What Types Of Car Insurance Policies Are Available In Ireland?
Not all motor insurance policies are the same in Ireland. You cannot make an informed
decision on which policy is the one for you until you learn what they do and don't cover you for.
There are 3 types of insurance policies available in Ireland. These are:
- THIRD-PARTY COVER: In the event of an accident, this type of insurance policy covers your
liability for injury caused to other people (i.e. "third-parties"), and damage caused to other people’s
vehicles. It does not cover any damage to your own car, nor does it cover the theft of the car, or the
damage/theft of any items in the vehicle. This the minimum type of insurance policy required by law in Ireland.
It is a criminal offence to drive a vehicle without it, or to let someone else drive your vehicle without
it.
- THIRD-PARTY, FIRE, & THEFT COVER: In the event of an accident, this type of
car insurance policy covers you against all the risks covered by a "Third Party
Cover" policy, and, if your vehicle is stolen, or if your vehicle is damaged or destroyed by fire. Some,
though not all, policies of this type also cover the theft of personal items from the car (up to a certain
limit).
- COMPREHENSIVE COVER: In the event of an accident, this type of insurance policy covers you
against all the risks covered by a "Third-Party, Fire & Theft Cover" policy, and the cost of repairing any
damage to your own car, and the cost of any of your medical expenses, and the cost of any of your passengers
medical expenses. This type of policy will also pay out a specific amount in the event of your death or
disablement, and insure some personal effects in your car against loss or damage. Obviously, you should expect
to have to pay significantly more for this type of policy. (If you vehicle is very old, or has a very low,
value, make sure this type of policy will be worth the extra expense.)
This type of policy may also include windscreen cover (to replace a damaged windscreen), and breakdown cover
(to cover the cost of vehicle recovery in the event of a breakdown), and replacement car cover (to cover the
cost of hiring another car, if your own is off the road as a result of an accident).
Additionally, you can purchase other "non-standard" benefits too (at extra cost). This can include: no-claims
discount protection (meaning you can make a certain number of insurance claims without affecting your no-claims
discount); 'step-back' bonus protection (meaning you would only lose part of you no-claims discount in the
event of a claim; this is not full protection for your no-claims discount, but costs much less); and "open
driving" (which means anyone with a "full" driving licence (and usually within a certain age-range) will be
insured to drive your car with your permission).
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