AXA car insurance and Chartis car insurance are 2 very popular products in the market. In fact, when you buy a new car it will most probably be insured with an insurance plan from either of these insurance companies. As such car owners will definitely have heard of these names. But not many of them know which insurer they should choose after the first year of car ownership.

Here are some points that highlight the difference between AXA car insurance and Chartis car insurance. As you go through each point, decide whether it is really important for you. Then you can have an idea which insurer suits you best.

Windscreen Coverage

Quite often, specks of gravel can be dislodged from tyres of trucks in front of you. And as they hit your windscreen surface at great speed, the very top layer of the glass surface may weaken at the point of impact. Given time, internal fracture of the glass can happen. Eventually this can result in windscreen breakage.

With windscreen coverage, you can replace the damaged glass simply by visiting any AXA or Chartis appointed workshops. For Chartis, an excess of $100 + GST is required. For AXA, the excess is $0 and you can enjoy free reinstatement of coverage.

Loss of Use Benefit

In Singapore, cars are expensive and many families own only 1 car. In case your vehicle needs to be in the workshop for accident repair, transportation can become quite a problem for everybody.

For Chartis, a courtesy car is provided to ease this inconvenience. You have a maximum of 10 days to enjoy this benefit. For AXA, they give you a cash allowance of $50 per day. Thus you can have the flexibility to arrange for your preferred type of transportation. Nevertheless your vehicle needs to be in the workshop for at least 4 days and the maximum payout is $250.

Personal Accident Benefit

Personal accident benefit is now pretty much a standard coverage for any comprehensive car insurance policies. For Chartis, the payout is $50,000 for the insured and $10,000 for the passengers. Under AXA, the compensation is $30,000 for the insured only. And if you want to extend this benefit to your passengers, additional premium is required.

Towing Service

Towing service is a necessity. Sometimes vehicles become unsafe for operation after an accident. Under both AXA insurance and Chartis insurance, towing is free of charge. All you have to do is call up the accident hotline and get the officer-in-charge to arrange for you.

Medical Reimbursement Benefit

Even though medical reimbursement benefits may be small under any type of car insurance policies, they are certainly useful. If you have tons of accident-related bills to pay, you’ll be very thankful someone is paying for the medical related expenses. For Chartis, you can claim up to $300 for you & your passengers. With AXA, the maximum payout is $500 for you & your passengers.

Waiver of Excess

Having a waiver of excess benefit is like icing on the cake. In case you need to make a claim, the upfront amount you have to pay is reduced. Under Chartis, this benefit only applies when you carry out your repair at any of their authorized workshops. If you are a 50% NCD holder, your excess can be waived by $600. Otherwise your excess is reduced by $300.

For AXA, your basic excess is waived off totally as long as you are a 50% NCD holder. Otherwise half of your excess can be waived.

Distributor Workshop Benefit

If your car is still under the 3-year warranty, this may be something you want to pay attention to. Under Chartis, you are allowed to bring your vehicle back to any of the distributor workshops if your car is still under the 3-year warranty. (* This does not apply for parallel imported cars.)

With AXA, you have to visit any of their authorised workshops for accident repair. If you want to go back to your distributor workshop, then you may have to upgrade your policy to an any-workshop plan.

Payment

This is a small yet important detail. Chartis accepts cash, cheque and credit card. Installment payment is also accepted if you have a credit card with DBS, POSB or UOB. For AXA, you can likewise pay by cash, cheque or credit card. And their installment plan is similar – for DBS, POSB or UOB credit card holders only.

Adding Named Driver

You do not have to add your named drivers under Chartis. This is because authorised drivers are automatically considered named drivers. And they enjoy the same excess as you. If you want to add a named driver into your AXA car insurance policy, you may be required to pay additional premium.

Third Party Compensation

The above points list the benefits that you as the insured as enjoy. However there is also another aspect of motor insurance – to protect you from third party liabilities as a result of damage to other people’s vehicles or property, bodily injury or even death. Both AXA car insurance and Chartis car insurance cover these aspects. Moreover it is a legal requirement for any car owner in Singapore to have at least such insurance coverage.

