Motor Insurance Singapore

A No-Claim Discount (NCD) entitles you to a lower car insurance premium. The maximum NCD you can have is 50% and the lowest is 0%. Thus the discount you get depends on how high your NCD is. This is one of the ways you are rewarded for being a safe driver.

If you have not made any insurance claim in the past 1 year, your NCD will increase by 10%. The 2 tables below illustrate this:

For Private Cars:

For Commercial Vehicles and Motorcycles:

With the above in mind, it does not necessarily mean you will lose your NCD if you make an insurance claim.

In Singapore, insurers depend on a benchmark known as the Barometer of Liability Agreement (BOLA) to determine what your responsibility is for each accident you get into. As long as it is less than 20%, your NCD will not be affected.

Otherwise your NCD may drop by 30%, as illustrated in the table below:

There is a common misunderstanding about No-Claims Discount you must know about. People are often confused whether their NCD applies to them or their vehicle.

Technically, your NCD applies to you. This means whether you switch to another insurer or buy another vehicle, your NCD remains with you. Nevertheless if you own a second car, the NCD for that vehicle will have to start from 0%.

In other words, your NCD can be transferred from one insurer to another and from one car to another. But it cannot be transferred from one person to another.

(NCD also cannot be transferred from one vehicle class to another. For example, you cannot transfer your Motorcycle’s 20% NCD to your Car or vice versa.)

If you are concerned about losing your NCD in case of an accident, you can buy an NCD protector.  Most insurers only allow you to buy this rider if your NCD is at 50%. With this, even if you make an insurance claim, your NCD will not drop.

However you have to bear in mind that your NCD protector cannot be transferred from one insurer to another. This means if you want to retain your NCD at 50% after an accident, you have to renew with your existing insurer.

Finally, if you don’t own a car (or vehicle) for more than 12 months, you will lose your NCD. For example, if you sold off your car and went overseas, then bought a car again after more than 12 months, your NCD will start from 0% again.

If your car insurance renewal is near, you may find a great insurer by getting car insurance quotes from as many as 12 different car insurers. Simply take 2 minutes to fill up the form at www.motorinsurancesingapore.com and the best 3 quotes will be sent to you.

There are occasions when your NTUC car insurance may need to be cancelled before it is due. When this happens you can get back the remaining (unused) value of your policy. As such, a little knowledge on how to estimate your refund value and how to cancel your policy may be helpful.

Why Do People Cancel Their Car Insurance Policy?

The most common reason is because they have sold their car and bought a new one. In this case, the existing insurance policy will not be applicable for the new car. Therefore it has to be cancelled and a new motor insurance policy enforced.

Secondly, if the car is lost through fire or theft, or if it is damaged beyond economical repair, it has to be scrapped. When this happens, the car insurance policy will automatically lapse. The market value of your vehicle will be paid out to you and you may choose to purchase another vehicle using the compensation.

As a side note, NTUC Income will not refund any unused policy value if at least one claim was made within the policy term. (This is generally the same for other insurers too.)

Another reason why an NTUC car insurance could be cancelled is because the details provided on the application form is incorrect. As such, the policy will not be valid since it is based on erroneous information. Therefore it has to be cancelled and a new contract reinforced.

An amendment (known as an endorsement) can be passed to correct minor mistakes though. Nevertheless the premiums may not remain the same.

What’s the Procedure like?

NTUC Income may cancel a car insurance policy by giving seven days’ notice at your last known address and you must return your original Certificate of Insurance to them.

You may also initiate the cancellation by notifying them in writing or by teleconversation. You must return your original Certificate of Insurance thereafter. The cancellation will take effect from the date NTUC Income receives your original Certificate of Insurance.

How To Calculate the Premium Refund?

The formula for premium refund depends on whether you’ll take up another insurance policy with NTUC Income within the next 90 days:

(i)    If you take up another NTUC Income policy within 90 days:

Premium Refund = Premium * Unexpired Period of Insurance / Original Period of Insurance

(ii)    Otherwise:

Premium Refund = 85% of Premium * Unexpired Period of Insurance / Original Period of Insurance

If the remaining unused premium is less than the minimum sum of $25, no refund will be made.

In summary, to cancel an NTUC car insurance policy, this is what you have to do:

1.    Email or call up NTUC
2.    Send in your Certificate of Insurance
3.    Wait for the refund cheque in your mailbox