount

Car insurers offer a number of discounts:

• Online discount – Insurers like NRMA and AAMI give you a discount on your first year’s premium if you take out your insurance online.
• Multi-policy discount – Many insurers give you a discount if you take out two or more policies with them, for example, GIO gives you a discount if you take out home, contents and car insurance with them.
• Annual payment discount – Insurers like Suncorp charge you less if you pay the annual premium upfront. If this isn’t an option for you, look for an insurer that lets you make monthly payments without an extra cost. Insurers offering monthly payments at no extra cost include Allianz, CGU, National Seniors, NRMA and RAA.
• Nominated drivers – Insurers like Allianz give you a discount if you nominate specific drivers. Other insurers may give you a discount if you limit drivers to people over a specific age, this may be a good option for senior drivers. But beware: if someone else sometimes drives your car, a high unlisted driver excess can apply if they have an accident.

6. List your current insurer to reduce your premium

The insurer may also discount your premium depending on who your previous car insurer was. For example, we found Woolworths Everyday and Australian Seniors Insurance will quote you a cheaper premium if your previous insurer was Budget Direct. While GIO will quote you less if your previous insurer was their direct competitor, NRMA. 

• Quoting for a family car based in Sydney, AAMI, Suncorp, and GIO all offered a 5% lower premium if your current insurer was NRMA, compared to quotes with no previous insurer listed. 
• Woolworths Everyday Insurance, Australian Seniors, Huddle and Real all gave a 5.5% cheaper quote if your current insurer was Budget Direct and a 1.1% cheaper quote if your current insurer was Youi. 
• On the Bingle website, we found cheaper premiums of about:
  • 8% if your current insurer is Youi
  • 12% if you’re switching from NRMA
  • 13% if it’s Budget Direct
  • and 10% if you”re with AAMI, Allianz, QBE or Suncorp. 

Have you found some insurers will offer a cheaper price depending on which company you’re switching from? Let us know in the .

The post How to save money on car insurance appeared first on ĚÇĐÄVlog.

With so many factors affecting the cost of your policy – like mileage, postcode, age of drivers, and driving history – it’s difficult to know whether you’re being offered a good deal.  

We include a national price rating in our car insurance analysis to assess value for money but, in this article, we analyse prices state by state to find the cheapest car insurance in each location, then use this information to reveal the best value insurance policies (those that offer the best balance of cost and coverage) across the country.Ěý

On this page:

• How does car insurance work?
• How much does car insurance cost?
• How to choose the right car insurance policy

How does car insurance work?

There are three types of car insurance. Comprehensive insurance is the most extensive cover. In addition to paying for damage you may cause to other cars or property, it covers your car for theft and damage caused by accidents, natural disasters and vandalism. It may also cover things like personal property inside the vehicle and trailers, as well as providing payments towards accommodation if you have an accident during a road trip and covering the cost of replacing your keys after theft. Comprehensive insurance is the type of policy we’ve analysed prices for here.Ěý

CTP stands for compulsory third party and is often included with your registration. It covers injuries to people if you have an accident. How you buy CTP insurance and what it covers varies from state to state.

There’s also third party property or basic insurance, which covers damage to other people’s vehicles or property if you’re involved in an accident. Sometimes this is referred to as bomb insurance, because it’s the type of cover you’d buy if you’re driving an old run-down car but want insurance in case you hit someone else’s Porsche. Third party, fire and theft policies cover a bit more.Ěý

How much does car insurance cost?

With the cost of insurance continuing to increase, it’s important to make sure you’re only insured for what you need, and for the best price possible. And comprehensive car insurance is no exception. We crunched the numbers to see how much Australians are paying for comprehensive car insurance across the country.

Cheapest insurers by state

In the current economic climate, price is a big consideration when choosing anything, that’s why we’ve revealed the cheapest insurers in each state.

You can read about the cover details of these policies in our car insurance comparison and see whether any of these policies are right for you. These policies don’t necessarily provide the best cover, however, so it’s important to also read the product disclosure statement (PDS) before making the switch. 

We used the same method to calculate price scores that we use in our comparison, but limited the quotes by state. We looked at over 56 products, with the number of quotes per product ranging from up to 37 in ACT to over 1500 in Queensland.Ěý 

We reveal the best value policies further down, exclusively for ĚÇĐÄVlog members. If you’d like to make sure you’re getting the best value for your dollar, sign up to join ĚÇĐÄVlog, or if you’re already a member log in to see the full results.

