The festive season is rapidly approaching, and millions of South Africans are preparing for the annual exodus to the summer holiday hotspots. Whether you are planning a long road trip through our neighbouring countries or a relaxed drive to a destination a couple of hours away, it pays to be prepared. Here are some car insurance tips to make sure your insurer will have you covered on your holiday adventures.
By Sumarie Greybe, co-founder at Naked, the AI-driven car insurance provider
Contains affiliate links
1 – Make sure the car is roadworthy
To improve road safety and ensure a hassle-free claims experience if something bad happens on the road, make sure that your car is roadworthy. Some things that you should check include:
- Ask a tyre fitment centre to check that your tread isn’t worn out.
- Check that your indicators and brake lights are working.
- Get your brake pads checked if they have not been replaced for a long time. On average, brake pads need to be replaced every 75,000 kilometres. But some brake pads need to be replaced after 25,000 kilometres.
2 – Make sure the paperwork is up to date
Your vehicle licence disc needs to be renewed once a year. Also, check that all potential drivers for your car have up-to-date driving licences. The licence needs to be renewed every five years, which includes an eye test.
3 – Get the right insurance cover for trips outside South Africa’s borders
If you’re planning to visit neighbouring countries or to go even further north, find out whether your policy covers you outside South Africa’s borders and get a letter from your insurer that you can present at the border.
Naked, for example, covers your car for a total of 90 days per year while you are travelling in the following countries: Angola, Botswana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
However, most South African policies will only cover you for damage to your own car while you are outside of our borders. You must take out separate third-party liability insurance cover when you travel outside South Africa.
This cover provides compensation if your vehicle is involved in a road accident and causes damage to another vehicle, or injury to or death of another person in another country. It can be bought from the AA.
4 – Update the policy to cover the extras
If you have added expensive accessories and extras to your car – such as a roof-rack, bulbar, xenon lights, or extra sound equipment – update your policy to ensure they are covered.
5 – Be prepared for emergencies
Keep your insurer’s roadside emergency number on hand so that you call for help if you have an accident or engine trouble. The more progressive insurers will also allow you to seek emergency assistance from their mobile app. Have a look at our list of accident dos and don’ts, so you’ll know what to do if you are unlucky enough to be in a collision.
6 – Pause your cover if your car is staying at home
With Naked’s mobile app, you can pause your accident cover on the days that you’re not driving your car. You can instantly save 50% of your premium on the days you use CoverPause. It’s a great way to save a little more money for your trip if you’re travelling, but your car is parked for days in your garage, at the airport, or even at your holiday destination.
Note: Naked is a Trusted Brand of mine. I use them myself. Brendan
Hope these car insurance tips are useful. Let me know.
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