Category Archives: Auto Insurances

Car Insurance Terms Explained No Claims Bonus

A no-claims bonus (NCB) is a discount on an auto insurance premium that is earned by not making any claims on your insurance policy. The amount of discount varies for different insurance companies. A NCB of five years can potentially be worth a 60 – 70 % discount on car insurance premiums. For every year that a driver has auto insurance and does not make a claim, they earn a year on their NCB. The maximum is usually five years though some companies continue to offer discounts for six to eight years. When shopping for new car insurance, it is essential to find out more about the no-claims bonus.

It is very important to understand that the no-claims bonus is not a no blame or a no-fault bonus. The NCB will be denied irrespective of who was to blame. Even if your car gets stolen, the no-claims bonus is lost. Any claim you make will cause you to lose the NCB. Some insurers offer NCB protection; for a small additional fee you can protect and keep your no-claims bonus even if make a claim during the year. This NCB protection is relatively new and is treated differently by different insurers. The protection may keep your NCB intact or it may move it back two or three years. The special coverage may be good for only one claim and the costs will vary depending on your policy and insurance carrier. If you are looking to change insurance companies and are shopping for new car insurance, your no-claims bonus can usually be transferred to your new company.

The NCB is only one of the factors that determine your insurance cost when calculating your premium price. Most insurance carriers have a list of questions they ask when applying for new car insurance. These questions are used as part of a complex calculation to determine your final insurance cost. The discount for the NCB is not applied at the end of this calculation; it is applied somewhere in the middle. Dont expect your premium cost to be reduced by 60- 70 % as the reduction will take place somewhere during the underwriting process. However, though you will not see your insurance premiums cut by more than half, the no-claims bonus provides you with substantial savings and should be considered when shopping for auto insurance.

The NCB is important to lowering your insurance costs. Protect by driving safely, securing your vehicle, maintaining your car, and following the rules of the road. Having earned the NCB will make shopping for new car insurance a more rewarding and less costly experience.

Reduce Car Insurance Premium With No Claim Bonus

Ask any expert as to how to reduce car insurance premium, the advise is drive safely, avail NCB. No claim bonus or NCB is one of the major factors affecting car insurance premium. It is a discount that the vehicle owner gets if he doesnt make a claim the whole year. Percentage of bonus increases for every claim free year.

How is NCB Calculated

NCB can be availed for every claim free year of the vehicle. It is calculated on the own damage part of the insurance premium and not the third party insurance. Own damage (OD) premium forms a major component of comprehensive car insurance. One can get up to 50% discount on it.

For no claim during the previous year one gets 20% discount on OD, For no claim during two previous years discount is 25%, For no claim in three preceding years discount is 35%, for no claim during four previous years, discount is 35% and for four or more preceding claim free years, the discount is 50%.
Once a claim is made, the NCB becomes nil. The next premium is higher and the whole process of accumulating NCB will begin from zero. Some insurance companies offer an add-on cover to protect NCB

How to Avail NCB

The insurance company automatically includes the discount in the renewal notice. If the car insurance has lapsed and you renew it within the grace period of 90 days, you can still avail the NCB. If insurance is not renewed within the grace period, NCB lapses. There are certain things to take care if you are selling the car or changing the insurance company.

If you are changing the insurance company, make sure that you take the no-claim bonus certificate. Once you present it to the new insurance company, it will be implemented. It is important to take this proof as without this the discount cannot be availed.

No-claim bonus is offered to the person and cannot be transferred to the new owner if you are selling the car. Make sure that you get the no-claim bonus certificate from the insurance company before transferring the insurance. You can avail this benefit on your new car if you buy it within 3 years of selling the old car. The discount slab will remain the same as it was at the time of selling the old car.

Make the most of being a safe driver and avail the Bonus. It is the single most effective way of reducing car insurance premium.

Know Your Car Insurance Companies

You may wonder why should you know your car insurance companies. One very good reason is that in the event of an accident you would be less likely to accept a false proof of insurance. How’s that possible?

A few months ago my car was hit while I was sitting at a stop sign waiting to turn left. The other driver coming from my right cut the corner before realizing there was a car there. Needless to say it was a head-on collision, but thankfully she was slowing to turn.When the time came to exchange insurance information, she handed me a letter on official letterhead that gave a policy number for auto insurance. The letterhead said DriveTime. I’d heard about DriveTime as being a place where one could easily get an auto loan. I never questioned the validity of the proof of insurance I was given.

I found out later, when I tried to file a claim for repairs with the other insurance company, that DriveTime insurance ONLY covers their car. It is a comprehensive coverage that protects DriveTime against any loss. However, it is up to the car buyer to obtain liability coverage from another source.

So before you get stuck with a proof of insurance that is no proof at all, glance at the list below just to get an idea of those real full-coverage auto insurance companies. These are American insurance companies with a strong regional and national presence.

