Car Insurance for Minor Damages: Small Repair Claim Add-on

The moment you drive your car out of the showroom, you are exposing it to risks. You might be a cautious and an experienced driver, but what about others on the road? Accidents can happen because of your fault, someone else’s fault or due to uncontrollable circumstances. Such uncertainty emphasises the importance of a car insurance policy. That too, a Comprehensive cover that offers ‘Own Damage’ insurance. There are Add-on covers as well for enhanced coverage.

Usually, car owners prefer to repair minor damages by themselves instead of raising a claim. There can be several reasons for it; for instance – accumulating No Claim Bonus. But what if you could raise a claim even for minor damages in an affordable manner without disrupting the accumulated No Claim Bonus component? This is possible with Small Repair Claim Add-on. Read ahead to know more.

Small Repair Claim Add-on for Car Insurance:

Purchasing a Comprehensive car insurance policy offers you a lot of features and benefits. One of its features is the option to buy an Add-on. This offers you the benefit of enhanced coverage or better service depending upon the chosen Add-ons. Zero Depreciation, Invoice Protection, and Roadside Assistance as popular Add-ons. Apart from these well-known Add-ons, some insurers also offer covers such as Small Repair Claim.

A Small Repair Claim Add-on will be beneficial in case you want to raise a claim for minor damages and repair your car. If you have included the Small Repair Claim Add-on in your Comprehensive car insurance policy, the insurance company will reimburse the money charged for labour and battery replacement while repairing the car. Such reimbursement will be in accordance with Add-on’s stated Sum Insured. Usually, such claims are raised for issues where there is no need for any replacement of parts – the cost incurred is for the labour, which is covered by the Add-on.

Note that this is mostly applicable for the following repair-related services offered by network garages (garages that have a tie-up with the insurance company).

• Painting

• Balancing

• Wheel Alignment

• Polishing

• Minor Denting (for non-cutting and non-welding work only)

• Opening-Fitting

• Paid service labour (as per the OEM’s recommendation)

• Brake overhaul

• Clutch overhaul

• Interior cleaning

• Anti-rust coating

• Twenty points electrical check-up

• Suspension overhaul

• Engine tuning

• Tyre rotation

• Battery replacement

• Gear-box overhaul

A great advantage of this Add-on is that raising a claim for it will not have an impact on the No Claim Bonus calculation. You can continue to benefit from the No Claim Bonus discount even after raising a Small Repair Claim. Like all other Add-ons, you will have to pay more premium to include this cover in your four-wheeler’s Comprehensive insurance policy.

Read the terms and conditions carefully before buying any Add-ons. If you have any doubts, resolve them with the insurance company’s customer care or sales executives before purchasing the policy. Understand the inclusions and exclusions in detail to avoid an unpleasant experience during claim settlement.

SRC, NCB, & NCB Protect:

To understand the functioning of the Small Repair Claim (SRC) Add-on in detail, you need to know about NCB and NCB Protect. No Claim Bonus (NCB) is a benefit. It is a discount that can be used while renewing a car insurance plan. You receive this discount if you do not raise a claim during the tenure of your vehicle’s policy. NCB Protect is an Add-on that allows you to raise a claim as well as keep your renewal discount intact.

SRC is different than NCB. SRC only pertains to reimbursement of labour and battery replacement costs incurred for small repairs whereas with NCB Protect you can raise big claims. With SRC, you can raise a claim for small repairs, which otherwise you would have paid from your pocket considering you do not have an NCB Protect Add-on.

Since SRC doesn’t affect the NCB, you have nothing to lose and can claim for minor physical damages freely. If you are worried about huge damages and keeping your NCB intact, then NCB Protect can be a better option. You can choose to buy both SRC and NCB Protect, as well.

How to Claim Car Insurance for Small Damages and Scratches:

Generally, there is no separate claim process for small dents and scratches insurance. If you have purchased the Small Repair Claim car insurance Add-on and want to claim against it, you can visit your insurance company’s website for the online claim application process or send an email for the same. You can also call the insurance company and raise a claim.

How to Buy A Small Repair Claim Add-on:

You can buy the Small Repair Claims Add-on online as well as offline if you are looking for a car insurance cover for small damages. This Add-on can be purchased online while selecting the type of plan. If you are buying it offline through an agent, via a vehicle dealer, or with the help of an insurance executive, then ask for it during the purchase process.

Steps to Purchase This Add-on From Acko:

• Step 1 – Visit www.acko.com

• Step 2 – Enter basic personal and vehicle details.

• Step 3 – Choose a plan.