The post The best and cheapest car insurers in every state appeared first on ĚÇĐÄVlog.

As well as absorbing a good chunk of your monthly budget on groceries, it seems the big supermarkets now want you to spend more money with them by buying their insurance products too. 

While Coles and Woolworths have been offering insurance products for years, Aldi debuted its insurance offering in June 2024, giving its customers the opportunity to pick up their home and contents insurance, landlord insurance and car insurance along with their weekly shop. (Woolworths sells insurance through its Everyday Insurance brand.)

But is it a good idea to lump your car insurance in with your bread and milk, and are you really getting a good deal? There are certainly lots of incentives that the big supermarkets dangle in front of you to get your business. 

Coles and Woolies offer a range of insurance policies linked to their loyalty programs, Everyday Rewards and Flybuys, which give you bonus points when you sign up and ongoing discounts on your shopping that can increase according to how many policies you hold.

Of course, in order to take advantage of these discounts, you hand over a significant amount of personal data to the supermarkets, something ĚÇĐÄVlog experts warn you should be wary of. 

Aldi doesn’t have a loyalty program and doesn’t offer conditional discounts – their insurance products were launched promising “everyday competitive prices for Australian shoppers”.

As many Australians continue to struggle with the increasing cost of living, a discount on groceries is undoubtedly a huge incentive. But are supermarket car insurance policies really good value?

Is car insurance from Coles, Woolies and Aldi any good?

ĚÇĐÄVlog experts have compared more than 65 car insurance policies across the market to help you find the one that best suits your needs and budget.

Unlike other insurance comparison websites, we’re completely independent and don’t get paid by any of the insurers we’re comparing. That means we’re also willing to call out the policies that we don’t recommend because they don’t offer good value or have weird exclusions.

ĚÇĐÄVlog insurance expert, Mark Blades, has closely scrutinised each of the car insurance policies offered by Coles, Woolworths and Aldi.

“You get what you might expect with supermarket car insurance – homebrand products with homebrand quality,” he says. 

“These are all very standard policies that aren’t the best or the worst in the extensive line-up of car insurance policies we’ve reviewed. They all have the cover you’d expect for things like theft, collision, hail, storm, flood and fire, with variations in some elements of the cover and their definitions of what they will and won’t cover.Ěý

“Of the three supermarket policies, Coles generally comes out better than Aldi and Everyday Woolworths in terms of the features and benefits paid.”

The importance of comparing prices and policies

When comparing prices, it’s worth noting that all three supermarkets have simply repackaged someone else’s existing policy and slapped their logo on it. Often you’ll find a very similar – if not identical policy – offered by another provider (backed by the same insurance underwriter).

For example, the Aldi policy is provided by RACQ (which also sells policies under its own name), the Coles policy is provided by Auto & General (which also sells policies under Budget Direct), and the Everyday Insurance policy is provided by Hollard (which also sells policies under Real Insurance).

“We often find that almost identical policies are offered by different insurers for completely different prices, so it’s important to compare prices as well as the detail of the policy when you’re doing your research – the ĚÇĐÄVlog car insurance comparison can help you with this,” says Mark. 

“If you’ve been with the same insurer for years, it’s also wise to look around to see if there are any sign-up promotions or other benefits you could be taking advantage of with a new insurer. 

“Just ensure you’re not losing out on coverage and look closely at the Product Disclosure Statement of the policy you’re buying.”

Aldi Comprehensive

• ĚÇĐÄVlog Expert Rating: 57%
• Cover score: 61%
• Price score: 51%
• Provided by RACQ and administered by Honey Insurance 

While this policy offers fairly standard cover, it has some advantages over the Coles and Everyday Insurance policies in terms of the benefits offered and some terms and conditions.

Benefits of the policy include $1500 cover for personal items damaged in your car (with some exclusions such as theft, but it does include mobile phones and electronics), plus $1500 of coverage for emergency accommodation or transport after an incident.

This is more generous than the Coles policy ($1000) or Everyday Insurance policy ($500) that both also have certain limits and conditions.

Honey Insurance also administers car insurance for BOQ with very similar inclusions, so compare their prices before you buy. 

Read the full Aldi car insurance policy review.

Coles Comprehensive

• Cover score: 68%
• Price data not available
• Provided by Auto & General

For both the Coles and Woolworths policies, the unique selling point isn’t actually in the insurance product: it’s in the fact that you get discounts on your shopping or additional points in exchange for handing over your personal data to their respective loyalty programs.

