What damage is covered by car insurance?
Whether a loss is paid depends on the cause. Below you can work through the events that occur in practice, with the cover that goes with each.
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In brief
Third-party, fire and theft works with a closed list: only the events set out in the conditions are covered. These are generally fire, short circuit, explosion, theft and break-in, breakage of glass, storm and falling branches, hail, collision with wild animals, flooding and damage during transport. Comprehensive cover adds one category to that which makes the biggest difference: damage caused by your own actions, such as a collision for which you are at fault, or damaging your car against a bollard.
There is a second line that is often missed. If a another party damages your car and that person is known, you recover your loss from their liability insurance. Your own own-damage cover is then not needed, although in many cases your insurer will advance the amount and then recover it itself. If the person responsible is unknown, for example a dent in a car park, it comes down to your own policy, and without own-damage cover the loss stays with you.
In a collision with an animal, its origin counts. Wild animals running onto the road are usually named in third-party, fire and theft. If the animal has escaped from a owner, that person is liable under Article 6:179 of the Dutch Civil Code and the loss runs through their insurance. The same starting point applies to every event: you report in good time, as Article 7:941 of the Dutch Civil Code requires, and you provide evidence. For theft and vandalism, a a report to the police is almost always a condition. An overview of the forms of cover is on the hub page on car insurance.
This page deals with one situation. The full overview is on Compare car insurance.
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Four events with a rule of their own
Situations in which the payment works out differently from what you would expect.
Glass damage: repair or replace
Having a chip repaired can often be done without an excess and does not count towards your no-claims years. For a replacement an excess usually does apply, and it is higher if you do not go to an approved repairer. A windscreen with cameras and sensors has to be calibratedafter fitting; check that those costs are included in the payment.
Theft and burglary
Insurers apply a waiting period before a stolen car counts as lost, and require you to hand in all keys and the proof that you reported it to the police. If there is a security clause on your policy schedule, complying with it is a condition of cover: without a working alarm or tracking system the payout can lapse.
Storm, hail and water
Damage from a fallen branch or from hail falls under third-party, fire and theft, provided the storm meets the wind force named in the conditions. Where water is concerned the position is more nuanced: flooding is often named, but driving on into a flooded underpass is seen as a choice of your own and produces engine damage that can be refused as the result of an operating error.
What is not paid for whatever the cause
Outside the cover are wear, rust, an inherent defect and mechanical failures, damage from the wrong fuel or load, and diminution in value after a proper repair. Consequential loss such as lost income, a cancelled trip or hire costs after the agreed period has ended is also not paid. Under Article 7:960 of the Dutch Civil Code a payout can never be more than the loss suffered.
What does your premium depend on?
- Type of cover chosen: the list under third-party, fire and theft as against damage caused by your own actions
- Security of the vehicle: alarm class and tracking system count for models attractive to thieves
- Where the vehicle is kept: a locked garage weighs differently from parking on the street
- Region: theft and break-in figures differ from postcode area to postcode area
- Glass repair arrangement: being directed to an approved repairer brings the premium down
- Claims history: the number and type of earlier claims on this policy
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
What is covered on an electric car?
| Situation | Third-party, fire and theft | Comprehensive |
|---|---|---|
| Your charging cable is pulled out of the public charging point and taken | Provided that | Yes |
| A short circuit while charging damages the car's on-board charger | Provided that | Yes |
| You drive off while the cable is still attached and damage the charging flap | No | Yes |
| A fire in a car park reaches your car | Yes | Yes |
| After four years the battery gives noticeably less range | No | No |
| You are stranded at the side of the motorway with a flat battery | No | No |
Loss of battery capacity is ageing and not damage. The manufacturer's warranty applies to that, not your policy.
Frequently asked questions
This is what people ask us most.
Someone has damaged my parked car and driven off. What now?
Report it to the police and to your insurer. If you have comprehensive cover, the loss is paid less the excess; whether this costs you no-claims years differs from company to company. Without own-damage cover the loss stays with you, unless the person responsible is identified after all through camera footage or witnesses.
Is damage to the underside of the car covered?
If it arises from an identifiable event, such as hitting a kerb or an obstacle on the road, that falls under comprehensive cover. If it is gradual deterioration, rust or defects arising from normal use, there is no cover. The assessor looks at the appearance of the damage and how old it is.
Is damage to the battery of an electric car paid for?
Damage from a covered event, such as a collision or a fire, falls under own-damage cover. Loss of capacity through ageing is wear and is therefore excluded, and a defect in the battery itself is a warranty matter with the manufacturer. Where the battery is leased, check who owns it; see the page on the electric car insurance.
Does every reported loss count towards my no-claims years?
No. Glass damage, theft, fire and damage from natural forces do not count with most companies, because you had no influence over them. An at-fault claim does, as does a loss your insurer pays with no possibility of recovery. Ask beforehand how the event in question will be recorded before you decide to claim.
Every situation is different. For these situations we have a separate page.
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