Is comprehensive cover worth it?
Comprehensive is the most expensive type of cover and covers damage to your own car caused by you. The question is not whether that is pleasant, but whether the payout you can expect justifies the premium and the loss of no-claims years.
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In brief
There are three types of cover. Third-party liability is required by law under Article 2 of the Dutch Motor Insurance Liability Act (WAM) and covers only damage you cause to others with your car. Third-party liability with fire and theft adds a list of events set out in the conditions: broken glass, fire, storm, theft, a collision with an animal. Comprehensive covers on top of that damage to your own car caused by you: a bollard, a wall, a single-vehicle accident. The difference is set out at comprehensive cover.
The balance turns on three figures you can fill in yourself: the difference in premium between third-party, fire and theft and comprehensive, the excess deducted on an own-damage claim, and the amount you would actually be paid in a total loss. That last figure is not the purchase price but the market value, unless your policy still falls within a purchase value or replacement value as new arrangement. Exactly how that arrangement runs differs per insurer and is one of the most important points of comparison.
Include the indirect effect in the calculation. An own-damage claim you make yourself costs no-claims years and puts you back on the no-claims scale. That works through into your premium for years. On an older car with a low market value, the payout after the excess is sometimes hardly more than the loss of discount. On a young car, with finance or private lease, that sum almost always falls the other way. The full comparison is set out on the hub page car insurance.
This page deals with one situation. The full overview is on Compare personal liability insurance (AVP).
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What to watch in making the choice
Four factors that tip the sum faster than the difference in premium itself.
Market value or purchase price
Insurers apply different arrangements: a replacement-value-as-new arrangement during the first period after purchase, then a purchase value arrangement and ultimately market value. The length of those stages differs per company and sometimes with the age of the car when bought. That is precisely where the difference lies between two policies both called comprehensive.
The excess works both ways
A higher excess lowers the premium but raises the threshold above which claiming is worthwhile. Also watch for differing amounts: many policies have a lower or nil excess for glass repair by an approved repairer, and an increased excess for young drivers. That is set out on the policy schedule, not in the premium comparison.
A claim costs no-claims years
On a claim for which you are liable or which you make on the own-damage cover, you usually fall back several steps on the bonus-malus ladder. Some policies have no-claims protection, often at an extra cost and with a limit on the number of claims. On a small claim, first work out whether paying yourself is cheaper.
What comprehensive also does not cover
Comprehensive is not a maintenance contract. Outside the cover remain wear and tear and mechanical faults, damage caused intentionally (Article 7:952 of the Dutch Civil Code) and driving without a valid licence or under the influence. Use undeclared use such as hire, paid passenger transport or driving lessons is also excluded, as is taking part in speed events and use on a circuit.
What does your premium depend on?
- Type of cover chosen: third-party liability, third-party, fire and theft, or comprehensive cover
- List price and age of the car: both determine the repair and replacement costs
- No-claims years: determine your step on the bonus-malus ladder
- Excess: a higher excess lowers the premium
- Age of the regular driver: and whether younger drivers also drive the vehicle
- Annual mileage and where the car is kept: more kilometres and street parking increase the chance of a claim
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
What is covered
| Situation | Third-party liability with fire and theft | Comprehensive |
|---|---|---|
| You scrape a bollard in the car park while reversing | No | Yes |
| A hit-and-run driver leaves a dent in your parked car | No | Yes |
| Your car is stolen from the drive at night | Yes | Yes |
| A marten chews through the wiring under the bonnet | Provided that | Provided that |
| Your partner drives the car into a ditch while not declared as a driver | No | Provided that |
| You put petrol in a diesel car and the engine is damaged | No | No |
The rows where only comprehensive scores Yes are precisely the claims you have to weigh against the difference in premium and your no-claims years.
Frequently asked questions
This is what people ask us most.
From what age of car is comprehensive no longer worthwhile?
There is no fixed limit. It depends on the market value against the difference in premium and the excess. As the market value falls, the maximum payout gets smaller while the premium for comprehensive does not follow to the same extent. Work it out per car and include the loss of no-claims years; at a low market value that often weighs more heavily than the payout itself.
Do I have to take comprehensive with finance or private lease?
In most cases yes. Financiers and leasing companies impose own-damage cover as a condition, because they run the risk of the car disappearing while the obligation remains. With private lease the cover is usually already in the contract. Check what requirements your agreement sets as to the excess and the type of cover before you choose a cheaper variant.
Is it sensible to claim a small loss on comprehensive?
Often not. After the excess little is left, while the claim costs you several steps on the no-claims scale and that works through into your premium for years. Always ask first for an indication of the effect on your no-claims years. You do have to report it: Article 7:941 of the Dutch Civil Code requires a report, even if you decide to bear the loss yourself in the end.
Does comprehensive also cover damage with no identifiable cause?
Comprehensive covers sudden and unforeseen damage to your own car, including where you caused it yourself. That is something other than gradual deterioration: scratches that accumulated over time, rust, paint damage from wear and mechanical faults fall outside it. The insurer therefore asks about the moment and the course of events; if you cannot make those plausible, a refusal often follows.
Every situation is different. For these situations we have a separate page.
- Compare car insuranceThe main page
- Car insurance for new driversInsurance obligation, no-claims scale, clauses
- Fully comprehensive or all risksSame cover, differences in conditions ·. When to choose it
- Insuring your carThird party, own damage, additional cover
- Car insurance for young driversStarting position, regular driver, excess
- Insuring your car through SV AutosThird-party liability, own damage, no-claims years