• Step 4 – Select suitable Add-ons.

• Step 5 – Make the payment and download the policy. 

Features & Benefits of buying Small Repair Claims Add on along with Car Insurance:

Here are the major benefits of buying the Small Repair Claims Add-on.

• It can be purchased easily along with online car insurance.

• You will be applicable for a No Claim Bonus even if you raise a claim against this Add-on.

• Labour charges and battery replacement costs shall be reimbursed as per the Sum Insured limit for specific repairs.

Private Car Package Policy Add-on – Small Repair Claim:

You can purchase this Add-on for a privately owned vehicle.

Special Condition:

A positive condition of this Add-on is that raising a claim will not have any kind of impact on the calculation of No Claim Bonus.

Exclusions:

If the vehicle is repaired without intimating the insurance company, they can reject the claim.

Private Car Package Policy Add-on – Small Repair Claim:

This Add-on can also be purchased for passenger carrying vehicles. However, there are dedicated policies that serve cars used for commercial purposes. A private car policy will not work for a commercial car. For example, commercial policies cover in-city and outstation cabs.

Special Condition:

The condition specified for private cars is also applicable to commercial cars. Raising a claim against the Small Repair Claim Add-on for a commercial car will not reduce the No Claim Bonus.

Exclusions:

You will not be compensated monetarily under this Add-on if you repair the vehicle without informing the insurance company. Informing the insurance company about the damage and your intent to repair it is the first step in availing compensation under this Add-on.

Things to Keep in Mind While Filing a Claim:

It is not necessary to raise a claim against your Comprehensive car insurance policy for vehicle damage. Sometimes, you can repair the damages yourself and still gain an advantage. In some cases, it is in your interest to raise a claim even for small damages – in case you have a Small Repair Claim Add-on.

Read ahead to know some important points before you think of filing a car insurance claim.

1) Validity:

Always check the validity of the policy before raising a claim. If the incident for which you are raising a claim has occurred when the policy was inactive, the insurance company will reject the claim.

2) Cover:

Go through the cover in detail to understand if your policy offers insurance coverage against the incurred event or not.

3) Documents:

Keep documents such as insurance policy, First Information Report (if required), copy of the driving license, copy of registration certificate, etc. handy while applying for a claim.

4) Timeline:

You need to raise a claim as soon as possible. For example, raising a claim one month after the damage-causing incident will not be helpful.

5) Exclusions:

Driving without a valid driving license or under the influence of intoxicating substances are some of the exclusions in a car insurance policy. For example, the claim will be rejected if it is found that the driver was driving under the influence of alcohol at the time of an accident for which the claim was raised. 

6) Deductible & Depreciation:

If the damages to the car amount to Rs. 5000, you will not receive the entire amount. The claim amount will be calculated based on the Compulsory Deductible (amount paid by the policyholder) and the applicable depreciation rates. Therefore, consider these numbers before deciding to file a claim.

7) No Claim Bonus:

Examine the trade-off between the receivable claim amount and the applicable NCB discount. For example, if you are going to receive a 20% discount on renewal by not raising a claim, and the claim amount is less than that (discount amount), then you will end up losing money by raising a claim. Also, take into consideration the NCB Protect and SCR Add-ons before raising a claim.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Here are some frequently asked questions related to Add-ons and raising claims for small damages.

Does including Add-ons increase the motor insurance policy’s price?

Yes, you will have to pay an additional insurance premium if you include Add-ons in your Comprehensive policy. However, you will also receive the benefits of the purchased Add-ons, therefore make an informed decision while purchasing the Add-ons.

Can I buy the Small Repair Claim Add-on while renewing my car insurance online?

Yes, you can add and remove Add-ons while renewing your car’s insurance coverage.

Can I claim car insurance for minor repairs if I do not have the Small Repair Claim Add-on?

Yes, you can. But it might be counterproductive for you to do so. Think about Deductible, Depreciation, and Renewal Discount before raising a claim for minor repairs.

I do not want the entire Comprehensive policy’s coverage, just the Add-on. Is it possible to purchase the Add-on individually?

Add-ons cannot be purchased on a stand-alone basis. They are offered in addition to a Comprehensive vehicle insurance policy. Therefore, they are ‘Add-ons’ to a plan. Also, note that you cannot purchase Add-ons with a Third-party Liability Car Insurance plan, you need a Comprehensive cover for it.

I want to know more about the Small Repair Claim Add-on and confirm if it is beneficial for me. What should I do?

Please send an email to [email protected] with your query, our support team will help you out.

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