Are Airbags Covered in Your Car Insurance Policy in India?

How Do Airbags Work?

To find the answer to 'are airbags covered in your car insurance policy?' you need to understand their working and significance in a car.

Airbags are an added security feature that inflates when a car sensor detects any movement and helps in preventing an injury or even death. It is referred to as a supplementary restraint system. The number of airbags available in a car depends upon the model and age of the car you own. However, airbags are fitted in all modern vehicles to keep a driver and passenger safe in an event of collision.

Are Airbags Covered in Car Insurance Policy?

Comprehensive car insurance financially protects your car from the loss or damage caused by accident, theft, fire, or natural calamities. Mostly, car owners do not find it enough to deal with the eventualities like natural calamities or an accident and look for add-on covers to give their car extensive coverage.

If you are the one who owns a new and expensive car, it is more prudent for you to go for adequate coverage, even if you have to pay a little more amount than usual.

Comprehensive insurance is not enough to provide the complete coverage that your car may need, and it might miss out on several crucial liabilities. Usually, it does not cover includes the damages caused due to wear and tear and ageing of your car and this is known as depreciation.

Depreciation rates are applicable on replaced parts are as follows-

1. Zero deductions on the parts made of glass in the car.
2. 30% depreciation on fiberglass components in the car.
3. 50% depreciation on the car parts made up of nylon, rubber, or plastic such as airbags, tubes, tyres, and batteries.

Yes, your comprehensive car insurance policy covers airbags, however, it is not fully covered as the depreciation rate is applicable in this car component. But by opting for zero dep cover with your comprehensive car insurance, you can get compensated for the total damage or loss without deducting the depreciation rate for up to 5 years.

Benefits of Zero Depreciation Cover

While settling your claims, your car insurer only covers the current market value of your car and not the actual price you have paid for it. If you have chosen zero dep add-on cover with your insurance policy, your insurer will pay the full amount for the depreciated parts of the car.

It helps in reducing your financial burden to almost zero without deducting any percentage on your car parts. This policy is also referred to as the bumper-to-bumper policy or nil-depreciation policy.

If you have a zero dep cover, then you can raise a claim for the total cost of replacement of airbags in case of accidental damage. Here, the depreciated value of the damaged airbags won't be deducted from the claim amount, and you don't have to pay from your own pocket.

In a Nutshell

In a car accident, usually, insurers do not compensate entirely for the damages even if it is a comprehensive plan. This is where the zero dep cover comes to rescue you from the financial commitment that might create a hole in your pocket. If you own this add-on cover, the cost of replacing the airbags will be entirely covered in a car insurance policy.