No-Claim Discount (NCD) for Car Insurance Policies


Car 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:

Period Without Claims NCD on Renewal
1 year 10%
2 years 20%
3 years 30%
4 years 40%
5 years or more 50%

For Commercial Vehicles and Motorcycles:

Period Without Claims NCD on Renewal
1 year 10%
2 years 15%
3 years or more 20%

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:

Current NCD NCD on Renewal
50% becomes 20%
40% becomes 10%
30% or less becomes 0%

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.

NTUC Car Insurance – Should You Sign Up For The Drivo Classic Plan or The Drivo Premium Plan?


Car Insurance Singapore

There are many NTUC car insurance plans you can sign up for under NTUC Income. Thus there is bound to be a suitable motor insurance policy for you if you know what you want. The 2 most popular car insurance plans that car owners often choose are the Drivo Classic and the Drivo Premium Plan.

This article shows you what is covered in each of the motor insurance plan and which one you should go for.

Both motor insurance plans cover basic risks such as damage and loss due to fire or theft. This means that NTUC Income will compensate you if your car is burnt or gets stolen. On top of this, the insurer will pay for the repair costs needed to restore your vehicle after a collision.

Also, both insurance policies cover death or injury to third party and also compensate for damages to any property.

As a bonus, you can also replace your windscreen in case it breaks or suffer severe damage. However you are not allowed to use this benefit for chips or scratches.

Both Drivo Classic Plan and Drivo Premium Plan pays for your medical expenses incurred as a result of a car accident. You can claim up to $300 with the insurer in such cases. Also, you are entitled to claim up to $20,000 as Personal Accident compensation.

For each claim you make, an excess is applicable. The amount depends on factors such as your vehicle make and model as well as your age and driving experience. The excess will be computed along with the insurance premium so you know how much co-insurance you have to pay in the event of a claim.

On top of your policy excess, if an Unnamed Driver uses your car, he or she is subject to an Unnamed Driver Excess. Apart from this, additional excess is imposed if this authorized driver is below 27 years old or have less than 1 year’s driving experience.

If you meet with an accident bad enough such that your vehicle becomes dangerous to operate, a towing service is available to you at a moment’s notice.

What’s the Difference?

The main difference between the Classic Plan and the Premium Plan lies in the choice of workshop. The Premium plan allows you to go to your choice of workshop while the Classic Plan restricts you to its list of authorized workshops.

Some drivers will want to bring their car back to the distributor’s workshop while their car is still under the standard 3-year warranty. This is especially important if you own a continental car or if there are very few spare parts available for your particular car model.

If your car is under this category, the NTUC Drivo Premium Plan may be suitable for you. However you have to pay a little more for this flexibility. Therefore if this benefit is not essential for you, you may want to get the NTUC Drivo Classic plan instead. After all, you’ll save between 10% – 15% in premiums when you opt for this coverage.

Other than NTUC Income, reputable insurers such as AXA and Chartis (formally known as AIG) also offer reliable car insurance packages that you can rely on. To get quotes from these insurance companies as well as other recommended car insurers, check out the service at www.motorinsurancesingapore.com

Protecting Your Car With Chartis AutoPlan Car Insurance


Car Insurance Singapore

Chartis AutoPlan car insurance differs from the Chartis AutoPlus scheme in a few major ways. Even though it is more expensive than AutoPlus, the AutoPlan car insurance offers you, the car owner, added flexibility and convenience.

In order to decide which plan to take up, you’ll have to look at the main differences between these plans. Then get a feel on which one suits your needs best.

Here, I’ve highlighted some differences you may consider important:

  • Choice of Workshop

Both Chartis AutoPlan and Chartis AutoPlus insurance give you Comprehensive Coverage over your car. The key benefit of choosing AutoPlan allows you to visit any workshop for accident repair while AutoPlus does not.

This can be important for some drivers for 2 reasons.

First, you may want to visit your regular mechanic for both maintenance and repair. After all, it’s always good to know where to go and who to call when something happens. Nevertheless for car owners who are not as close to their mechanics, this may not be a significant benefit.

Secondly, your car may still be under warranty. If any hard-to-find car part is damaged, your distributor’s workshop may be able to find them faster. This is because they are likely to have a bigger inventory when compared to other workshops that do not specialize in any brands.

Fortunately, whether you opt for AutoPlus or AutoPlan, you can go back to your car agent’s affiliated workshop for repairs.

  • Personal Accident Coverage

With Chartis AutoPlan, you are paid $20,000 on top of other personal accident or life insurance plans you have, in case of death or permanent disability due to an accident while traveling in your car. What this means is you will never be overpaying for your personal accident coverage. You can claim from your car insurance plan as well as any other personal accident plans you buy.

(Contrast this to Chartis AutoPlus that offers $50,000 personal accident coverage.)

When you buy Chartis car insurance, be it AutoPlus or AutoPlan, there are different benefits you can enjoy.

For example, they have a complementary New-for-Old Replacement benefit. In case your car is damaged (beyond economical repair) and has to be scraped, Chartis will pay you the full purchase price to buy a brand new car of the same model. This is provided your vehicle is less than 12 months old from the initial registration with LTA. In other words, you get a new car for free.

Also, Chartis provides up to S$800 insurance for your car key. In the event of theft, robbery or break-in, Chartis will compensate you for the cost of replacing your vehicle lock and car key. If you need to engage a locksmith or towing services company because you left your keys locked in your car, Chartis covers this too. The only cost you have to pay is $50 for excess.