Finance

How to Avoid Car Inspection while Car Policy Renewal?

Car insurance policies have a validity period. In most cases, the validity period is one year. You need to renew your policy before it expires to continue receiving all the benefits accrued by you over the previous periods. Today, we are going to talk about car inspection. When an insurance company offers coverage for damages to your car, it will want to know the condition of the vehicle before you buy the policy.

Hence, it conducts an inspection process that includes:

  • A physical examination of the condition of your car. This is to ensure that you do not file a claim for any pre-existing damage.
  • Documenting any dents or damages to one or more parts along with photographs.
  • Verifying that the accessories insured actually exist.

When is car inspection mandatory?

When you buy a car insurance policy, inspection is mandatory if you are buying an own-damage cover. For third-party liability only covers, it is not required since the insurer does not cover the costs of repairing damages to your car.

The insurer will want to inspect your car under the following conditions:

  • You are buying an own-damage cover or a comprehensive policy.
  • There is a change in the policy type from third-party liability only to a comprehensive cover.
  • There is a change in the ownership of the car, and the new owner cancels the existing policy and decides to buy a new policy.
  • There is an addition of new accessories to the car, and you want them covered under the policy.
  • If you fail to renew your car insurance policy within the stipulated time and the policy lapses, then the insurer might want to inspect the vehicle before renewing your policy.

How to avoid car inspection?

Of all the times when you are mandatorily required to get your vehicle inspected, there is nothing that you can do to avoid car inspection, except ensuring that the policy is renewed in time. While sometimes insurers might insist on inspecting the car while renewing the policy, on most occasions, you can avoid the hassle of car inspection simply by renewing the policy within the stipulated time. On-time renewal of car insurance offers several other benefits too.

Benefits of renewing your car insurance on time

  • If you fail to renew your policy on time, then it becomes inactive. Since you are legally required to have an active insurance cover on your vehicle at all times, this becomes a legal offence that can attract a penalty/fine. Hence, renewing it within the prescribed time saves you a lot of legal hassle.
  • The primary benefit of a car insurance policy is protection against financial liability arising from an accident or a mishap involving your vehicle. Since a delay in renewing your policy means that the coverage stops, any accident/mishap during this period makes you financially liable to pay for any loss or damage to any third-party. Hence, renewing on time ensures that the policy does not lapse and you are always covered.
  • You can avoid the hassle of getting your vehicle inspected. A typical car inspection process involves an official visiting you, checking your car, and submitting a report which is assessed by the insurer before a policy is issued to you. Hence, renewing on time can save you this hassle.
  • Usually, policies that are renewed on time have lower premiums than those that are lapsed. Hence, on-time renewal can help you get lower premium rates.
  • Most car insurance companies like Tata AIG offer a buffer period of 90 days from the date of expiry of the policy to ensure that you can continue getting the No Claim Bonus discount. This is a cumulative discount that can go up to 50 per cent if you don’t file a claim for several policy periods. If you fail to renew your policy within this grace period of 90 days, then you stand the risk of losing out on the accumulated discount.

Hence, as you can see, renewing your policy on time offers several benefits and helps you avoid car inspection. In fact, some insurers also levy a fine for delayed renewals of policies.

Summing Up

If you want to avoid car inspection during renewal, then the only way to do it is to ensure that you renew the policy within the prescribed time. Before you buy a policy, compare car insurance online and choose an insurer and plan that offers maximum flexibility during renewals.

Remember, having active car insurance at all times is a legal requirement and also ensures uninterrupted financial protection in the event of an accident or a mishap. Also, insurers like policyholders who stick to timelines and tend to offer many benefits to them. Set a reminder and ensure that you don’t miss the renewal date. Good Luck!

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