CAR INSURANCE GLOSSARY

Avoid deadly distractions behind the wheel

Not texting is a start, but there's more to safe driving. Here’s the bad news: Distracted driving causes thousands of accidents every year, many of them fatal. The good news? If you're driving, it's 100% preventable. You've seen them around your city or town. You may...

10 Tips to Protect Your Car’s Suspension System

Your vehicle's suspension system ensures a smooth and safe ride, protecting critical components from wear and tear. Understanding and maintaining the components of the system is essential, not just for comfort but also for the stability of the car on rough roads....

The what, why and how of a Vehicle Identification Number

If you’ve ever bought motor insurance, you’re likely to have come across the terms Vehicle Identification Number or VIN and chassis number. You must wonder why insurance companies insist on having this information. That’s because VIN is like a genetic identifier for...

What Is ORVM In Car And How Does It Work?

When you adjust the side mirrors before driving, you deal with the Outside Rear View Mirrors (ORVMs). These mirrors are essential for safe driving, helping you see what’s happening beside and behind your car. This post will discuss what ORVMs are, how they function,...

How to Track a Vehicle with GPS: A Simple Step-by-Step Guide

GPS-based vehicle tracking is today, one of the most helpful tools since it can be employed by any individual or company who wishes to keep track of their cars, trucks or any other vehicle. Thanks to today’s cheap GPS tracking devices, a vehicle owner can easily place...

How To Rebuild Your No Claims Bonus After An Accident

If you’ve had an accident, it can feel like all the good work you’ve put into building your No Claims Bonus (NCB) has gone down the drain. But here’s some good news, you can rebuild it. Your NCB in car insurance works like a reward for safe driving, and that lovely...

Safety Tips For Driving In Floods

Often when we get stuck while driving through floods we panic and force through the water. Instead you need to stay calm and follow these instructions. Situation One: Water Level Is Above Tyre Level  When water level is above the tyre level it's no use forcing...

Car Defogger and How to Use Them?

Have you ever experienced your car windows and windshield suddenly fogging up? It can be scary since poor visibility may cause a dangerous road accident. Driving in the cold or rainy seasons can often lead to foggy windows. This is a common problem, and can quickly...

How to choose the right commercial insurance policy

Unpredictability is the only predictable thing about business right now. Over the past few unprecedented data breaches, and global pandemics have all taken front stage in the insurance industry. And no business is immune.  With the range of commercial insurance...

Car Starting Problems: Reasons, Fixes, & Troubleshooting

Car starting problems are common for any car owner and are often a nuisance. Whether it's a car self-start problem or issues with the car's self-motor, understanding the underlying causes can help you address them quickly and efficiently. Common Reasons for Car Not...

What you need to know

Glossary of Car Insurance Terms and Conditions
To help vehicle owners make sense of the jargon often used in car insurance, here is a brief guide to motor insurance terminology. Act of God 
An unpreventable and unpredictable event that causes loss or damage. Insurance policies often exclude acts of God or acts of war, although they will usually cover natural disasters such as floods. Amendment 
A change made to your original policy. For example, if you increase the average distance you will be doing throughout the year or the details of the regular driver. Approved repairer
A vehicle repairer recommended by your insurance company for car repairs covered by your insurance policy. Arbitration clause 
This is a clause in your insurance policy which states that if neither you nor your insurer can agree on an ‘appropriate claim settlement’ you both hire a mutually agreed appraiser to settle the dispute. The appraiser elects an independent mediator and is neutral to both parties. A majority decision will decide the amount of the claim. Cancellation 
Ending an insurance policy before it is due to finish. Your insurer may charge you if you want to cancel your policy before it is due to end. There may be a cancellation fee to pay as well as a percentage of your premium should you cancel the policy. Your insurer can also notify you of the cancellation of the policy. Claims history 
Insurance companies will look at your claims history (how many claims you have made and what you have claimed for) when deciding on what to charge for your insurance premium or renewal premium. Your claims history provides info of the potential risk you pose as a customer. Some insurance companies won’t look to insure anyone who has previously made a claim. Comprehensive cover
The highest level of car insurance cover, which usually covers you for:

