Is your car insurance worth its salt?

Written by 
Bill Tsouvalas
Bill Tsouvalas is the managing director and a key company spokesperson at Savvy. As a personal finance expert, he often shares his insights on a range of topics, being featured on leading news outlets including News Corp publications such as the Daily Telegraph and Herald Sun, Fairfax Media publications such as the Australian Financial Review, the Seven Network and more. Bill has over 15 years of experience working in the finance industry and founded Savvy in 2010 with a vision to provide affordable and accessible finance options to all Australians. He has built Savvy from a small asset finance brokerage into a financial comparison website which now attracts close to 2 million Aussies per year and was included in the BRW’s Fast 100 in 2015 as one of the fastest-growing companies in the country. He’s passionate about helping Australians make financially savvy decisions and reviews content across the brand to ensure its accuracy. You can follow Bill on LinkedIn.
Our authors
, updated on November 25th, 2021       

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Getting car insurance for your car is the most important thing that you can do when it comes to protecting your car. But how sure are you that you are getting the best value for every buck you spend on your insurance? At the end of the day, it will be the quality of your car insurance that will protect you every time you hit the road. Here is a checklist to test the quality of your car insurance.

Does it come with discounts?

Two things reign supreme when it comes to car insurance in Australia; does it come with a cheap price tag and am I fully covered? With the average car insurance policyholder paying $1,027 p.a. it comes as no surprise that Aussies will look for ways to make their premiums cheaper. As much as we want to be covered we also want discounts that can be beneficial. You can look out for discounts like a no claims discounts, loyalty discounts, or discounts on the number and age of drivers who drive your vehicle.

Optional extras

Optional extras are your gateway to finding car insurance that comes with the flexibility of choosing optional extras that match the type of car and driver that you are, rather than to fork out a lot of cash on a cover that comes with extras you never use. Optional extras usually come with cheaper policies and can be tailor-made to suit your needs as a driver.

Does it come with features such as a 24/7 claims phone line?

With 1,225 deaths caused by accidents occurring and 52,965 cars that were stolen on Australian roads you need a claims line that will be able to help you as soon as possible. A car insurance policy that comes with 24/7 claims phone line can save you a lot of stress by getting your claim processed in order for life to resume just as it was before the incident with as little hassle as possible.

Roadside assistance

This goes without saying. Being stranded on a deserted road can be stressful but having no one to come and assist you can add to your woes. An additional feature that you can look at to ensure that you are getting the best value for your money is if your car insurance policy offers cover for a hire car after an accident. This will ensure that you are not stranded after your incident, and you will be able to get yourself from point A to point B without worrying about how you will adapt while your car is being fixed.

Does it come with a cover for personal property?

We spend most of our time commuting. Some of our valuables are most likely going to be kept in our cars. In the event of a theft or an accident that causes your valuables to be stolen or damaged you want a policy that offers you cover that protects your valuables. This usually comes with top quality policies.

It all comes down to checking the features of your car insurance to see if they will cover you as you travel before you are caught off guard by how little it covers. The only way to know if you are getting the best value for your money is to balance out the features it has against the amount you are paying. However, you will only be able to do this by comparing.