I have motor cover, but what can I claim for?

Time to claim with dotsure.co.za car insurance?

But what if you are unsure if you can claim or not? We’re here to help!

Before you go to the website to submit that claim, here’s a breakdown of what we cover. No empty promises, no tired slogans. Why? Because we have a legacy of putting customer’s first, and it’s not just our high Hellopeter ratings that prove this. We were the first company in South Africa to offer car insurance online and we value transparency every step of the way. We are always available to explain your policy to you, or help you update it.

We cover all kinds of vehicles – passenger vehicles for private owners, light delivery vehicles for the small business owner, motorbikes for thrill seekers, caravans for chill seekers, and trailers for everything else (like that annual pilgrimage to AfrikaBurn and its harrowing drive through the tyre-bursting Tankwa Karoo?)

For now, back to the business of what you can claim for.

Know thy needs

First, ask yourself – who will be driving my vehicle? We provide cover for one regular driver (single driver), a regular driver and any other nominated driver stated on your policy schedule (nominated driver) or any person with your permission (open driver).

We also give you a choice to insure your vehicle for private or business use.

If your premium is too high, our clever Name Your Price™ feature allows you to place limitations on your cover, to keep the price just right. You can choose to limit your cover on hail claims, time of day travelled, days of the week travelled, total kilometres travelled per month or glass damage. You say what you can pay, we adjust the cover accordingly.

The list of what we cover is long, so we’ll be brief here. We are always available to give you more details by email, phone or chat. Don’t be shy!

Types of cover

Comprehensive cover – This covers any accidental loss or damage to your vehicle as a result of an insured event. Accident, theft, hi-jacking or attempted theft – we’ve got you covered.

Comprehensive cash settlement – This provides the same cover as the comprehensive cover, however here you have the option to have your claim settled in the form of a once-off cash settlement.

Third Party, Fire and Theft – This protects you from the cost of damage to someone else’s property from an accidental incident (limited to South Africa).  In addition to this, with a high crime rate, you need compassionate cover. Whether it’s fire, self-ignition, lightning or explosion, theft, hijacking or attempted theft or hi-jacking, with this box ticked, we got you.

Third party only – If you are not concerned about cover for your own vehicle, this option is just for you. This covers you for damage to third party’s property (limited to South Africa), however, loss of or damage to your own vehicle will not be covered.

Total loss – This cover is restricted to a total loss of your vehicle, insured with us. If your vehicle is stolen and not recovered, or if your vehicle is damaged and the repair cost is more than 70% if its current insured value (incl. VAT), we will pay you the insured value of your vehicle.

Additional cover

Because we aim to be a cut above the rest, we also offer the following additional cover, at no extra costs to you:

• Territorial limits – Your vehicle will be covered within the borders of not only South Africa, but also Swaziland, Lesotho, Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Zambia and Angola. Just keep in mind that South African legal and insurance principles shall apply regardless of where the claim occurs.

• Superb Sound Cover – Got six-by-nine speakers in seven places in your car? Installed an incredible new sound system for car parties? You sure paid prettily to pimp your ride. We’ll insure it so that you can sing along no matter what the song.

• Great glass damage cover– Maybe it’s because we look through glass that many tend to OVERlook windscreen and window insurance, but it can be pricey to replace quickly. We take care of this.

• Towing and storage – Stuck on the side of the road because of an accident? Give us a call and we will arrange for your vehicle to be towed to one of our approved service providers. Even if you do not call us and make use of our towing and storage facilities, we will still pay a maximum of R 1 000 towards towing costs and R 500 towards storage costs.

• Complete Key Care – Keys are not just cut these days, they’re programmed. That can be pricey to replace (especially if you lost the original) but we’ve chipped away at intelligent car cover to reduce the pain of a trip to the automotive locksmith. Or, at least, cut away at the expense! We will cover up to the amount stated in our policy schedule.

• Veterinary expenses – if your furry friend is injured during a road accident in your insured motor vehicle, we will do our part to make sure they get the necessary care as soon as possible. We will help you pay for the veterinary expenses – up to R 2 500 per pet and R 10 000 per event.

Further additional cover – (at an additional premium)

• Nice Non-standard accessories (specified) – Personalising your Peugeot? Accessorising your Audi? Adding some body work? Protect it while you admire it. We’ll cover it for loss or damage based on the item and value as stipulated in your schedule.

What’s typically excluded?

There are a few aspects which will be for your account.

Some of these include:

• Tyre and rim, springs and / or shock absorber damage;
• General wear and tear;
• Electronic or mechanical damage;
• Resultant damage;
• Loss or damage outside the territorial limits;
• Alcohol and / or substance abuse; and
• Unauthorised repairs.

How to claim? 

Right, ready to claim? Submit it online, give us a call, let us call you, or drop us a line, by:

• Logging in to (or registering) your Manage Portal account on dotsure.co.za; or
• Phoning us on 0861 dotsure (368 7873); or
• Emailing us at: u2us@dotsure.co.za (to talk) petclaims@dotsure.co.za (to talk claims); or
• Requesting a call-back.

*T&Cs apply and are obtainable by emailing u2us@dotsure.co.za. Claims decisions subject to factual merits of incident.