Five Crazy But Common Car Insurance Exclusions
You buy your car insurance, you glance at the policy documents, and you assume you’re covered for all eventualities where your car is stolen or damaged. Think again.
Read through your policy documents in detail. Some motor insurers will not pay out for injuries to passengers over the age of seventy-five. If your car is stolen as a result of you having been decieved into handing over your keys willingly, there is a chance that the insurer will not pay. A few insurers will not provide cover for damage inflicted on your vehicle as a result of “road rage”. If your car should be “written-off” or stolen, your insurance company will not pay out the full amount that you pais for your car, unless you have taken out gap insurance.
Every car insurance policy includes some exclusions. If your insurance company will not cover you for certain things and you only found out after the fact, this would be frustrating to say the least. Some of them are downright crazy. Five of the most crazy but common car insurance exclusions are:
1. Nuclear Fallout
If Britain was wiped out by a nuclear bomb and you managed to survive, you wouldn’t receive a pay out from your insurer for the damage caused to your car.Nuclear fallout is a standard exclusion to be found in motor insurance policies.
The same applies if your local nuclear power plant explodes and destroys your car, or if your car is contaminated by radioactive waste: you will not be compensated for the damage caused.
Currently this exclusion applies to policies bought from almost all the major motor insurance firms, including Admiral, Direct Line, Aviva, Churchill, Saga, Prudential, Sheila’s Wheels, and Co-operative Insurance to name a few.
2. UFOs
Most car insurance firms will not pay out if your car is damaged by pressure waves from aircraft travelling at or beyond the speed of sound.Sonic and supersonic UFOs may cause damage, and this is included in the exclusion.
If you are zapped by an alien laser-beam while driving on the motorway, your insurance firm is unlikely to cover your injuries or the damage to your car. This is because such aggression would be considered an act of war. Car insurance firms usually exclude cover for damage caused by war, civil war, acts of a foreign enemy, or revolution.
Currently this exclusion applies to policies bought from almost all majorcar insurance firms, including Direct Line, Aviva, Admiral, Churchill, Saga, Prudential, Sheila’s Wheels, and LV=.
3. Car Stolen by Jealous Husband or Wife
Motor insurers will not provide cover if your car is taken without your permission by any member of your household or family. Spouses or partners, children, parents and lodgers are included in this. The only exception to this rule is if you report your car as stolen to the police, and prosecute the person who took your car in court.
Most major motor insurers currently have this exclusion listed within their policies.
4. Earthquakes
Fortunately for us Brits, the UK is not prone to earthquakes or tremors. However, were the worst to happen and the ground opened up and swallowed your car, or even if a less violent earthquake shattered your windscreen, it’s probable that your insurer would refuse to pay out.
A small but significant number of car insurance firms do not cover for damage caused by earthquakes. An insurer notable for this exception is most famous for its multi-car policies. Other insurers who refuse cover for earthquakes include Saga, Prudential, and Sheila’s Wheels.
Look out for the phrase “acts of God” in your policy documents – they may not only be referring to earthquakes. Breakdown insurance can be great – just as long as you are not there because of an “act of God”, as specified by one particular ladies’ breakdown service.
5. Blind Drivers
Unsurprisingly, there is not a single insurance firm who will provide cover for drivers who can’t see. This is never stated explicitly in insurance policy documents, but insurance companies cover their backs by saying they won’t pay out for claims resulting from damage caused by “unlicensed drivers”.
No licence or insurance was no obstacle for one blind driver who got behind the wheel anyway. In 2006, 31-year-old Omed Aziz was banned from driving for three years and given a suspended jail sentence after police caught him driving on the wrong side of the road.
Most car insurance companies will include this exclusion in their policies.
How do you go about finding the insurance cover that is best for you and your vehicle?It is important to take other things into consideration than just the price. Research what’s covered and what’s excluded by each company you’re considering.Secondly, if the level of cover you require isn’t available from your household name insurance firms, consider taking out extra insurance, such as gap insurance, from a specialist insurer.
It’s not hard to find car insurance exclusions if you read the actual policy documents.
To be sure you’re not hit by a nasty surprise when you need to make a claim, make some time to read through policy documents when choosing your car insurance.Check to see if there is a policy document available for you to download.
For peace of mind, you can always choose to take out extra cover such as gap insurance, which will ensure your receive the full amount you paid for your vehicle if it’s stolen or written off. You should be aware that the exclusions mentioned may not still be in place as insurers can change these at any time. This article serves only as a general guide and is in no way to be construed as advice on any particular product choice. You should make sure that your insurer provides you with full details.
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