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Comprehensive insurance – is it necessary and why?
If traffic insurance is mandatory insurance that only covers damage caused to third parties (i.e. if you have caused a traffic accident, for example, traffic insurance does not compensate for damages to your own car), comprehensive insurance is a voluntary insurance that also covers damages to your car.
Casco insurance covers, for example, damage caused by a natural disaster (for example, a large tree branch fell on the car during a storm, which caused damage, or a flood occurred due to heavy rainwater). In addition to the above, comprehensive insurance covers theft and robbery.
If comprehensive insurance is taken out, you don’t have to worry about how expensive the accident will be and you don’t have to worry about the damage even in a situation where the culprit is unknown.
What should you know before taking out comprehensive insurance?
1. The case has voluntary insurance
If motor insurance is mandatory, i.e. every person must have motor insurance, then comprehensive insurance is purely optional (except for leased vehicles, where banks usually require comprehensive insurance).
2. All owners or responsible users of vehicles in the Estonian traffic register can take out comprehensive insurance
Comprehensive insurance can be concluded for cars, light trucks, trailers, buses and motorcycles registered in the Estonian traffic register. Comprehensive insurance can be concluded either by the owner of the said vehicle or by the responsible user. For example, if the car is owned by a bank, i.e. the car was purchased with a lease, then the responsible user, i.e. the lessee, can sign a comprehensive insurance contract. In the case of leased cars, taking out comprehensive insurance is usually one of the prerequisites for the lessor. However, it is recommended to have comprehensive insurance even after the end of the lease period to ensure a sense of security.
3. When taking out comprehensive insurance, you should consider which territory it should be valid for
Comprehensive insurance can be made in such a way that it is either valid only in Estonia or additionally in other (selected) countries. Therefore, if it is certain that the car will not be driven outside of Estonia, it is not reasonable to spend additionally on the additional protection of comprehensive insurance, which would be valid outside of Estonia. While from time to time there are trips abroad by car to, for example, Finland or Sweden or any other country, then you should consider extending comprehensive insurance to other countries as well.
4. You yourself can choose which package you want
Casco insurance is offered by several different companies, so it is possible to compare the packages of different service providers and their prices and find the most suitable package for you. When choosing packages, you can also use the casco calculator to help you make a decision. In the case of comprehensive insurance, it is always necessary to determine the deductible.
5. What kind of protection can comprehensive insurance cover?
Comprehensive insurance can cover various protections – for example, car assistance, the possibility of using a replacement car, glass repair and various additional protections. Below we have explained in more detail what is meant by one or another protection.
Car assistance
If you need help, for example, changing a broken tire or towing a vehicle to a repair company, you can call a car service. Sometimes it can also happen that you suddenly run out of gas or the car goes off the road and you need help to get the car running again. Forming documents in the event of a traffic accident can also be difficult, so it is good if you can get answers to questions with just one phone call.
The car assistance service is a 24/7 service, which means that help is available at any hour. Car assistance is valid in the territory specified in the comprehensive insurance contract.
Glass repair
If a nick has appeared on the windshield, you should contact a glass repair shop. It is not always necessary to replace the windshield, but it is possible to repair a cracked glass. If a chip has appeared on the glass, it is quite certain that the glass may crack. Contacting the workshop earlier can prevent a situation where visibility worsens and the entire glass needs to be replaced.
Replacement car
An additional protection offered within comprehensive insurance is the possibility of using a replacement car while the car is being repaired. A replacement car offers the opportunity to carry out daily activities in the same way as before and to get around (without having to use a taxi, Bolt or public transport). The option of using a replacement car is very convenient and worth investing in.
Additional protections
Under additional protections, different service providers may offer different additional insurances. For example, travel failure insurance, lease payment insurance, passenger accident insurance, etc. Therefore, you should be guided by your own needs and risks, and then choose the necessary additional protections. If you don’t need additional protections, there is no point in incurring additional costs for yourself.
6. You yourself can choose whether the insurance payments are monthly, quarterly, half-yearly or once a year
This choice is purely up to you, how is it most convenient to make payments and whether you want to spread the costs as monthly costs or make payments, for example, once a year.
7. A good aid is casco calculator
The comprehensive insurance calculator is a helper that helps you select and calculate the price of comprehensive insurance. You have to enter the registration number of your vehicle in the calculator and you can easily compare about eight different service providers with each other, after which it is possible to conclude the kind of comprehensive insurance contract that suits you best.
8. Asking for an insurance offer does not oblige you to conclude a contract
It is important to keep in mind that when you ask insurance offer, i.e. you make an inquiry about the price of the comprehensive insurance, then there is no obligation to conclude a contract, but you can still choose and decide calmly.
9. Comprehensive insurance does not cover normal wear and tear
It is certainly not possible to assume that normal or natural wear and aging of the vehicle would be covered by comprehensive insurance. Casco insurance is insurance that covers damages to the car.
10. Casco insurance does not cover intentionally caused damage
If damage to the vehicle has been caused intentionally or due to gross negligence, the damage caused by comprehensive insurance will not be covered. The damage is not compensated, for example, if you have kept the keys carelessly or left the car windows open or the doors unlocked and therefore the vehicle has been stolen, you have significantly exceeded the speed and as a result the damage has occurred. You should always carefully read the comprehensive insurance contract, where it is written exactly under what conditions the damages are compensated.
2024-03-06 06:46:13
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