What is Motor Insurance? What is worth knowing about them?
Motor insurance – OC, AC, NNW, Assistance – check what exactly is hidden under those names, which of them as a car owner must be purchased compulsorily, and which are voluntary. We also suggest how to use them in case of a damage.
What is motor insurance?
Motor insurance is the most popular type of policy. According to the Act of 22.05.2003 on compulsory insurance, they belong to the segment of property insurance section II. It is worth knowing what kind of protection you can provide yourself as a driver, your passengers and what kind of insurance to cover your car.
The most popular motor insurance:
1. third party liability (OC) insurance
This is the only type of policy that you must purchase as a car owner, at the latest on the day of its registration. The scope of insurance is the same for all insurers and is regulated by the Act on Compulsory Insurance, UFG and PBUK. Hence, it is worth to analyze available offers and choose the cheapest one – there is no sense to overpay. We encourage you to use our online insurance calculator – within a few minutes you will get several third party insurance offers, you can compare them and decide which one to choose.
Third party insurance guarantees that the insurer will cover from your policy damages that you cause to other road users. The insurance covers property, health and life of people injured in an accident caused by your fault.
Motor Third Party Liability Insurance is an insurance that you should not forget about, because there are financial penalties for lack of insurance, and their amount is calculated depending on the type of car and the period of time without insurance coverage. Lack of OC for more than 14 days is charged the highest penalty fee – 4200 PLN for passenger cars (in 2018).
2. AC (autocasco) – motor insurance against theft and damage
This type of policy will provide you with financial compensation in case of damage or loss of your car and its equipment. It is a voluntary insurance, which, unlike MTPL, guarantees compensation directly to you as the owner of the vehicle.
AC insurance covers damage caused by:
vehicle collision, collision with people, animals or objects outside the car (e.g. hitting a building), damage to a car by third parties
fortuitous events, e.g. fire, explosion, flooding, operation of forces of nature (e.g. hurricane), operation of a thermal or chemical agent from outside the vehicle
theft of the car or its parts or equipment.
You will receive compensation from the AC policy, if someone damages your car in a parking lot, if a tree falls on it or you cause a bump.
The insurer has the right to refuse to pay the claim if he/she decides that the car theft is a result of negligence (e.g. you left the keys in the ignition), or that you caused the collision while driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The amount of AC premium is calculated by the insurer depending on the coverage you choose. You may extend your policy with e.g. glass or tire insurance.
Assistance – not only towing
Assistance is a voluntary motor insurance, most often offered by insurers as a package with OC or AC policy. It is worth to decide on it because it provides 24 h assistance in case of a car breakdown or a collision. First of all, it guarantees technical support. So you do not have to worry about towing the car to the workshop, when it suddenly fails to work in the middle of the city or on the road.
Assistance also includes medical and even legal assistance, which is available not only to the driver, but also to the passengers of the insured car. Additional services provided under Motor Assistance include
transport of the driver and passengers, including animals, payment of accommodation
covering the costs of renting a replacement car for the time of repair
supplying fuel for the vehicle (no fuel cost).
The scope of assistance that we can count on as part of assistance depends on the package that we have purchased. You should carefully study the T&C, to know what and in what situation you are guaranteed by the insurer. Before buying assistance, it is worth checking what are the limits of towing and whether you will get help only after the collision, or also in case of a car failure. It is good to know whether the scope of our assistance is only Poland or the whole Europe.