Remember there are many other policies that offer the same or better cover out there, so it’s still important to shop around to make sure you’re getting the best deal.

Auto & General also administer car insurance for ING, Virgin Money, Budget Direct and Qantas, so ensure you compare those policies during your research. 

Read the Coles Comprehensive car insurance policy review.

ĚÇĐÄVlog tip: You’ll save money and get better cover with insurance policies recommended by ĚÇĐÄVlog. Unlike other insurance comparison websites, we don’t get paid by any of the insurers we’re comparing. ĚÇĐÄVlog is nonprofit, so your membership fees help us fight for fair consumer rights, and empower you to get the best products. Check out our car insurance reviews.

Everyday Comprehensive by Woolworths

• ĚÇĐÄVlog Expert Rating: 62%
• Cover score: 56%
• Price score: 70%
• Provided by Hollard Insurance

Many Woolworths shoppers are enticed by the 10% monthly discount you get on groceries if you are part of the Everyday Rewards loyalty program and sign up to this policy. However, it’s important to be aware that, discount or no discount, you’re paying for below average cover.

“The Everyday Insurance Comprehensive policy received a price score of 70% – the higher the score, the cheaper the policy usually is compared to other products. There are many policies in our review that outperform this policy on both cost and level of cover,” says Mark. 

With this policy, you are limited to the insurer’s network of repairers (you can’t use your own) and the cover is slightly worse than that offered by Coles and Aldi’s policies. 

Read the Woolworths Everyday car insurance policy review.

The post Should you buy car insurance from Coles, Woolworths or Aldi? appeared first on ĚÇĐÄVlog.

Premiums may get cheaper the older you are, but even people in the age group with the cheapest average premium (drivers aged 60–69) are paying an average $1270 a year for comprehensive car insurance.

Drivers aged 70 and over pay the second-lowest premium from any age group ($1328 per year on average), while younger drivers under 21 are forking out, on average, $3610 a year to insure their wheels with comprehensive coverage. 

When you’re talking thousands rather than hundreds of dollars each year, it’s even more important that you’re getting the best value for your money. 

ĚÇĐÄVlog insurance experts have reviewed nearly 70 comprehensive car insurance policies from around 50 brands, assessing each one on their price and the coverage they offer, including exclusions and limits. 

We then calculate our ĚÇĐÄVlog Expert Rating – an overall percentage score that reflects a policy’s level of cover and the value for money it offers. 

Not only can this help you compare policies like-for-like, but it gives you an idea of the policies you probably want to swerve hard to avoid.

Remember, unlike other insurance comparison websites, we don’t get paid by the insurers we’re comparing and we won’t harass you – no phone calls, no commissions. 

Save money and get better cover with insurance policies recommended by ĚÇĐÄVlog – independent and nonprofit.

Lowest scoring car insurance policies

The policies below received the lowest ĚÇĐÄVlog Expert Rating of all the policies we looked at. 

“The biggest reason these policies have ended up as our bottom performers is how much they cost,” says ĚÇĐÄVlog car insurance expert Mark Blades.

“These policies are mostly middling for coverage and poor for price, such as these specific products from Bupa, Huddle and AHM. 

“Or in the case of Suncorp, it’s one of the most expensive products in our entire comparison and is missing the premium cover to match. 

“There are better policies out there that will give you much better value for money.”

Suncorp Comprehensive Advantages

• ĚÇĐÄVlog Expert Rating: 49%
• Cover score: 71%
• Price score: 16%

The cover this policy offers is pretty good, but nine other policies we’ve compared score higher than it.

It rated the lowest for price, but the brand actually has other, cheaper policies that offer a better balance of price and cover.

Some positives of this policy include:

• Choice of repairer, with authorised repairs guaranteed for the life of the vehicle.
• Excellent cover for hire cars after theft or accident. This policy has a reasonable daily rate ($100) but no time limit, meaning if there are delays repairing your car you won’t run out of hire car benefit. Suncorp also extends comprehensive car insurance to the hire car, as if it were your own car.
• New car replacement after a total loss. If you total your new car within a few years of first buying it, many insurers will replace it with a new equivalent vehicle. This policy includes this cover for two years, which is industry standard. It also has an additional benefit for loyal customers: if you insure your car with this policy within 13 months of its first registration, and keep the policy without a break in cover, the new car replacement benefit applies for the lifetime of the vehicle.

