A vehicle insurance plan that has crossed its expiry date is known as a lapsed or a ‘break-in’ policy. A lapsed car policy isn’t something you should be carrying around behind the wheel for two primary reasons.
- You’re in Violation of the Law
You are bound to be fined heavily or even have your driving license revoked should you be found in possession of a break-in insurance ID.
- Lapsed or No Insurance is Costlier
Given the acute knowledge of driving discipline that drivers in India have, expired policies may cost you your savings.
Why Renew a Vehicle Insurance Policy?
The secondary reasons – and there are quite a few – to renewing your car insurance policy are listed for your convenience. You may continue all the same, but we still recommend giving them a quick glance.
- Security:
If it has to happen, it will and accidents are no exceptions. There are two ways this could go with a lapsed car insurance policy. You either end up shelling out your last rupee or you end up shelling out a hefty fine in the event where a third party or the police, is involved.
- Renewal process becomes harder:
Insurance companies tend to avoid and potentially decline applications to renew car insurance policy if too much time has passed from the last date of your policy’s expiry. To top it all, you are not reimbursed for the expenses incurred during your car’s inspection by the insurer.
- Loss of No Claim Bonus (NCB):
Any vehicle insurance policy that has crossed the 90 days mark from the date of expiry, risk the chance of losing their accrued NCB corpus. Each day delayed after the expiry of the policy only increases the risk of losing NCB, especially the 40-50% that someone may have acquired over the course of 4 years.
Steps to Renew Insurance for an Expired Policy
We realize that you are reading this for instructions to renew your car insurance policy
STEP 1
Choose the Right Insurance Policy
Carefully compare and select your policy. This includes doing the groundwork on your car make, model, age and other details. You can enlist expert services for the same, but do remember to read the fine-print on the T&C.
STEP 2
Vehicle Survey Appointment
Your insurance company (the one you choose) will surely insist on doing a vehicle survey to determine the insurance cover. The earlier you complete the inspection, the better your chances of not paying a hefty fine or losing your driver’s license.
STEP 3
Buy Policy Immediately
If the insurance company decides to cover you then purchase the car insurance policy promptly. This decision is heavily influenced by the vehicle survey results. A good-to-go inspection is only valid for 24 hours, which means that any further delay will promptly land you on square one.
A smarter decision would be to apply for car insurance renewal before the expiry date, so as to avoid the last-minute rush.
Not renewing your car insurance on time could land you in heaps of trouble when you least expect it. For any other assistance regarding the topic, you may message us at PL-India Motor Insurance and we shall revert at the soonest. Alternatively, do email us at insurance@plindia.com
[erforms id=”763″]