Personal Motor Vehicle Insurance – Who is covered in an accident?

Personal Motor Vehicle Insurance – Who is covered in an accident?

Motor Vehicle Insurance is something every person with a car should have. Although we know we need to have it, when it is time to claim, we may realise we never fully understood the terms and clauses used in the document we signed. This can result in claims not being covered, or personally having to pay a sum much larger than that which we were under the impression we had to pay.

For a full list of commonly used terms in Personal Motor Vehicle Insurance policies, read ‘Getting Personal Motor Vehicle Insurance – What should you include and How to Save’ here.

One of the most common scenarios we see at Quattro Sure is an accident claim involving a driver who was not the regular driver on the insurance policy. There are often many terms and clauses within Personal Motor Vehicle Insurance, and we would like to highlight a few by using the scenario below.

Kate and Geoff, a hardworking couple, have saved for months to afford to pay a down-payment on a stylish new car. Geoff is so excited because it is the first car that he is purchasing from a dealership. As part of their purchase, Kate and Geoff dealt with a gentleman at the dealership to finalise their car finance. Part of securing their new vehicle meant that Geoff needed to get his vehicle insured before he could drive home in his new car. Kate and Geoff do not remember much during the excitement of their collection, but Kate recalls that the excess seemed quite high when the salesman spoke about some section of the policy.

A year later, Kate and Geoff accompany their son, Bob to his driving test and the entire family is delighted that Bob passes the first time! After a celebratory family hug, Geoff hands Bob his car keys for Bob to drive the family home. Nearing an exhilarating handbrake start at a robot, another vehicle drives into the back of the family vehicle and the bumper is damaged. As Bob had not moved yet, Kate and Geoff exchange vehicle and insurance details with the other driver and submit a claim. Thankfully, their claim is authorised with an excess of 25%.

What Kate and Geoff did not expect was the extended excess they had to pay as Bob was under the age of 23 and that Bob had his Driving License for less than 2 years. As this family realised, policy excesses and conditions vary from product to product and these can have extremely negative and expensive impacts.

Policy conditions and excesses vary from insurer to insurer. Do not wait until the unfortunate event of an expensive claim, call Quattro Sure today to ensure you have the correct cover which is adequate, and that you understand your policy conditions.

Policy conditions can also include additional excesses on Restricted or Open Driver policies. Ensure you know what your policy includes.

Ensure you are covered correctly. Contact Quattro Sure on 031 242 5100 or use the form below.