The fear of the unavailability of tickets makes it necessary to plan holidays in advance. But what happens when you decide on the spur of the moment, and there are no tickets available? Cancel out? Surely not! One excellent option is to drive down and explore the beautiful scenic wonders, towns and cities on your way to your destination. Driving down is thrilling, spontaneous and flexible, and if you feel like overstaying, you don't have to work about ticket cancellation and losing money. But before you start, top your comprehensive 4-wheeler insurance policy with an outstation emergency coverage.
The journey may not be consistently smooth. There could be flat tyres, accidents, breakdowns, and injury to the driver and passengers. Travellers will need medical treatment, a garage and money to tide over the crisis. And that's where four-wheeler Insurance outstation emergency coverage can help. So, if you want to know about this coverage in detail, this post is for you.
How does an Outstation Emergency Car Insurance Coverage Work?
Suppose the insured meets with an accident or the vehicle breaks down when they are out of the station; they can raise a claim for the emergency expenses. The insurer will shield the insured against damages to the vehicle in any of the situations mentioned above.
For instance, Saira was travelling with her family to Goa when the car met with an accident. There was damage to her car and injury to Saira. Thankfully, it was within city limits, so she and her family could receive timely medical treatment, and the car got moved to the garage for repairs.
When Saira left the hospital, her car was repaired. She paid her bills and raised a claim for the repair amount. As the claim was against the outstation emergency car insurance cover, she received total compensation for the repair amount.
Outstation Emergency Coverage Types
A driver with a comprehensive four-wheeler insurance policy or a standalone own damage four wheeler policy can opt for the following types of outstation Emergency covers.
One-year Outstation Emergency Four-wheeler Insurance Cover
This outstation emergency cover is valid only for a year, and the insured will have to renew it after a year.
Three-year Outstation Emergency 4-wheeler Insurance Cover
The validity of this cover begins with the car insurance company's commencement date and ends within three years from that date.
Outstation Emergency Four-wheeler Insurance Cover–Features
The outstation emergency four-wheeler insurance cover is necessary for people who take road trips. The following are its features:
The Need for Comprehensive Car Insurance
Although all drivers must buy a 3rd party car insurance in compliance with the Motor Vehicle Act, 1988, they cannot access the outstation emergency 4-wheeler insurance through it. They will have to buy a comprehensive car insurance policy or a standalone own damage policy and add the outstation emergency four-wheeler insurance cover. But as the standalone policy does not come with a mandatory third-party car insurance cover that a comprehensive policy has, it is advised to buy the latter.
Costs not Included in the Comprehensive 4-wheeler insurance Policy
The outstation emergency car insurance cover is an add-on and not included in the base comprehensive four-wheeler insurance policy. The buyer must add it to the standard auto insurance policy for an additional premium.
Location of the Emergency
The outstation emergency cover is a shield against liabilities arising from car breakdowns or accidents only if the incident leading to the emergency occurred at a minimum 100km radius from the insured's registered address, as stated on their car insurance policy.
Limited Claims
The insured cannot file multiple claims against the outstation emergency four-wheeler insurance cover within one financial year.
Special Benefit
When the insured raise a claim against their 4-wheeler insurance policy, it affects the no-claim bonus(NCB). However, the NCB remains unaffected despite a settlement against the outstation emergency cover.
Validity Period
The validity period of the cover ranges from 1 to 3 years, depending on the purchase decision of the insured while buying the car insurance policy.
Read more - 4 Questions to Ask Before Buying a Car Insurance Policy
Repair Time
The insured vehicle requires more than 12 hours of repair time.
How to Raise a Claim Against Outstation Emergency Cover?
The insured can file a claim for expenses incurred to repair the four-wheeler in an accident or break down during a road trip 100 km or more away from his registered residential address as follows:
- As soon as possible, the insured must call the insurance provider and inform it about the emergency need for the insured car repairs and the reason why it needs repairs.
- The insured must ask the customer service team to guide them in filing the claim.
- The insured must provide all details of the accident– time & location of the accident, and the damage to the vehicle, as applicable under the car insurance plan, to the survey inspector. The inspector will inspect the vehicle on behalf of the insurance provider.
- Submit the relevant documents (check the next section for the list of outstation emergency claim documents).
- Send the car for repairs to a cashless garage for a cashless four-wheeler insurance claim.
- If there is no cashless garage near the accident site, the insured can repair the car at any garage and pay for it and claim reimbursement from the insurance company.
- The insurer will verify the claim and the documents and, if satisfied, process the claim.
- The insurer will then reimburse the repair amount.
Read more - 11 Mistakes You Should not Make When Filing a Car Insurance Claim
List of Documents to Submit for Outstation Emergency Car Insurance Claim
The insured must submit documents to validate the outstation emergency four-wheeler insurance claim. They are as follows:
- The insured must submit a claim form with the relevant details.
- The claimant must also submit a claim application in writing.
- If it is an accident, the insured must file an FIR and attach a copy of the same.
- The duplicate copy of the car insurance policy.
- A copy of the insured's driving licence.
- Check the car insurance policy to see if the insurer requires other documents.
Conclusion
When the insured is in an unfamiliar locality, and their vehicle has met with an accident or is broken down, the outstation emergency works as a lifeline providing the necessary financial support to repair the car and help restart the journey.
The insured can increase their car's comfort and protection by adding more relevant add-ons. Road assistance car insurance add on cover is one such cover that works well with the outstation emergency car insurance, for the insured will only need to call, and assistance will arrive to move his vehicle to the garage.
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