On balance, however, the price of this policy is what drags its ĚÇĐÄVlog Expert Rating, or overall score, down.

You might expect a policy with such comprehensive cover to be on the more expensive side, but this policy is consistently one of the most expensive. 

In our latest pricing dataset (containing about 7000 quotes on average per product) Suncorp Comprehensive Advantages provided the most expensive quote more than 40% of the time.

AHM Comprehensive, Bupa Comprehensive, Huddle Comprehensive

These three policies offer exactly the same cover, but with slight variations in price. Bupa and AHM have partnered with Huddle insurance (which is underwritten by Hollard) to create these virtually identical policies.

Another thing they have in common? They are at the bottom of the table for their ĚÇĐÄVlog Expert Rating (along with Suncorp Comprehensive Advantages) of all the car insurance policies in our comparison.

They’re all rated at 52% for their cover, but their price scores are slightly different.

Here’s how they stack up.

Here are some of the limitations and negatives of these policies:

• No choice of repairer. Most policies let you choose the repairer (or have it available as an optional extra). When you have to use the insurer’s repairer there is a chance your car won’t be repaired locally, meaning a long trip to pick it up.
• High excesses for younger drivers. While most policies impose additional excesses for drivers under 25, the age excesses for these policies are particularly high: $800 for drivers aged 21–24 and $1200 for drivers under 21. Age excesses from more competitive policies are around the $400–$600 mark.
• Replacement parts policy lacks detail. Some insurers commit to using genuine or OEM (original equipment manufacturer) parts on newer vehicles, and provide specific details around when they will use aftermarket or refurbished parts. These policies give no such detail, except to say they may use “new or quality used parts, consistent with the age and condition of your car”.
• $500 limit for personal items that are stolen from your vehicle or damaged in an accident. Many other insurers have raised this to $1000–$1500 in recent years.
• $500 replacement cost for baby seats, capsules and prams. In comparison, some insurers opt to provide ‘reasonable costs’ of replacement for these items. With some prams alone costing over $1000, this coverage may not be enough to replace items damaged in an accident.
• No cover for transport costs. Many policies include a few hundred dollars to cover the cost of a cab from the scene of an incident to your home or destination, and often cover the cost to get to the repairer to collect your car. These policies don’t cover any of that.
• $500 for emergency accommodation and travel, which only applies 200km away from home if the car cannot be driven. More typical coverage from other policies are $1000 and 100km away from home. 
• If you choose the options to add on coverage for a hire car if your car is stolen, you’ll only get the rental for 14 days – which is quite short compared to the rest of the market.

How to save money on car insurance

If you’re looking for the best policy for the lowest price, use our tool to compare over 70 comprehensive car insurance policies. You’ll save money and get better cover with car insurance policies recommended by ĚÇĐÄVlog.

You can also follow these pro tips from our ĚÇĐÄVlog car insurance experts to ensure you’re getting the best deal.

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The post Car insurance policies to avoid appeared first on ĚÇĐÄVlog.

On this page:

• How much does car insurance cost for seniors?
• Best insurers for car insurance on a budget
• Car insurers for seniors and age pensioners
• Driving restrictions for pensioners

Car insurers value experienced drivers, that’s why premiums get cheaper the older you get. But that changes once you hit 70, when premiums increase slightly again.

It’s also worth noting that in some states you will need an annual medical assessment to keep your license once you turn 75, or if you develop a medical condition that could impact your driving. Some states even require that you sit another driving test.

Shopping around is key to getting value for money on seniors car insurance.

If you’re looking for the best price on your car insurance, you can use our tool to compare over 65 comprehensive car insurance policies. You can save money and get better cover with car insurance policies recommended by ĚÇĐÄVlog which are cheaper than average policies from other insurers.

We’re not like the other insurance comparison websites – we don’t get paid by any of the insurers we’re comparing. And ĚÇĐÄVlog is not-for-profit, so your membership fees help our fight for consumer rights and empower you to get the best products.Ěý

How much does car insurance cost for seniors?

Drivers aged 60 to 69 pay the lowest average premiums of all age groups – $1270 on average. Older drivers aged 70 and over pay the second-lowest premiums for any age group, $1328 on average.

Best insurers for car insurance on a budget

When you’re retiring or working less hours, saving on car insurance becomes more important than before. For some people, paying your insurance monthly helps with budgeting.