  • injuries to other people
  • damage to other people’s property
  • accidents caused by your passengers or a driver named on your policy
  • the use of a trailer, while attached to your car
  • fire damage and/or theft
  • accidental damage to your own car
  • medical expenses, up to a stated limit
  • loss of or damage to personal effects in the car, up to a stated limit

Depreciation 
Depreciation is a deduction for wear and tear of your possessions. Endorsement 
A change made to an insurance policy which becomes part of the policy. For example if you change your car, the vehicle details will be changed and your new car is insured instead of your old car. Excess
An excess is the first amount payable by you in the event of a loss, and is the uninsured portion of your loss, so when you submit a claim you’ll have to pay an excess. It usually has to be paid to the garage fixing your car once it is repaired before you can drive it away. When you have to pay an excess for damages arising from an accident, it is irrelevant who was to blame for the accident, this serves to deter customers from submitting minor claims and/or fraudulent claims, and keeping premiums down. An excess is an agreed amount of money that you the client is liable to pay in the event of a car insurance claim being settled. I.e. If your excess on your car is R3,000.00, and the damages amount to R50,000.00 the insurer will pay the remaining R47,000.00 once you the client has paid your excess to the repairer. When you are comparing car insurance online, try choosing to pay a higher excess as a way of lowering your premium. Voluntary excess is the amount you must pay towards a claim on top of your compulsory excess. The amount of voluntary excess is selected by the consumer when they take out their policy, and a higher voluntary excess usually means a lower premium. [Also view Insurance Chat] Exclusions 
Insurance companies won’t pay out for certain risks or types of loss or damage. These will be clearly set out in the terms and conditions of your policy and are known as exclusions. Fault claim 
An accident or loss where you are deemed to have caused the accident or loss, or where you or your insurance company cannot recover costs from somebody else. Some claims will always be classed as fault claims, for example when your car has been broken into and items have been stolen from it. Although you haven’t done anything wrong, there is no one to recover the cost of the stolen items from and the claim becomes a fault claim. If your car is hit while parked, by someone who cannot be traced, this counts as a fault claim. Non-fault claim
A non-fault claim is simply a claim where the insurer is able to recover all their costs from someone else. Import or imported vehicle 
Vehicles made outside South Africa and brought into South Africa. Indemnity 
This is the main principle of insurance. Insurance exists to replace something that has been lost or damaged, and an indemnity seeks to restore the insured person to the same financial position after the loss as immediately before. Insurable interest 
This applies to ownership of the insured property. To insure a private vehicle, you would have to own it and suffer a financial loss if it was damaged. You can’t for example insure your neighbour’s vehicle. As you don’t own it, there would be no loss to you if it was damaged. A finance company may have an insurable interest in a vehicle if they helped pay for the purchase. Insured value 
The total amount the insurance company will pay out for your car if it’s damaged beyond repair. This will either be the amount you stated the vehicle was worth when taking out the policy, or the current market value at the time of the claim – whichever is lower. Insurance premium 
The price insurers charge for insurance cover payable monthly or yearly. Main driver or regular driver 
The person who drives or uses the car the most is the main driver. You must tell your insurer who this is as they will take it into account when working out how much to charge you for your policy. If you make a claim and your insurer finds out the main driver or rider is not who you told them it was when you took out your insurance, they can refuse to pay your claim or cancel your policy. Material fact 
A material fact would be information that would affect an insurance company’s willingness to accept a policy, or the premium it would charge. Any information that may influence either an insurer’s decision to offer you cover or the premium they charge for it. If you leave out information which may influence a decision to offer cover, your policy may be invalidated. Modifications 
Any changes made to your vehicle that are NOT classed as factory standard and made after it was produced. This could include engine modifications, alloys, spoiler or sunroof etc. If you don’t tell your insurance company about any modification when you buy your policy, they can refuse to pay out if you make a claim or cancel your insurance. No-claims bonus 
For each year you drive without making a claim on your insurance you might get a year’s no-claims bonus, subject to a maximum. This bonus reduces the cost of your car insurance premium for the following year. This is also sometimes described as a no-claims discount. Ombudsman
The Office of the Ombudsman for Short-Term Insurance provides consumers with a free, efficient and fair dispute resolution mechanism. It offers consumers with a “no risk” mechanism to resolve disputes with insurers. Renewal 
Continuing an insurance policy once its initial term ended. For example, if you take out a 12 month policy, and then stay with the same insurer after 12 months, your policy is renewed. Risk 
In order for any insurance company to provide an insurance quote they must first evaluate the risk they are quoting for – or the likeliness of a claim being submitted. This generally means looking at the customer’s quote details and assessing them by their claims history, the cost or type of the vehicle they drive and perhaps the area they live in etc. Schedule 
This gives policy details of how much cover you have (the sum insured), the discount you qualify for (if any), the period of insurance, the premium you have to pay and the sections that apply. With some policies you may get a new schedule when you renew the policy or whenever you change any policy details. Settlement
What your insurer pays out for a claim. Also described as the insurer “settling” the claim. Stripped down policy
A budget policy which excludes some of the benefits you’d normally associate with vehicle insurance such as windscreen or stereo cover. It is designed to keep the cost of car insurance as low as possible, and may have higher excess levels to reduce the price of the policy. This is often found in policies offered by insurance aggregators. Sum insured
The amount paid out by the insurer when a claim is made on a policy. Third party 
Someone involved in a claim who is neither the policyholder nor the insurer, for example if you are in a car accident, the driver of the other car. Third party only 
Third party cover is the minimum level of car insurance cover required by law and contains no cover for damage to your vehicle. It usually covers your legal liability for:

