Two ways to maximise your car insurance
So, your car is in for repairs but it's going to take longer than you expected or perhaps an accident caused significant enough damage that your car has been declared a write-off...
Accidents happen and can sometimes put you in a spot of inconvenience where you find yourself without a car for an extended period of time. Are there ways that you can further enhance your car insurance for additional peace of mind?
Discovery Insure offers two ways that you really can add extra value to your car insurance plan when unforeseen events happen - both of which can help to minimise the inconvenience that can sometimes happen following an incident.
1. Car hire extender
Thirty days is a long time to be without your set of wheels, so it's good to have a car hire benefit on your car insurance plan.
A thirty-day period for car hire is included automatically on the Classic and Purple Plans and available at an additional cost for our Essential Plan clients.
What if the repair work on your car requires more than 30 days due to parts being delayed on import?
It can happen. In fact, as many as 20% of car insurance clients have a need for a longer period of time for repair work to be done.
Since repair work can sometimes take more time, the car hire extender benefit can be added to your plan - for as little as R50 per month. This covers an additional 30-days car hire, should you ever need it, giving you up to 60 days of car hire to ensure you remain mobile while your car is being repaired.
Whenever needed, a hired car will be arranged through a preferred partner contact centre and paid for as per your insurance plan criteria.
2. Write-off accelerator
A car is considered a write-off if the cost to repair the damage is greater than the value of the car or if the damaged car cannot be safely repaired such that it is roadworthy. If you are in an accident, you can submit a claim to us and we will send a qualified assessor (or adjustor) to assess the car and calculate the monetary value of the damages to the vehicle. This cost of repair is then compared to the actual value of the vehicle. If it costs more to repair the vehicle than the actual value, we will declare the vehicle a write-off or a total loss.
As per industry standards, a vehicle is automatically written off when an assessment reaches the conclusion that the cost of repair work needed would be more than 70% of its actual insured value (*not including pre-existing damage).
With our write-off accelerator benefit on your plan, you can decide to write-off your vehicle at a lower damage level. For an additional R50 a month, you can select to have your car written off at a 50% damage level. If the repair cost is assessed as 40% more than the insured level, you can opt in for an additional R75 per month.
This means that if the cost to repair your car is greater than 50% or 40% of the insured value, it will be considered as a write-off and Discovery Insure will replace your car with a similar make or model rather than repairing it.
When you consider how disruptive and inconvenient these experiences can be, having valuable additional benefits can really help to soften the impact, and make the whole experience more comfortable to get through.
Your phone can now talk to us if you can't
With Discovery Insure's panic button, your phone can talk to us if you find yourself in danger and need help fast. Press your Android smartphone's power button at least five times in quick succession to alert us if you find yourself in an emergency situation. We'll be able to track exactly where your vehicle is and send a response team to help.
Discovery Insure's Impact Alert sends help when you need it most
Wish you had the technology to call for help when you most need it? Discovery Insure's Impact Alert feature can detect when you've been in an accident. If we can't get hold of you immediately, we'll send emergency assistance to your location, while our Vehicle panic button can be used to alert emergency services when you're in your car and need help.
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