Here’s What You Need To Know About Car Insurance in 2018 For Both Frequent And Low Mileage Drivers

Buying car insurance online can be a complicated process. There are a wide variety of insurance companies and policies to choose from. The terms and complicated jargon that you see on policy documents and which are used by representatives of insurance companies can often leave you confused.

Many Singaporeans take the easy way out. They do not give the matter much thought and simply renew their existing policies. However, it is advisable to do a little research before you pay your renewal premium.

Start doing your research here.

What should you look for in a car insurer? Obviously, cost is a major consideration. There is no point in paying hundreds of dollars extra when you are getting no real benefit. It is also useful to check regarding the procedure to be followed if your car is damaged in an accident.

Does the insurance company have a tie-up with a reliable workshop in your area? Will you have to fulfil many conditions to get your claim passed? Is it easy to get a car insurance quote online to make an informed decision?

Motor insurance from Etiqa Insurance, which is part owned by Maybank, ticks all the boxes. Etiqa’s car insurance policies are reasonably priced and provide a host of unique features that give you all the benefits that car owners truly need.

Fully customisable private car insurance

Most frequent drivers would already have an idea of the sort of coverage they would need with their car insurance, and Etiqa’s Private Car Insurance allows them to customise their car insurance coverage according to their preferences.

With a choice of a Comprehensive, Third-party Fire & Theft and Third Party Only coverage types, the Private Car Insurance has the right plan for any driver.

Here are the types of coverage offered with each option.

Get insured with Etiqa Insurance and enjoy the service from its extensive network of car workshops today.

Something for the low mileage driver

Not forgetting the low mileage driver, Etiqa also has another unique offering, its ePROTECT sMiles plan.

Etiqa has designed a car insurance policy especially for Singaporeans who use their cars only on weekends or who don’t drive regularly. If you drive your car only, say, half the distance that another car owner does, shouldn’t you pay half the insurance premium as well?

Buyers of ePROTECT sMiles do exactly that. Etiqa’s usage-based car insurance policy can save you 50% of your standard premium. The following chart illustrates the savings that you can enjoy if you opt for this policy:

Here’s how this insurance policy works. You would be eligible to drive up to 6,000 kilometres per year. This is broken up into a quarterly permitted distance of 1,500 kilometres. It’s that simple. As long as you don’t exceed these limits, your savings are assured. Even better, you receive the savings upfront and not at the end of the year.

Now let us consider a scenario where you drive more than 1,500 kilometres a quarter, or in excess of 6,000 kilometres a year. In such a situation, you would have to pay a top-up premium based on the excess distance that you drive. This amount is relatively small. For a normal mid-range vehicle, it could be about S$0.063 per kilometre.

If you use your car for an extra 500 kilometres, all that you would have to pay would be an additional S$30 or S$40. Of course, this amount may vary depending upon several factors, including your car model and whether you are entitled to No-Claim Discount (NCD). The insurance premium would also change based on your age and driving history.

A special feature of ePROTECT sMiles is that regardless of the number of kilometres that you drive, your total insurance premium will not exceed the amount that you would have paid for a standard policy. This detail is very important as it implies that ePROTECT sMiles can help reduce your premium, but it will never result in an increase in the amount that you have to pay.

If this fulfils your car insurance needs, buy it now here.

Telematics makes your journey safer

In an additional benefit, advanced telematics technology is used make your journey safer, help you consume less fuel, and provide you with a way to improve your driving skills. To use this feature, you will have to download the “Smiles” app from Google Play Store or the Apple App Store.

You will also be provided with a beacon that you will need to place on the dashboard of your car or on its centre console. The app and the beacon will track every trip that you make. At the end of each quarter, you would be billed at your base rate plus the extra kilometres that you drove.

Are your driving skills better than average? The Smiles app will give you a scientific answer based on actual data. The app tracks how smoothly you drive, the speed at which you take corners, and whether you exceed safe driving speeds.

You will receive a score that ranges from one to five for every trip. This will be accompanied by a map that shows the areas where you drove well and the stretches where you could have done better.

Interested? Get a car insurance estimate online from Etiqa Insurance in a matter of seconds. Start here.

The ePROTECT sMiles policy can give you big savings. This infographic shows that you could save almost $500 per year:

Additional benefits from Etiqa

But the cost savings are not the only benefit that you get from buying your car insurance policy from Etiqa.

Etiqa Insurance has 30 approved reporting centres/panel repairers across Singapore. This extensive network ensures that you are never very far from one. Reporting an accident or taking your car to a garage becomes very convenient. Etiqa has also established a 24-hour hotline.

Here are some of the other benefits that an Etiqa car insurance policy can provide you with:

• The flexibility to opt for any workshop of your choice.
• You will be eligible for personal accident cover that could be for a sum that is as high as S$50,000.
• Reimbursement of medical expenses of up to S$1,000.
• Windscreen cover. You only have to bear an excess of S$100. (An “excess” is the sum that you would have to pay towards repairs.)

Sign up at Etiqa’s website with your email and you would receive a 28% discount coupon for your private car insurance application or up to a 58% discount coupon for the ePROTECT sMiles. Limited to only 5 coupons per day.

Ready to buy your car insurance online? Get it from Etiqa Insurance now.

This article was written in partnership with Etiqa Insurance. All views expressed in the article are the independent opinion of ZUU. 

Etiqa Insurance has been protecting Singaporeans since 1961 with a range of general insurance solutions that constantly evolve to meet Singaporeans’ ever-changing needs. As the appointed insurer for the Housing Development Board (HDB) Fire Insurance Scheme in Singapore, Etiqa has been protecting more than 300,000 homes since 2009.

Etiqa is 69% owned by Maybank, the fourth largest banking group in Southeast Asia with more than 22 million customers worldwide in 20 countries; and 31% by Ageas, an international insurance group with 33 million customers across 16 countries and a heritage that spans over 180 years.