While many insurers charge you more if you can’t afford to pay your annual premium upfront, some allow you to pay your premium monthly at no extra cost, they include:  

• Allianz
• Apia
• NRMA
• RAA
• RACT

If you don’t need to drive to work, you might need your car less. Several insurers give you a pay-as-you-drive discount for low kilometres, they include:

• AAMI
• Apia
• Australian Seniors
• Budget Direct
• Coles
• Everyday Insurance from Woolworths.
• GIO
• Suncorp

Not all insurers advertise their low kilometre discount but it’s always worth asking.

Need some help making sense of your options? We’ve put together a car insurance buying guide filled with tips and advice, including ways you can get discounts.

Car insurers for seniors and age pensioners

There are several insurance brands with “seniors” or “pensioners” in the name, but only Apia sells insurance exclusively to people over 50.

Apia (Suncorp)

Apia is an insurance company that started in Australia 30 years ago as the Australian Pensioners Insurance Agency. It’s part of Suncorp, an Australian finance and insurance corporation based in Brisbane, Australia. Next to its own-branded policies, Suncorp underwrites several other general insurance brands, including AAMI, GIO, Bingle and Shannons.

Is Suncorp not-for-profit? No

Is Suncorp Australian-owned? Yes

Australian Seniors (Hollard)

Australian Seniors is an insurance company that launched in 1998. Its car insurance is provided by Hollard. Operating in Australia since 1999, Hollard is part of the Hollard International Group and its parent company is IVM Intersurer BV, a Netherlands-based insurance business investment holding company. It underwrites several other general insurance brands, including Everyday Insurance from Woolworths.

Is Hollard not-for-profit? No

Is Hollard Australian-owned? No

National Seniors Australia (Allianz)

National Seniors Australia is a not-for-profit organisation established in 1976. It uses membership fees and profits to pay for its advocacy for older Australians. National Seniors car insurance is underwritten by Allianz. Allianz is a German financial services company and also the underwriter for many other general insurance brands from banks, credit unions and building societies, including Westpac, RAA, TIO and Kogan.

Is Allianz not-for-profit? No (National Seniors Australia is not-for-profit)

Is Allianz Australian-owned? No (National Seniors Australia is Australian-owned)

Compare car insurance for APIA, Australian Seniors and National Seniors Australia with other car insurers.

How to save on car insurance for seniors and pensioners

• Shop around – premiums for car insurance vary widely. 
• Choose a policy recommended by ĚÇĐÄVlog â€“ not only will you get better features, ĚÇĐÄVlog recommended policies can also save you money.
• Buy your car insurance online to make use of online discounts.
• If you can, store your car in a secured, locked garage. Sometimes you can also save by installing an anti-theft device such as an alarm or immobiliser. 
• If you have a seniors card, mention it – some insurers give seniors card holders a discount, for example, RAA, Australian Seniors and RACQ (home and contents insurance only). You may also be eligible for discounts on car registration and driver’s license renewal.
• If you can, restrict the age of the people who can drive your car. Insurers may reduce your premium if you restrict your car insurance to drivers of a certain minimum age, such young drivers under 25.
• Increase your excess.
• Depending on the value of your car, it may be worth only taking out third-party cover instead of comprehensive car insurance.

Driving restrictions for pensioners

In the section below we outline state-by-state restrictions and conditions for older drivers on a standard driver’s license. There are different rules depending on what type of license you hold. 

ACT

Age from which older driver rules apply: 75

• Medical assessment: From 75 years of age – annually
• Driving test: None

More information: . 

NSW

Age from which conditions for older drivers apply: 70

• Medical assessment: From 70 years of age if recommended by doctor, otherwise from 75 years of age  – annually
• Driving test: From 75 years of age if recommended by doctor, otherwise from 85 years of age – every two years. However, drivers aged 85 years and over who don’t want to do a driving test can instead choose a modified license with distance restrictions that will allow them to drive in their local area to be able to do their shopping and attend community activities and medical appointments. Greater distances are allowed if you live in a country area.

More information: .

NT

Age from which conditions for older drivers apply: none

NT requires a vision test every five years for drivers of any age.

• Medical assessment: If requested by a health professional.
• Driving test: None

More information: .

QLD

Age from which conditions for older drivers apply: 75

• Medical assessment: From 75 years of age – annually (every 13 months)
• Driving test: None

More information: .