Other Differences

AXA launched an MPV scheme that rewards MPV owners with additional discount. Likewise for off-peak car (OPC) owners, they can enjoy a special discounted rate. As for Chartis, you can customize your insurance policy a little by imposing an age condition. This can help to reduce the premium a little.

Reputation & Service Standard

AXA insurance and Chartis insurance are 2 of the largest insurers in Singapore. Their reputation and reliability are top-notch. Also, if you want to get anything done, their customer service is often helpful enough to guide you. Yet due to their size, you may find it a little difficult to get through their customer service hotlines during peak hours. Thus it is often easier to go through your car insurance specialist if you need any help.

And as far as their accident hotline is concerned, it is easy to get through and the person on duty is trained to lead you to the nearest reporting center and a relevant workshop.

With the above comparison between AXA car insurance and Chartis car insurance in mind, hopefully you have a clue as to which insurer you want to go for by now.

The AXA premium workshop car insurance plan offers customers a bundle of benefits. Also, it is 15% cheaper than its any-workshop counterpart. Here, you will discover what is included in this plan and who should go for this AXA insurance package.

To start off, let’s take a look at what the benefits are…

Choice of Workshop

Under AXA’s premium workshop car insurance scheme, you have an array of workshops to visit for accident repairs. AXA insurance has qualified these workshops to ensure quality. Also, these workshops have to make sure repair estimates are accurate and repair costs are truthfully reported.

This means your insurance claim will not be inflated beyond what is required to restore your car to its original state. As such, your renewal premium with AXA will be kept at a minimum.

Warranty for Repairs

After any sort of repairs, car owners are usually quite worried about the durability of the spare parts used. With AXA insurance, you can enjoy a 9-month warranty on the repairs carried out by any of the AXA premium workshops.

The mechanics will ensure proper automobile parts are used. Nevertheless it is a good habit for you to emphasize to them that you want them to use only original parts.

Loss of Use Benefit

It can be quite inconvenient to be without your vehicle while your car is being repaired. Thus AXA pay you transport allowance of $50 per day to facilitate your daily commute. Yet the repair must take at least 4 days before you can claim under this benefit.

Waiver of Excess

If you have 50% NCD, your original excess will be fully waived. This means you do not have to spend a single cent for your car to get repaired. And if your NCD is below 50%, half of your excess will be waived off. In the end, the amount you have to pay is meager. For AXA insurance, the excess is usually lower than other insurers. And with this benefit, there is no reason to worry too much about excess anymore.

Repatriation of Vehicle

Sometimes you may need to use your car outside Singapore. You may end up in huge inconvenience in case you get into any sort of accident. Therefore AXA will arrange a suitable transport for you (and your passengers) to return to Singapore. On top of this, AXA will arrange someone to tow your car back to Singapore for repair.

Nevertheless there is a condition to this benefit. Your car must be immobilized for more than 48 hours following an accident or a breakdown. Also, there is a cap of $200 per person and $1,000 for the vehicle to be sent back to Singapore.

Coverage of Personal Effects

In case any personal effects are damaged as a result of an accident or robbery, AXA insurance will repair or replace these items. Or AXA may choose to compensate in cash according to whatever was damaged. Nevertheless some items are not covered. And the total payout for this benefit is capped at $3,000. For more details please refer to an AXA car insurance policy wording.

Young and Inexperienced Driver Excess

Other than yourself, there may be someone else using your car on a regular basis. And they may fall under the Young and Inexperienced Driver category. The standard excess they will have to pay is $5,000. Under this AXA car insurance plan, their excess is reduced to $2,500.

Personal Accident Benefit

The personal accident benefit of any car insurance policy is not as comprehensive as a standalone personal accident insurance. However what you get is by no means shallow. Here is a summary of what you can expect:

Death:  $30,000
Loss of Sight in One Eye – $10,000
Loss of Sight in Both Eyes – $30,000
Loss of Both Hands: $30,000
Loss of One Hand: $10,000
Both Feet: $30,000
One Foot: $10,000
Loss of One Hand and One Foot: $30,000
Loss of Sight and Severance of Hand/Foot: $30,000

Other than the above benefits, the standard mandatory insurance for third party compensation is covered. If you want to include optional benefits like Voluntary Excess, NCD protection, insurance for car accessories, et cetera, your car insurance premium may be adjusted.

