Important points to note when buying motor insurance cover

Insured value/sum insured
If you are buying a policy against loss/damage to your vehicle, you must ensure that your vehicle is adequately insured as it will affect the amount you can claim in the event of loss/damage. For a new vehicle, the insured value will be the purchase price while for other vehicles, the insured value is the market value of the vehicle at the point you apply for the insurance policy.


·Under-insurance –
If you insure your vehicle at a lower sum than its market value, you will be deemed as self-insured for the difference, i.e. in the event of loss/damage, you will only be partially compensated (up to the proportion of insurance) by your insurance company.

· Over-insurance –
Should you insure your vehicle at a higher sum than its market value, the maximum compensation you will receive is the market value of the vehicle as the policy owner cannot ‘profit’ from a motor insurance claim.

Duty of disclosure
You should disclose fully all material facts, including previous accidents (if any), modification to engines, etc. When in doubt as to whether a fact is relevant or not, it is best to ask your insurance company. If you fail to disclose any material fact, your insurance company may refuse to pay your claim or any claim made by a third party against you. In such cases, you are personally liable for such claims.

Price
The price you pay for your motor insurance will depend on the type of policy selected. The insurance premium charged by your insurance company is the standard minimum rate in accordance with the Motor Tariff.However, in addition to the standard minimum rate, your insurance company may impose additional premiums known as loadings to the premium payable in view of higher risk factors involved such as age of vehicle and claims experience. Loadings are governed by Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) and no insurance company may charge loadings higher than the levels permitted by BNM.

No-claim-discount
The premium payable may be reduced if you have no-claim-discount (NCD) entitlement. NCD is a ‘reward’ scheme for you if no claim was made against your policy during the preceding 12 months of policy. Different NCD rates are applicable for different classes of vehicles. For a private car, the scale of NCD ranges from 25% to 55% as provided in the policy.

Excess
Also known as a ‘deductible’. This is the amount of loss you have to bear before your insurance company will pay for the balance of your vehicle damage claim. The types of excess applicable are as follows:

·Compulsory excess of RM400 –
if your vehicle is driven by a person not named in your policy or a person named in your policy who is under the age of 21, the holder of a provisional (L) driving licence or the holder of a full driving licence of less than two years.

· Other excess –
applicable at the discretion of your insurance company and in some cases, no excess is imposed. You can negotiate with your insurance company on this excess.

Insurance cover note/policy
When you purchase a motor policy, you will usually get a cover note. You should check your personal details as well as details of vehicle, insurance and premiums. Within one month from the date of cover note issuance, you should receive:

·the Schedule which shows your name and address, details of the vehicle, the sum insured (for comprehensive and third party fire & theft policies), the period of insurance, the policy number, your NCD entitlement, premium breakdown, excess and named drivers;

·the certificate of insurance which shows your name, vehicle model, registration number and cubic capacity, period of insurance, authorised drivers and limitations of use. In some cases, this may be issued at the point of purchase in place of the cover note; and

· a motor policy which shows the terms and conditions of cover provided by your insurance company.

If you do not receive your policy within one month, you should check with your insurance company.