South Australia

Age from which conditions for older drivers apply: 75

• Medical assessment: From 75 year of age, self-assessment – annually
• Driving test: If requested by doctor

More information: .

Tasmania

Age from which conditions for older drivers apply: none

More information: .

Victoria

Age from which conditions for older drivers apply: None

More information: .

Western Australia

Age from which conditions for older drivers apply: 80 

• Medical assessment: From 80 years of age – annually
• Driving test: If requested by doctor

More information: .

Other conditions may apply

This state-by-state breakdown is a general guide, but it’s also important to note:

• Stricter rules may apply for a heavy vehicle license.
• Different rules apply if you have a medical condition such as dementia or are on any medication that could affect your ability to drive.
• Many drivers have conditions on their license such as the requirement for an eye test or vehicle modifications for people with a disability. 

The post Best car insurance for seniors appeared first on ĚÇĐÄVlog.

On this page:

• What kind of cover should young drivers have?
• How much does car insurance cost for young drivers?
• Cheapest insurers for young drivers
• How to save on car insurance for young drivers
• Expensive excess for young drivers
• Learning and provisional drivers

Young drivers are considered a high-risk customer by car insurers and they therefore pay the highest premiums of all age groups.

In addition, if you’re under 25 and you drive your parents’ car, it could increase their premiums by a significant amount.

But there are large differences in the premiums and conditions car insurers have for young drivers, so it pays to shop around.

If you’re looking for the best policy, you can use our tool to compare over 50 comprehensive car insurance policies. You’ll save money and get better cover with car insurance policies recommended by ĚÇĐÄVlog.

And, unlike other insurance comparison websites, we don’t get paid by any of the insurers we’re comparing. ĚÇĐÄVlog is nonprofit, so your membership fees help us fight for consumer rights, and empower you to get the best products.

What kind of cover should young drivers have?

In addition to the the compulsory third party insurance you need to register your vehicle, there are three levels of car insurance you can get:

• Third party property: cover for damage to other people’s cars and property.Ěý
• Third party fire and theft: cover for damage to other people’s cars and property. Plus, cover for your car for theft or fire damage.
• Comprehensive car insurance: cover for damage to other people’s cars and property. Cover for your car for theft, fire, natural disasters, vandalism and accidents, even if you’re at fault. Comprehensive insurance covers a range of additional costs not included in third-party policies, such as a hire car while yours is being repaired. It’s the most expensive option of the three.

How much does car insurance cost for young drivers?

Generally, the younger you are and the less driving experience you have, the more expensive your comprehensive car insurance premium will be and the higher the excess you’ll be required to pay if you make a claim.

Car insurance premiums get cheaper the older you are. For example, the average premium quoted for drivers under 21 is $3609, while those aged 21 to 24 will pay an average of $2556. The average drops to $2099 for 25-year-old drivers.

Premiums are also more expensive for males under 25 ($3075) compared with female drivers of the same age range ($2521).

Location

Average premiums for young drivers aged 25 and under also vary depending on which state you live in.

Cheapest insurers for young drivers

If you’re under 25 and driving your own car, you may want only a third-party car insurance policy until you have some more driving experience and qualify for cheaper premiums. But, if you drive an expensive car and want to take out comprehensive car insurance, the cheapest insurers for young drivers on average across Australia are:  

1. RACT
2. RAC
3. RACQ
4. AAMI
5. TIO

Our price ratings are based on average premiums. They may not be reflective of your situation. We recommend you get at least five quotes, starting with your regular insurer, and look at policy inclusions, features and excesses.

How to save on car insurance for young drivers

• Shop around – premiums for listed young drivers and young drivers driving their own car can vary widely. 
• Choose a car insurance policy recommended by ĚÇĐÄVlog. Not only will you get better features, but they are cheaper on average than other policies.
• Buy your car insurance online to make use of online discounts.
• Don’t buy a high performance car – it’ll be more expensive to insure.
• Pay your full annual premium – some insurers charge you more if you pay monthly.
• Don’t modify your car.
• Sometimes you can get discounted premiums if you install an anti-theft device such as an alarm or immobiliser. 
• Some insurers, like AAMI, will give you a discount if you do their skilled driver training course. 
• Increase your excess – but be aware of any extra young driver excesses that may apply. 
• Depending on the value of your car, it may be worth only taking out only third party cover instead of more expensive comprehensive car insurance.

