The group chat has finally agreed on a weekend away. Your favourite outdoor market is back. Or suddenly, staying home on Saturday feels like a missed opportunity.
Spring brings plenty of reasons to get behind the wheel.
When your car helps you fit more into life, understanding your insurance deserves a spot on the preparation list.
This comprehensive car insurance checklist covers five details worth checking before heading out.
1. Can someone else share the driving?
You’ve offered the car. Your friend has offered to drive home. Before handing over the keys, check what your policy says about other drivers.
Check whether they need to be listed, whether any restrictions apply, including age restrictions, and how their age or driving experience could affect your excess.
How often they drive your car matters too. Check the requirements for someone borrowing it occasionally compared with someone driving it regularly.
“Start with how you actually use your car and who gets behind the wheel. Keeping your policy details in step with your everyday life and checking the driver conditions can help you understand how your cover applies,” says Victoria Smith, Managing Director of Stella Insurance.
2. Are your belongings covered too?
An overnight bag on the back seat doesn’t automatically mean everything inside it is insured.
Check which belongings qualify, look at the total benefit limit and the circumstances covered. Theft of your car and theft of something inside it can be treated differently.
Stella’s personal items benefit provides up to $1,000 in total for eligible belongings such as clothing, eyewear and disability or medical devices inside your car. Cover applies when these items are damaged in a covered incident or stolen along with your car, subject to an accepted claim and policy terms, conditions and exclusions.
Check those distinctions before deciding what to leave unattended in your car when you head off for that hike.
3. What excess could you actually pay?
You might remember choosing an excess when you bought your policy. Could you comfortably pay that amount now?
Your basic excess is your contribution towards certain claims. Additional excesses may apply, including those relating to the driver.
“A lower premium can be appealing, but think about what happens when you need to claim. Knowing whether you could comfortably pay the excess is just as important as knowing what comes out of your account each month,” says Victoria.
ASIC’s Moneysmart car insurance guide recommends weighing up the premium and excess together and deciding what excess you can afford. Ask your insurer what the combined amount could be for each person likely to drive.
4. Would a hire car be available after an accident?
Being without your car can affect work, appointments and everyday commitments.
Check when hire-car cover applies, how long it lasts and whether your insurer must arrange or authorise it.
Stella includes hire-car benefits after a qualifying not-at-fault accident, theft or attempted theft. Optional Hire Car – Extra provides cover after other accepted incidents, including at-fault accidents, for up to 14 days, subject to conditions.
Authorisation is required, and costs such as fuel and tolls aren’t included. Check the policy’s definition of “not-at-fault” too.
5. Have you checked roadside assistance separately?
A flat battery can bring a perfectly good outing to a standstill.
Stella Roadside Assistance is a separate product with its own terms and conditions; it doesn’t form part of the comprehensive policy. Check that your service is active, what help it provides and any towing limits.
Give the car some attention too. Consumer Affairs Victoria’s maintenance guide outlines checks for tyres, fluids and lights before a longer trip.
A little checking, then back to your plans
Review your Certificate of Insurance and work through these checks. If you’re reconsidering your level of cover, our comprehensive vs third party car insurance guide explains the key differences.
Your spring plans deserve more thought than “I’m sure that’s covered”. Take a moment to check the details, ask questions and understand your options.
See what’s included in Stella Comprehensive Car Insurance and get a quote for the roads ahead.