  • injuries to other people
  • damage to other people’s property
  • accidents caused by your passengers or a driver named on your policy

Third party, fire and theft 
Third party fire and theft cover provides the same level of cover as third party cover, but protects you against damage to your vehicle from fire, or theft of the vehicle, as long as you’re not at fault. Underwriter 
An underwriter is employed by an insurance company to decide whether to accept a risk and calculate the premium to be charged. Underinsured
When the sum insured on your policy is not enough to cover the maximum possible potential loss or damage – For example insuring your car for R110,000 when the car is worth R130,000. Insurance companies will almost always scale down claims as a result. Uninsured losses
Any losses not covered by your insurance policy, such as your policy excess, any out-of-pocket expenses following an accident, eg a loss of earnings, or compensation for an injury suffered in an accident. Uninsured loss recovery
Your insurer offers you assistance in recovering your uninsured losses from a third party, where an accident is the third party’s fault. Use (class of use)
When acquiring car insurance it is important you have the right use for your car. If you have the wrong use, you may find your insurance company will not pay out on a claim. What you use your car for will have a substantial effect on your insurance premium. The different categories of vehicle use are:

  • Social, domestic & pleasure
  • Commuting
  • Business use
  • Commercial travelling

You are covered for day to day driving or riding, such as a visiting family, friends or going shopping but not to drive to work. This covers drivers for normal day-to-day driving, such as driving to visit family and friends or shopping. Covers drivers to drive back and forth to a permanent place of work. Travelling to a railway station, where the car is parked, is classed as commuting. You can use your vehicle in connection with your job, such as driving or riding to more than one place of work. Covers the car in connection with your job, such as driving to different sites away from your place of work. You can use your vehicle for things like door to door sales. Write-off 
A damaged vehicle which is not repairable, or costs more to repair than the value of the vehicle before damage occurred. Year built 
The year that the vehicle was manufactured.