Expensive excess for young drivers

If you have an accident driving your parents’ car, you may be up for a large additional excess. There are a number of excesses that may apply, depending on your policy, including:

• Basic excess: the cost of making a claim, selected when you buy the policy. In most cases the excesses listed below are charged in addition to this.
• Age excess: applies to drivers up to 25 years old (sometimes 35!), and can cost from $300 to $2000. Some insurers decrease the excess as you age. Learner drivers typically don’t pay the age excess.
• Inexperienced driver excess: applies to drivers too old for the age excess, but who have not held their full license for a minimum period. This is usually two consecutive years, sometimes five. This can range in cost from $400 to $1500.
• Unlisted driver excess: can be applied regardless of age or driving experience. This is often the most expensive additional excess charged by insurers, ranging from $400 to $3000. Some insurers will also slug you with a higher age or inexperienced driver excess if you’re not listed on the policy.
• Learner driver excess: this type of excess charge is quite rare, but can be an $800 charge on top of the basic excess. Some insurers apply the excesses that would have been charged if the instructor were behind the wheel.

Learning and provisional drivers

Learner drivers

It’s important that parents talk to their car insurer first to make sure their car is covered before they use it to start teaching a learner driver. 

Some car insurers, such as Budget Direct, require you to add a learner driver to the policy, while others, like NRMA, AAMI and GIO, don’t require any changes to your car insurance for supervising a learner driver.Ěý

But, if the learner driver is the registered owner of the car, the car insurance policy needs to be in their name.

P-plate drivers

If you’re a P-plater and only drive your parents’ car occasionally, check with the car insurer if you’re covered or whether you need to be listed on the policy.

If you have your own car or are the main driver of a parent’s car, then the car needs to be insured in your name. If you insure it in your parents’ name to save money, this can technically be seen as insurance fraud, meaning your car insurance policy could be invalid and your claims might be knocked back.

Young driver road crash statistics

Sadly, young drivers (under 25 years) represent one-quarter of all Australian road deaths, despite only making up 10–15% of the licensed driver population. And the youngest road users are most at risk. A 17-year-old driver with a P1 license is four times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash than a driver over 26 years.

Speeding is the main cause of road fatalities of young drivers.

The post Best car insurance for drivers under 25 appeared first on ĚÇĐÄVlog.

On this page:

• 2. Your insurer might only guarantee the repairs for as long as they insure the vehicle
• 3. Insurers may use aftermarket or used parts
• 4. You might be better off not using your car insurance 
• 5. You can choose your payout in the event of a write-off
• 6. You might not have to pay excess on windscreen claims

If you’ve ever bought comprehensive car insurance, you probably know that it covers repairs to your car if it’s damaged by fire, natural disaster, vandalism or an accident, even if you’re at fault. But what do you know about the repairs process? 

Even after reading the product disclosure statement (PDS) from your insurer, you may not fully understand some of the terms they use to explain how your car will be repaired in the event of a claim. Below we describe six things you should know about car insurance repairs, and explain what the terms used in your insurance documents actually mean.Ěý

Many insurers have a network of repairers and will direct you to one of those to repair your vehicle. If you’d prefer to use a repairer of your choice, you need to look out for a policy that offers this option, or add it as an extra and pay a fee.Ěý

If the insurer chooses your repairer, you may have to travel some distance to drop off your car, get home without a car, and then back out there when it’s fixed. But this also means you don’t need to get too involved with the repair, and you can leave negotiations with the repairer up to the insurer. In addition, when using the insurer’s repairer you can be assured that the only out of pocket cost will be your excess.

If you have the option to choose your own repairer you can pick one in a convenient location, or one you’re familiar with. But it can add complications and sometimes extra cost, like if the insurer doesn’t agree with the price they charge.

2. Your insurer might only guarantee the repairs for as long as they insure the vehicle

If you choose the right car insurance policy, repairs paid for by your insurer will be guaranteed for the life of the vehicle – this means if they cover repairs to your car and that repair later fails because it was not done properly (or the part was faulty), they will cover the cost to fix it.

However, policies from RAA specify that they only guarantee repairs while they still insure the vehicle (and only if it was repaired at their nominated repairer). This could be problematic if you like to switch insurers regularly to ensure you’re always on the best deal. And policies from RACQ allow you to choose your repairer, but will only guarantee repairs if they’re carried out at the insurer’s repairer.

