Road trips present the perfect opportunity to unwind and break free from the monotony of daily routines, but sometimes emergencies happen, and things don’t always go as planned.
Car accidents, electrical or mechanical breakdowns, and tyre blowouts are highly likely when you are on the road. A basic car insurance policy can only offer so much coverage in these situations, especially outside city limits.
This is where getting a car roadside assistance add-on cover with your comprehensive car insurance policy comes in handy. So let us look into what that is and how you can get one from your insurance provider before your next road trip.
How Does Car Roadside Assistance Work in Car Insurance?
Car roadside assistance is an add-on cover insurance providers offer for comprehensive car insurance policies. It offers assistance for roadside emergencies covered under your insurance policy and increases coverage.
So if you ever get into an accident or are stranded outside city limits, a roadside car assistance cover makes it easy to access garage and towing services. It also bears the emergency expenses incurred to repair your car during your trip.
For example, say you are taking a 3-day road trip outside the city, but your car breaks down on the second day, leaving you stranded in an unfamiliar area. All you need to do here is inform your insurer.
Claims Process for Emergency Road Service Coverage
● Step 1: Initiating a Claim
Your first step must be to inform your insurer of the event or emergency as soon as possible once it has occurred. You can do this using the toll-free number on the “contact us” page on your insurer’s website.
For an online car insurance policy, you can visit your insurer’s official website and their “claims processing page” to initiate your claim. An insurance agent will contact you to guide you through the claims process.
● Step 2: Car Inspection
Next, they will send an inspector to assess the extent of damage caused to your car. Answer all of the questions your insurer asks honestly and provide them with any relevant details for a smooth claims process.
If an in-person inspection is not possible due to your location, you will be asked to send photographic or video evidence of your car’s damage instead.
● Step 3: Send Your Documents
Since most insurance providers have digitised their claims process, you can scan and upload the following documents onto their official portal.
- Your filled out and signed claims form (can be downloaded from the insurer’s website).
- A written statement for raising a claim (scanned and uploaded).
- Copy of the FIR (if applicable).
- Copy of car insurance policy certificate.
- Copy of your driver’s licence.
- Other supporting documents as conveyed by your insurer.
● Step 4: Getting Your Car Repaired
Once you have informed your insurer and obtained authorisation, the last step would be to get your car repaired. This can be done at a network garage or a nearby service station.
You must pay the repair bills and submit the receipts to your insurer. Your insurer will reimburse you for the repair costs and settle your claim once your submitted documents and receipts have been verified.
Types of Roadside Car Assistance
- 1-Year Emergency Road Service Coverage: Valid for 1 year from the starting date of the car insurance policy stated in your policy certificate.
- 3-Year Emergency Road Service Coverage: Valid for 3 years from the starting date for your car insurance policy stated in your policy certificate.
What to Know Before Getting a Roadside Car Assistance Cover?
- To add this cover under the comprehensive insurance for your car, you will need to pay an additional premium amount. It is also only available for comprehensive car policies.
- Claims filed under this cover do not affect your accrued No Claim Bonus under your car insurance policy.
- You can opt for cashless repair facilities if your repairs are done at a network garage.
- The total number of claims will be limited to each coverage year. You can check for this limit within your policy wording.
- Claims that violate policy terms made under this cover will not be accepted. This can include:
- Accidents that have occurred when the driver is intoxicated.
- The driver not having a valid driver’s licence.
- The policy was not active at the time of the emergency or accident.
- The damages were a result of illegal activity.
Conclusion
A car roadside assistance cover is an excellent add-on for road trip enthusiasts. It offers financial security in case of a breakdown or a car accident in an unknown place and a smooth repair process where your insurer handles the repair costs.
Most reputed insurers, like Tata AIG, provide this as an add-on for their comprehensive car insurance policies. For example, you can opt for this coverage under their comprehensive Toyota Insurance policy to increase your coverage and as a way to protect your accrued No Claim Bonus.
