3 Types of Car Insurance in Kenya Simplified

December 31, 2021 CAR INSURANCE IN KENYA

Whether you are already a car owner or just bought a new car, or are shopping for your first car, you know the need to have general car insurance in place the moment that car is on Kenyan public roads. According to the Insurance Act Cap 405, also known as motor vehicle third-party risk, it is a mandatory requirement that every car on the Kenyan public road have a minimum of a third-party motor insurance cover in place.

How much car insurance coverage do I need?

You might be asking yourself, but how much more motor insurance coverage do you need? There is what is the minimum required by law and then there are the expanded motor insurance options. To determine how much coverage you need is based on several reasons including being legally compliant to budget to financial interests. All of these are discussed later in the article.

There are 3 types of car insurance policies in Kenya, namely:

1. Comprehensive car insurance
2. Third-party, fire, and theft
3. Third-party only.

Let’s get into the details, shall we?

Comprehensive Car Insurance in Kenya

This type of motor insurance is very popular with first-time car owners, cars with financial interests in financial institutions such as banks, and microfinance, people who have invested a tidy sum in purchasing their cars as well as people who have experienced the benefit of having comprehensive insurance.

One of the biggest reasons why this is a favorite among our clients is because it is a very inclusive cover in terms of coverage. It tries as much as possible not to leave you exposed. This makes it the best insurance for cars.

What does the comprehensive car insurance cover:

1. Accidental damages
2. Theft
3. Fire
4. Windscreen claims
5. Entertainment systems
6. Third-party bodily injury and death
7. Third-party property damage
8. Emergency medical cost
9. Natural occurring events such as floods
10. Social perils such as strikes and civil riots
11. Towing in the event of major accidents

The above-stated areas of coverage are subject to various terms and conditions of comprehensive car insurance which range from one insurance company to another. The amount payable is also stipulated in your insurance policy document. What does this mean? It means that the below terms and conditions apply:

1. Excess: The first amount of every claim that you the insured/owner of the vehicle is responsible for. What this means is that not all of your claims will be paid. This applies to all claims except to third-party bodily injury and death. The amount payable will vary based on the type of claim presented and this will be indicated in your policy document.
2. Mechanical and electrical failure: claims that arise as a result of mechanical and electrical failures will not be covered.
3. Political violence and terrorism: claims arising out of acts of terrorism and political violence are not covered unless otherwise indicated.
4. Bodily injury/death of the insured and his immediate family: This means that you as the owner of the vehicle and your family are not covered in the event of death or injury. It is, therefore, recommended that you get medical insurance or personal accident cover.
5. Use of vehicle at the time of accident: What the vehicle is being used for at the time of the accident will determine if the claim is payable or not. Make sure you take the appropriate cover depending on the use of the vehicle. More on this to be discussed in an upcoming article.

We shall discuss more on the terms and conditions of comprehensive vehicle insurance in an upcoming blog article.

How much motor insurance coverage do I need?

Comprehensive motor insurance has some added extra covers that you can extend to ensure that you are well protected. Some come at an extra cost and some will be provided free of charge based on the insurance company you choose.

Some of the extra benefits that can be added to your car insurance policy include:

1. Excess protector
2. Political violence and terrorism cover
3. Road rescue
4. Theft of accessories such as side mirrors, headlights, tail lights, indicators
5. Loss of use/courtesy car in the event of an accident among others

We have discussed more of this in our earlier article on comprehensive car insurance benefits. You can read more on that here. You can also get some free quotes from our partners for comparison

What factors determine the cost of motor insurance in Kenya?

It is also important to note that when it comes to the average cost of car insurance, it is important to note that varies from one car insurance company to another. However, the total cost of comprehensive vehicle insurance of the same depends on factors such as:

1. Year of manufacture: The older the car the more insurance premiums you are likely to pay
2. Make and model of vehicle: Some insurance companies will have rare types of vehicles pay slightly high premiums compared to others. Other classifications can be based on the safety rating of the make of vehicle due to moral hazard as well as prior claim experience of a particular vehicle make and model
3. Use of vehicle: will the vehicle be for personal use, commercial purposes, or PSV purposes?
4. Value of vehicle: The higher the value of the vehicle the more you are likely to pay in insurance terms. With the current trend, however, vehicles below 750,000 KES are also seeing premiums increase sharply. It is also important to know that also the higher the value of a car, the low the insurance premium rate in a much it might be higher premiums.
5. Claim history: The more you claim from your comprehensive car insurance policy, the more you are likely to pay in insurance premiums. Note that, too many claims within one insurance period can result in either:
   • Your future claims within the insurance period are being declined. You will be notified in writing when this happens.
   • Failure of the insurance company of declining to renew with you in the next insurance year.

You can learn more about the same in this video.

It’s important to know that when it comes to your vehicle insurance, the cheapest car insurance is not always the best. As with this, you might find that you lack some benefits such as no blame no excess, high excesses as well as lower limits of coverage and free limit covers.

The insurance company you choose the best car insurance for you, you will need to understand know also that not all car insurance companies are the same. Insurance is just a contractual paper until the time for paying claims comes. IRA provides information that you can use t know which company is ideal. You will need to be on the lookout for claim payment ratios and liquidity ratios just to mention a few.

We also have a nice guide on the motor insurance claims which will provide a quick guide on the various claims possible for your motor insurance. You can read more here.

Third-party, Fire and Theft Motor Insurance

This type of vehicle insurance is a slight downgrade from comprehensive insurance. This type of insurance policy is ideal for people whose cars might be in any of the categories: a vehicle beyond the maximum age to qualify for comprehensive insurance, owners of cars who can comfortably afford to repair accident damages easily due to affordability of parts, owners of vehicles that are confident in their driving skills and. not exposed to accidental risk.

What do third-party fire and theft motor insurance cover?

Just as the name suggests it caters to everything as stated in the name apart from accidental damage. This includes:

1. Theft
2. Fire
3. Windscreen claims at an extra cost
4. Entertainment systems at an extra cost
5. Third-party bodily injury and death
6. Third-party property damage

Third-party Only Motor Insurance

This is the mandatory cover that you must have for you to drive any form of motor vehicle in Kenya. Just as the name suggests, it provides coverage against the following types of accidents and liabilities:

What does third-party insurance cover in Kenya

1. Third-party bodily injury and death
2. Third-party property damage

This means that in the event of theft, fire, or accidental damage to your car you will not be compensated however third parties that are anyone outside you and your family including their property will be compensated upon successful proof that you the insured were responsible for the accident and you were to be blamed for the same.

This type of motor insurance is ideal for people in the category of third-party, fire, and theft car insurance. Some other people that might also take up this insurance would be people whose premiums may be too high as well.

What Next?

After reading this, the question might be what next? We offer free consultations to people who are still lost on what to choose when it comes to their motor insurance. This consultation also applies to people who might want help with understanding their current motor vehicle insurance policy document. To book your free consultation please click here.

If you feel confident with the information provided, how much is car insurance you might as. How about you get to it all that information at your figure tips and compare car insurance rates using our online car insurance quoter in less than 30 seconds?