Motor Insurance is insurance for a motor vehicle which provides protection against loss in the event of an accident or theft. It is a legal requirement and therefore, it’s mandatory that all motor vehicles should have an insurance cover for the obvious reasons. Failure to do so can attract prosecution. New car owners might not understand why it is necessary to have this cover. Below is some of the basic information that one might need especially first timers in the motor industry.
CATEGORIES OF MOTOR VEHICLES
Insurance Covers are available for the following categories of motor vehicles;
- Private Cars
These are personal or individual vehicles which are not available for use by the general public for transportation. They include Saloon cars, Station wagons, Estates, and the large Four Wheel Drives (4X4). The key feature about these vehicles is that they must only be used for domestic, social, and pleasure purposes.
- