With the advent and proliferation of the internet, businesses have undergone a revolutionary change in the way they function. Retail, education, and healthcare are just a few sectors that have moved online. The insurance industry has also adapted quickly to this change.
Today, you can buy any insurance policy online from the convenience of your home and with the click of a few buttons. With so much ease, it is only natural for you to want to buy your car insurance online. This not only saves you time and effort but also reduces the likelihood of you being misinformed by a middleman.
When purchasing a car insurance online for the first time, however, you might have some questions on what to look out for. In this article, we discuss some pointers to help you buy car insurance online in the UAE.
- Understand your requirements
The first step to buying car insurance is to analyze and be aware of your requirements. Get a clear understanding of which car insurance you want to purchase – a third party liability insurance or a comprehensive one.
You must also evaluate how much coverage you need for your car. You must do so by bearing in mind the total value of the car.
- Compare multiple policies
The internet is a treasure trove of information. You must leverage its power and thoroughly explore all insurance providers in UAE before you zero down on the most appropriate one. Only when you compare and evaluate multiple policies from varied companies will you be able to make an informed decision about which suits you best.
So, compare policies from various car insurance providers, evaluate their quotes, and survey the network of cashless garages before purchasing the policy.
- Look for discounts
Often, insurance companies provide substantial discounts to their customers online because they save up on their agent commissions and overheads and are more than happy to pass on the benefit to their customers.
Before purchasing a car insurance online, do check out the lucrative discounts offered by the companies.
- Check the inclusions and exclusions carefully
When you purchase a car insurance online, the onus of reading the policy document carefully is on you. Unfortunately, you do not have any agent or middleman to clear your doubts. However, you must not assume anything and must always check with the customer support to have your queries addressed.
For instance, not all parts of your car would be covered under conventional car insurance. Similarly, in many policies, loss due to wear and tear is not included.
In short, you must read the fine print before buying a car insurance online.
- Choose only necessary add-ons
As the name suggests, an add-on feature provides you with additional features that are excluded from a conventional car insurance. Engine coverage, roadside assistance, and accident cover for passengers are a few examples of add-on features.
When purchasing car insurance online, you have the freedom to choose only those add-on facilities that you require. However, sometimes, you might either overlook a few add-ons or choose those that are not needed.
Hence, you must be cautious in choosing only those facilities that you need as additional add-ons impact the premiums.
- Do not make false declarations
When filling up information online, do not make any false declarations about the vehicle to be insured. This could result in steep penalties or cancellation of the policy itself.
- Do not hurry
The old adage of ‘Haste makes waste’ is very true, especially when you are purchasing car insurance online. It is easy to get lured by attractive online advertisements but you must do the necessary due diligence before purchasing car insurance.
- Check the claims process
Buying car insurance policies that have cumbersome processes to apply for claims is futile. You want to purchase a policy that will help you in an emergency.
Do a basic scan on the procedures to apply for claims and understand whether they are simple, hassle-free, and easy. Check on the documents that might be required and whether the insurance company would require you to do much paperwork. Also, check whether the payment is to be made through a secure link.
Further, it would help if you can automate the payment of the car premiums, a process that will never make you miss deadlines.
- Check the reputation of the insurer
Finally, you must check on how customer-centric the insurer is when purchasing car insurance. What is the claims settlement ratio? What do existing customers feel about the company? How easy is it to reach a customer service representative? These are a few questions that you must have answers to.
When buying a car insurance online, run through this checklist and you will certainly be safe.
