UK

Online Car Insurance in Australia Is it a distant dream

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Getting Online Car Insurance in Australia is nowhere near what it is in the UK and US markets. Over there you have all the major insurance companies and underwriters allowing online aggregators to act like a broker between them and consumer. But where are the car insurance comparison websites in Australia? Currently they only offer 1 underwriter and that is comparing apples with apples.

Over the last 5 years in Australia, competition through comparison websites has come online for a range of products including travel insurance, health insurance, gas/electricity prices, home loans and credit cards. So why hasnt the car comparison market opened up! The answer is because none of the general insurance heavy weights want to jump on board and support car insurance comparison websites.

All the quotes I have received online from a comparison site show policies from a Budget owned and underwritten policy. You are getting the same policy features and the same underwriter. In fact the only difference in most of the policies is the price and the brand name the consumer sees. The underwriter determines the risk profile of a driver and a retailer takes an arranging fee or commission. So it is important to have several underwriters when comparing. That is the true test of comparison.

Each underwriter has its own formula for pricing a policy and they can vary massively. I got online quote using the same profile and found a company could be $2000 more expensive for a particular individual but be $80 cheaper for another. These swings make it vital for more than 1 underwriter when comparing.

What needs to happen is one of the larger car insurance providers such as Allianz, Suncorp, CGU, Vero, GIO, QBE, AIG need to participate and join Budget offering comparison online. At the moment the big boy companies go through brokers to sell their product and if they went online it could kill the retail broker industry. Budget however, is a South African based company and in comparison is relatively new to the market. Unlike the others, it has used the internet and website owners to get their products to market much like Suncorp, AIG and Allianz use brokers.

Unless one of the big 5 insurance companies want to join Budget and do business with online car insurance aggregators, then it may be a while until the Australian people join the US and UK and see real online competition.

Understanding Your Car Insurance Glossary of Contract Terms

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The best way to understand your car insurance policy is to become familiar with some of the terms used in your contract when signing up for a deal. It can be easy to get lost in insurance jargon and end up confused about some of the stipulations of your policy.

The car insurance glossary below lists several terms that you are likely to encounter when reading over your contract.

Cancellation Clause/Cooling off Period

The cancellation clause is an important part of your contract that gives both you and your insurer the right to cancel the policy within a short period of time after it has gone into effect. This period of time is typically around 14 days, so make sure to cancel within this time if you have any issues with the policy. If cancelled within this period, you will not need to provide any reason for why you wanted out of your policy.

Cash Surrender Value

This is the amount of money that you could get back if you cancel your insurance before the year has ended. Your contract will determine how much you can be reimbursed.

Compulsory Excess

A compulsory excess is the amount that you would have to pay if you ever make a claim. Your insurance will cover whatever is left to pay after the compulsory excess. People who are seen as a greater insurance risk will have to pay a higher compulsory excess.

Exclusion

Exclusion refers to some event that your insurer will not cover. You will not be able to make a claim if you receive any damages as a result of this stipulated event.

Geographical/Territorial Limits

These are the limits within which your car insurance will be considered valid. The typical geographical limit for your UK insurance will be within the UK. Take a look at your contract to see if you will be covered in any other countries.

Indemnity

An indemnity simply means that you have been compensated or have received reparation payments. It is when you have returned to the same state that you were in before a loss, after having your damages paid for and repaired.

Insured

This is simply a contract term that refers to the person who is being covered by the policy.

Legal Liability

Legal liability means that it is your responsibility to compensate someone after causing damages.

Partner

“Partner” is a term that may be used in your contract to refer to the person you are living with. They do not have to be married to you to be considered your partner.

Policyholder

This is another term for “insured.”

Proposer

“Proposer” is another term for both “insured” and “policyholder.” It is the person taking out insurance.

Registered Keeper

The register keeper of a vehicle has the responsibility of making sure that the car is licensed and for paying any tickets. The registered keeper, however, does not have to be the owner of the car. They just need to be the person who uses it.