This type of AXA car insurance (premium workshop plan) is ideal for car owners whose vehicles are more than 3 years old. So if your car is still under the manufacturer’s 3-year warranty, it will be good for you to get an Any Workshop plan so you have a choice to visit the distributor workshop for any accident repair.

Otherwise this car insurance plan is good for anyone who requires quality and assurance from one of the most reputable insurers in Singapore.

AXA insurance offers different type of car insurance plans you can use to protect your vehicle. Here, you can discover which plan is most suitable for you. Also, you will learn about different options that can help you customize your car insurance policy to suit your needs.

Like most other insurers, AXA insurance offers 3 types of car insurance policy – Comprehensive coverage, Third Party Fire & Theft as well as Third Party Only insurance.

Among these, comprehensive coverage is the most well-liked. This is because apart from the standard legal liability (Third Party Only) coverage, AXA insurance also pays for accidental damages to your car.

For Third Party Only (TPO) insurance, AXA compensates for the death or bodily injury to others. Also any loss or damage to other people’s property will be compensated. On top of this, if you require a lawyer to fend for you, your legal costs and expenses may be taken care of.

AXA’s Third Party Fire & Theft (TPFT) covers a little more than this. Adding onto the Third Party Only scope of coverage, AXA will pay you the market value of your vehicle in case you lose your vehicle accidentally or it gets destroyed by fire. Also, if it is stolen, AXA insurance will write you a cheque for the value of your vehicle.

As an added bonus, AXA can also replace your vehicle accessories and spare parts. And in case you need towing service, AXA insurance will cover this as well. However these are on the condition that the loss is due to fire or theft.

AXA Comprehensive Car Insurance is one of the most popular motor insurance plans in Singapore. It covers a comprehensive array of benefits that car owners need. In summary, here is what AXA insurance offers to car owners who are considering an authorized workshop package:

Own Damage

-    Repair or replacement of any part of your car or its accessories
-    Free towing of vehicle to an authorized workshop for accident repair
-    Compensation at full market value if car is destroyed or is beyond economical repair
-    Free windscreen coverage with zero-dollar excess and free unlimited reinstatement
-    AXA pays you $50 per day when your car being repaired beyond 4 days, up to a maximum or $250 per accident

Third Party

-    AXA pays off your liabilities for death or bodily injuries to other people
-    AXA compensates for any property damages resulting from a car accident
-    Covers any legal costs necessary to defend your case

Personal Accident and Medical Expenses

-    AXA insurance pays up to $30,000 under its personal accident coverage for the insured. This benefit (of up to $20,000 each) can be extended to your passengers at an additional premium of $30 + GST
-    For medical reimbursement, AXA insurance pays up to $500f or both you and your passengers

Other than these benefits, you can also sign up for an NCD protector for an extra 10% premium. This option is only available to 50% NCD holders and it can help keep your NCD at this level even after an accident claim.

AXA pays out the insurance benefits even for incidents like flood, hurricanes, volcanic, earthquake, typhoon, and other acts of nature. On top of these, strike, riot and civil commotion are also covered.

In addition, AXA also waives off the excess (for you and your named drivers) up to a certain limit. If you are a 50% NCD holder, your basic excess will be totally waived off. If your NCD is 40% or below, the excess is waived off by half. Also, this waiver is not just limited to the first claim. As often as you need to make claims, this waiver of excess benefit remains.

Like other major car insurers, AXA insurance accepts many forms of payments such as Cash, Cheque or Credit Card. A 6-month or 12-month installment is also available for DBS, POSB, OCBC or UOB cardholders.

Being an international insurance company, AXA may consider your overseas NCD if you present a written confirmation from your previous (overseas) insurer.

If you want to sign up for an AXA car insurance policy that allows you to go to any workshop for repair, the premium is estimated to be about 15% more.

With the above in mind, you can decide if AXA car insurance is right for you.