Know About Outstation Emergency Cover in Car Insurance

Travelling outstation for a long weekend is one of the best respites from your daily life. The thought of finally taking a break and going on long drives with family and friends is exciting. But things do not always go how you plan. You might face unwanted situations while travelling to an unknown place, such as a car accident. To get timely emergency assistance in such situations, you can buy an outstation emergency cover as an add-on under your comprehensive car insurance policy.

Read more

How Outstation Emergency Cover in Car Insurance Works?

The outstation emergency cover is an add-on cover that provides you with emergency assistance when you meet with a road accident or your car breakdowns while travelling outstation. With the help of this cover, your insurer will assist you in obtaining car repair services during a roadside emergency as per the terms and conditions of your car insurance policy. They will also bear the emergency expenses incurred on repairing your car during an outstation trip. All you need to do is raise a claim with your insurer.

Let's understand this better with the given scenario. Mr. X went on a 4-day trip with his family outside the city. While driving, he met with an accident and suffered minor injuries. But the car was damaged adversely. So, he informed his insurer and sent his car for repairs. Once he got his car back, he raised a claim against the outstation emergency cover, which he had bought as an add-on cover with his car insurance policy. Eventually, he received a reimbursement for the amount that he had spent on the repair of his car.

Since emergency assistance cover is an add-on cover, it is only available under comprehensive car insurance plans and excluded under third party car insurance. Moreover, you need to purchase it by paying an additional premium while buying or renewing the policy.

Claim Process for Outstation Emergency Cover in Car Insurance 

The steps for raising a claim against the emergency assistance cover are as follows:

Step 1: Claim Intimation

You must inform your insurer about the incident as soon as possible. Your customer relationship manager will guide you with the exact claim process. Follow their instructions so that you can easily file a claim on time.

Step 2: Car Inspection

Your motor insurance company will send an inspector to assess the level of damages sustained by your car. Answer all the questions asked by the inspector honestly and cooperate with him/her. 

Step 3: Documents Submission

There are some documents that you are required to submit for claim settlement. The following is the list of documents- 

1. A duly filled claim form
2. A written application for raising a claim
3. Copy of an FIR, if applicable
4. Copy of your car insurance policy
5. Copy of your driving license
6. Any other supporting documents as conveyed by your customer relationship manager.

Step 4: Car Repair

Allow your car to be repaired at a garage. Once the car has been repaired, pay the bill amount in case of reimbursement claim and take your car home. Submit the repair bill and payment receipt to the insurer.

Once the documentation process is successful, your insurance company will scrutinize all the documents and a claim settlement will take place.

Special Conditions Applicable to Outstation Emergency Cover

Here are some special conditions under which the outstation emergency add-on cover will be effective-

• This cover will be claimable if the time required to get the car fixed and repaired exceeds 12 hours.
• The add-on cover is only applicable if the emergency takes place outside a radius of 100 kilometres from your residence.
• The claims made under the outstation emergency assistance cover do not affect the No Claim Bonus (NCB) cycle.
• The total number of claims admissible under this add-on is restricted for a policy year and can be checked by going through the policy documents. 

Types of Outstation Emergency Cover in Car Insurance

Your emergency assistance cover for road trips should be effective and customized based on your requirements. There are two types of emergency assistance cover that you can buy under your comprehensive car insurance policy. They are as follows-

1. 1 Year Outstation Emergency Cover - This type of emergency assistance cover is valid for a period of 1 year from the car insurance policy commencement date.
2. 3 Years Outstation Emergency Cover - This type of emergency assistance cover is valid for three years from the date of commencement of the car insurance policy.

Benefits of Outstation Emergency Cover in Car Insurance

The outstation emergency cover will help you save a significant amount of money if an unforeseen incident occurs with your car while driving outside the city. Take a look at the following benefits of purchasing an emergency assistance cover with your comprehensive car insurance policy-

1. Financial Security

The outstation emergency cover offers financial security in case of a car accident when you are in an unknown place. All you need to do is get in touch with your insurer and fulfil the formalities of raising a claim. After getting the details of the incident and the required documents, your insurer will reimburse the car repair amount at the time of claim settlement. 

2. Smooth Repair Process

In India, most motor insurance companies have a tie-up with a large number of network garages across the country. A network garage is a car repair workshop where you can avail cashless repair facility. Under this add-on cover, you can take your car for repair and raise a cashless claim even when you are away from your city.

3. Peace of Mind

Facing an emergency when you are in an unknown place can be a scary situation. It can get very stressful if you have no idea where you will find a garage while driving outstation. This add-on cover, thus, provides you with peace of mind and allows you to enjoy your journey with fewer worries. 

Final Thoughts

Make your weekends thrilling & exciting and go on a road trip with your friends & family. Ensure that you have good car insurance with essential add-ons like an outstation emergency cover for a carefree drive and an enjoyable trip.