The rest of the car insurers in our review guarantee repairs either for the rest of the time you (or sometimes your family) own the vehicle, or for the life of the vehicle. Check how your insurer handles this in our car insurance review.Ěý

Here’s what to look for:

• Guaranteed while you own the vehicle. This is the case for about two thirds of all car insurance policies regardless of whether you have choice of repairer or not; including those from popular insurers, Allianz, Budget Direct, Coles, Everyday, and Youi. The policies from Aldi, Bank of Australia, BOQ and RACQ are slightly more generous, and guarantee the repairs while the vehicle remains owned by you or a family member.Ěý
• Guaranteed for the life of the vehicle. Use the filter in our comparison table, or use Ctrl+F to search the PDS for the term “lifetime” to find a policy that will guarantee repairs for the life of the vehicle. About one third of car insurance policies guarantee repairs for the lifetime of the vehicle including insurers such as AAMI, Bingle, GIO, NRMA, and Suncorp.

3. Insurers may use aftermarket or used parts

Rules about where parts are sourced for repairs are in your policy’s PDS and the terms used to describe this vary tremendously, but basically it comes down to four different categories.

• New parts made by the vehicle’s original manufacturer. Often called OEM parts (original equipment manufacturer), genuine parts, or genuine new parts. If you want to split hairs, genuine parts come via the car manufacturer, while OEM parts come from a supplier that originally made the part for the car manufacturer when it was new, but is now selling those parts themselves. So the parts are essentially the same, the difference is the logo on the box. Some policies specify that OEM parts are only used during the manufacturer’s warranty period, then after that they’ll use non-OEM or refurbished parts.
• New parts made by someone else. These are referred to as non-genuine parts, non-OEM parts, or aftermarket parts. They are possibly not quite as good quality as those from the original manufacturer, but they are still brand new. Some insurers specify they use parts that are Australian Design Rules (ADR) compliant. The ADR are the national vehicle safety and performance standards that apply to certain parts of vehicles and are enforced by the states to ensure registered vehicles are roadworthy.
• Refurbished parts have had work done to repair them to near original condition. This could include cleaning, servicing and upgrading. They should have passed quality and safety checks and are more expensive than second-hand parts but cheaper than new ones. Also called reconditioned, remanufactured or exchange parts.Ěý
• Second-hand parts, usually from a vehicle with low mileage that has been de-registered and likely to be in near original condition. Can be from the original manufacturer or from an aftermarket parts manufacturer unless specified (e.g. they might be specifically described as “recycled OEM parts“). Also called recycled or reusable parts.

4. You might be better off not using your car insurance 

For small or cheaper repairs, it can be cheaper in the long run to pay for the repair yourself, rather than claiming on your car insurance. This is because insurers use claims history to assess risk, meaning more claims result in higher premiums in the future. And most use overall claims, not just ones where you’re at fault.Ěý 

So if a repair is only going to cost a little more than your excess, it might be wise to pay for it out of your own pocket if you can. And it goes without saying that if the cost of repairing your car is less than your insurance excess, you’ll save money by not claiming on your car insurance.

5. You can choose your payout in the event of a write-off

When taking out your policy, most insurers give you the option to be paid either an agreed value or market value if your car is deemed too expensive to repair.Ěý

• Agreed value is when you specify a dollar figure (that your insurer deems reasonable) to be paid if your car is written off. It costs a bit extra to specify an agreed value, but gives you peace of mind that you will have enough to replace your car with something you’re happy with should it be written off, and if your car has depreciated your payout won’t be affected.Ěý
• Market value fluctuates according to the price an average car like yours would sell for (if it wasn’t damaged) at the time that the insurer pays out. It’s not what you paid for your car, what it was worth when you took out the policy, or what it’s worth to you. It may be less than you expect. Most policies provide a market value payout by default.Ěý

6. You might not have to pay excess on windscreen claims

Almost one in five policies offer zero excess on glass repairs once a year as standard.ĚýThis is because replacing damaged glass often costs less than your excess.ĚýFind these policies in our car insurance review or open the PDS and do a search (Ctrl+F) for “windscreen” or “glass”.

Almost all of the rest offer zero or reduced excess on glass repairs as an additional feature for an extra fee. Some offer one repair with zero excess, and others offer optional excess reduction for repair.

Some insurers have limits on the number of repairs or replacements, and some will repair, but not replace.Ěý

The post Six things you need to know about car insurance repairs appeared first on ĚÇĐÄVlog.