* American National Insurance Company
* American Automobile Association
* AIG
* Allstate
* American Family Insurance
* American Farmers and Ranchers Mutual
* Amica
* Auto-Owners Insurance
* California Casualty Insurance
* CapitalOne
* Commerce Insurance Group
* COUNTRY Insurance & Financial Services
* Cuna Mutual Group
* Electric Insurance Company
* Esurance
* Expatriate Insurance
* Farm Bureau Insurance
* Farmers Insurance
* Frankenmuth Mutual Insurance Company
* GAINSCO Auto Insurance
* GMAC Insurance
* Geico
* The General
* GuideOne
* Hanover Insurance
* The Hartford
* Hastings Mutual Insurance Company
* Haulers Insurance Company
* Infinity Auto Insurance Company
* Liberty Mutual
* Nationwide Insurance
* National Interstate
* Metropolitan Life Insurance Company
* Mutual of Enumclaw
* OneBeacon Insurance Group
* Pekin Insurance
* Pemco
* Progressive
* Safeco
* Safeway Insurance Group
* Standard Insurance Company
* State Auto Insurance Companies
* Shelter Insurance Companies
* Solid Insurance Group
* State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company
* The St. Paul Travelers Companies, Inc.
* Trustgard Insurance
* Unitrin Direct Auto Insurance
* USAA
* Wawanesa
* Westfield Insurance

Of course, there are a lot more insurance companies that this, but this is a list of the most common. So if someone gives you a proof of insurance that doesn’t sound like a company name that you are familiar with, make sure you get all of the contact information, including their driver’s license numberjust in case.

Post Office Car Insurance And Exchange Rates

This article explains all about the car insurance and exchange rates services from the Post Office in order for you to make an informed purchase decision and decide whether they are the right provider for you.

The Post Office Exchange Rates are some of the best ones out of all the providers including banks and supermarkets, so is well worth considering whenever you need to convert some mosney into another currency. You can order between 500 and 2500 online or in branch if it is much less than this. You also get free next day delivery on any order so that you can receive it as soon as possible, which makes it ideal for going on holiday. The Post Office charge 0% commission with no handling fees, and offer more than 70 different currencies, so you should be able to find what you are looking for. The public as the Best Foreign Exchange Provider at the British Travel Awards has awarded them for five years running. With very competitive rates and a great service, you would be crazy not to consider the Post Office as your currency exchange provider.

Post Office Car Insurance is available at great rates; helping you to save some extra money, up to 419 in fact, compared to other providers. They are able to offer the best price by comparing deals amongst several of their top insurers so you can be assured that you are getting the most out of your money. You also get one years worth of breakdown cover for free.

The friendly support team are experts in the field and can deal with any queries or claims quickly and professionally. Payments can be made very easily on a monthly basis and there are various options to choose from, making it much more convenient for you. Plus, immediate cover is available should you need car insurance on an urgent basis.

With the car insurance deal, you receive up to nine years no claims discount and a courtesy car to drive on the road if yours breaks down. It also protects you against malicious damage such as vandalism if you inform the police within 48 hours of it happening. Approved claims repairs come with a three year guarantee and windscreen damage can be fixed free of charge by calling the specialist glass help centre. It is great news if you travel abroad a lot, as you can also get cover for up to 60 days per holiday in the EU. Recovery Breakdown and Roadside Assistance worth 49 is also available for free to help cover some other eventualities.

There are different deals on offer for drivers over the age of 50 years old, which are also, well worth checking out if you fit into this age category. Be sure to read all the term and conditions of any car insurance offer to check that you are fully eligible and covered for everything that you expect to be.

Car Insurance In Uae- Things You Must Know

So your Car Registration is due to expire and you are poised to do something about it. First thing you would need is to find a Suitable Car insurance Company.
Starting point is Knowing type of Insurance you need i.e. comprehensive or TPL .Information on these is common in east and west , on Google or Bing.
However, see below, these are sticky points, the small print, keep in mind to turn these points into questions when you call or browse online for your car insurance in UAE.

1.Maximum Liability Clause

This is a maximum amount which your insurance company is willing to pay in case of accident. Very important point here is that this value should be a lot more than your cars insured value. AED 250,000 is a good bench mark. Do ask your insurer about this.

2.Off Road Cover

This would be the case if you are a proud owner of 4×4. Most standard car insurance policies do not cover Off Road driving. Make sure you are covered if you are planning to drive off road.

3.Issue of Named Driver on Insurance Policy

In west, you have to name a driver on your car insurance policy to drive you car for example your wife , however in UAE, this is bit relaxed, but as the saying goes nothing is free in this world, this comes with a clause. You could be charged up to 25% if your car collided when driven by your spouse. This is increased even further if your spouse, friend, or whoever was driving with your permission was less than 25years old. However Insurance Companies have different policy on these; do ask before you are insured.

4.Issue of Excess

Excess is minimum amount which you must pay if you are involved in an accident. Questions which you must ask your insurance company is how much is your excess, is it payable even if accident is not your fault, insist on standard excess which is AED250 for a Saloon and AED350 for 4X4. Expect a higher excess if you are lucky owner of expensive vehicle. Sports and two door vehicles invariably attract higher excess which could be as much as AED1500. Note, this question is worth asking.

We wish you a safe and enjoyable driving experience in UAE.