Best Car Insurance Companies In India 2022

List of Best Car Insurance Companies in India

Here is a list of top car insurance companies in India with the number of network garages, and Incurred claim ratio.

Disclaimer: *Policybazaar Insurance Brokers Private Limited does not endorse, rate or recommend any particular insurer or insurance product offered by an insurer.

How to Choose the Best Car Insurance Company in India?

You can shortlist the Best Car Insurance Companies in India by comparing different car insurers online based on various criteria such as their Claim Settlement Ratio (CSR), policy coverages, premiums, number of cashless garages, etc.

• Analysing Car Insurance Needs – Before you choose a car insurance company, you need to analyse your car insurance needs. You must know the level of coverage you are looking for as well as any specific add-ons that you want to buy. You should also be clear about the Insured Declared Value (IDV) of the car that you wish to get. Moreover, you should also be aware of the maximum premium that you can afford to pay for the policy.
• Authenticity of the Motor Insurance Company – Now that you know your car insurance needs, you need to find authentic motor insurance companies in the market. You can check the authenticity of a car insurance company by checking its IRDA Registration Number. IRDA is the regulatory authority for insurance companies in India and It grants registration numbers to only genuine insurance providers.
• Financial Ability of the Company – Besides checking the authenticity of the car insurance company, you must also check its financial standing. This will help you to understand the financial stability of the company and determine how likely it is to pay you the claim amount in the need of the hour. You can determine the financial stability of the company by going through its annual financial records and checking its solvency ratio.
• Third-Party Liability Coverage: Third-party Liability coverage ensures the protection of the car owner against any financial liability that could be because of any bodily injury, death, and damage repair cost of a third-party.
• Review Add-on Covers: It is always recommended to pay adequate attention to all the add-on covers so that you can pick out the top car insurance policy in India with additional benefits. These add-on covers are necessary to get an enhanced car insurance protection. Some essential add-on covers include Engine Protect Cover, Zero Dep Cover, Roadside Assistance Cover, etc.
• Claim Settlement Ratio – Before moving ahead, you must check the claim settlement ratio (CSR) and incurred claim ratio (ICR) of the car insurance company. CSR refers to the total percentage of claims settled by the insurance company. On the other hand, ICR refers to the total percentage of premium utilised by the insurance company against the total amount of premiums collected. You should look for a company with a higher CSR and ICR as it depicts a lesser chance of your claims getting rejected by the insurer.
• Cashless Garage Network – Next, you should find out about the network of cashless garages available with the car insurance company. Cashless garages are the approved garages of the insurance company where you can get your car repaired on a cashless basis. A company with a larger cashless garage network is better as it ensures that you have a higher probability of finding a cashless garage in your city or neighbourhood.
• Online Comparisons –If you compare car insurance policies from different motor insurers online, you will be able to analyse their scope of coverage, premium rates as well as the add-on covers. The ideal insurance company will provide you with maximum coverage without making you pay an exceptionally high premium price.
• Customer Reviews – It is always better to check the customer reviews of various motor insurance companies before choosing any one of them. You must choose a car insurance company that has more positive customer reviews than negative ones.

Factors Affecting Your Car Insurance Premium

The list of top factors that affect your car insurance premiums are categorized as under:

• Make, model & Type - The model of your car, cubic capacity, fuel type etc. are a few parameters that determine the car insurance premiums. Some cars such as commercial cars and SUVsoften require higher premiums since their maintenance cost is high. Usually, diesel cars have a 10-15% higher premium than petrol vehicles.
• Geographical Location- This is based on the registration area. Generally, the premiums are higher if the owner of the car lives in an urban, densely populated area, or near highways. If theft or loss of the vehicle is higher in the area where you reside, then the car insurance premium also goes up.
• Age/Profession of the Driver- The profession and age of the driver are taken into consideration. In the case of multiple drivers of the car, you have to pay higher premium.
• No Claim Bonus (NCB)- If you are a responsible driver, and you haven't filed any claim during the policy term, then you get the advantage of the No Claim Bonus (NCB). If you don't register any auto insurance claim for a year, then your car insurer rewards you with a No Claim Bonus at the time of policy renewal. 
• Claim Settlement Ratio (CSR)- Claim Settlement Ratio is the number of claims an insurer has settled till date. An average of 85% is considered good enough. You can easily find the Claim Settlement Ratio of various insurers on the website of IRDA, Policybazaar.com or on the Insurer’s official website.

Types of Car Insurance Policies In India

In India, there are three types of car insurance policies available for the car owners. They are explained in detail below:

Comprehensive Car Insurance

A comprehensive car insurance policy provides complete protection to the insured car. It protects the car from all kinds of unforeseen risks resulting from fire, accidents, theft, vandalism, natural disasters and manmade disasters. It also covers any third-party accidental liabilities that the policyholder is legally bound to pay.

Moreover, this type of insurance also provides personal accident cover to the owner-driver of the insured car.

Third Party Liability Car Insurance

A third-party liability car insurance policy protects against any third-party liabilities of the policyholder arising out of accidental bodily injuries, disability, death or property damages to a third party. This type of insurance does not cover any loss or damages suffered by the insured car or its driver.

Having a third-party car insurance policy is mandatory as per the motor laws of India. Thus, you must at least have this four-wheeler insurance cover to legally drive in India.

Standalone Own Damage Car Insurance

A standalone own damage car insurance policy is provided by almost all car insurance companies. It provides coverage for only the own damages sustained by the insured car. It covers any loss or damages caused to the insured four-wheeler due to unfortunate events, such as fire, natural disasters, theft, accidents and manmade calamities.

This type of car insurance plan is available only if the car owner already has a third-party car insurance policy for the insured vehicle. Since 2019, insurance companies have also started offering Bundled car insurance policy for brand new cars. This car insurance policy offers 3-year third party plus 1-year own damages cover to car owners.

Difference Between the Types of Car Insurance Policy in India

Insurance companies mostly offer three types of car insurance policy. Each plan provides a different kind of coverage to the policyholder. Let us tell you the difference between the third-party liability insurance, standalone own damage insurance, comprehensive insurance and zero depreciation insurance: