At one hand you hear people recommending you to buy add-ons with car insurance. But no one tells you which one suit your little old car. We have the answer.

We all know that as the car ages, the premium of add-on covers increases in proportion to the own-damage premium. Having absolute knowledge about the policy and the add-ons will help you settle your claims easily later on.

In India, as per the Motor Vehicles Act of 1988, it is mandatory that every vehicle being driven on the road be insured, whether it’s an old car or a new car. Broadly, there are two types of car insurance i.e. third-party and comprehensive car insurance. Add-ons can be loaded on to your comprehensive car insurance policy, but not all of them may be available for your car after a certain age.

Since add-ons affect your claim amount, it is important to know beforehand about the coverage available to you.

Are Add-ons Not Available For Older Cars?

What add-ons can cover your 5–year–old Santro (or any other car)?

Post comparing the car insurance policies, now that you already know which insurance plan best suits your five year old beauty, let’s see if we can insure her with some added protection. You choose what you want at a little extra cost for your car older than 5 year.

  • Passenger Cover for protecting your near and dear ones

If you are someone who travels very often with your family and especially if you have elderly or young members in your family, then this type of add-on is a must have. In case of death or permanent total disability from injuries it covers the passengers as well as the driver. However if you usually travel alone then you may choose not to buy this add-on.

  • Paid Driver cover to share the driving responsibility

Planning a weekend trip to the hill station at the same time worried about driving those extra miles and not able to enjoy with your family at the same time? The paid driver cover add-on now comes to your rescue. This add-on is helpful if the driver that you hired as per the Indians Workman Compensation Act, 1923 meets with an accident to bear for the losses incurred.

  • Electrical and Non-Electrical accessories to value the expensive supplementaries

We all know that Car Accessories enhance the beauty of your car. But, you need to get these expensive and valuable accessories insured, especially if you live in a place that is vulnerable to natural calamities. These accessories are classified as electrical and non-electrical. But, mind you not all the accessories may be covered under this add-on. This varies from insurer to insurer. Do check with your Insurer before opting this add-on for your car older than 5 years.

Are Add-ons Not Available For Older Cars?

What add-ons can cover a car less than 5 years old?

While we just saw the add-ons that cover your car older than 5 years old. Let’s now look into those add-ons that would insure your car of less than 5 year and compare the difference.

  • Zero Depreciation Cover for those bumper to bumper rides

A zero depreciation is an add-on feature that does not come along with your standard comprehensive car policy. This policy provides complete protection without considering the depreciation of your vehicle during a claim settlement. Zero Depreciation policy mainly depends upon the age of the car. Few private sector companies offer zero depreciation till 5 years of the age of the car. However there are a few public sector companies in the market like The Oriental Insurance Company who also offer zero depreciation till 10 years of the age of the car.

  • Engine Protector to avoid burning a big hole to your pocket due to repairs

As you all know that engine is the most expensive part of the car and it is indeed necessary to protect this valuable part especially during monsoons to make up for the massive repair costs. The engine protector add on is very beneficial and protects the engine against the consequential damages like damage to the gear box, water ingression and leakage of lubricating oil.

  • No-Claim Bonus Cover to reduce your car premium every claim free year

A no claim bonus is a reward given by the Insurance Company to the Insured for every claim free year. If you don’t make a claim in a year, you earn a good 20% No Claim Bonus on the first renewal of your Car Insurance policy. This discount increases gradually with every claim free year up to a maximum of 50% at the end of 5 years.

So we hope that this article was beneficial for you to understand which add-ons to go considering the age of your car and when. If you have any doubts you can always approach the Insurance Company or the online portal from whom you have purchased your car insurance policy.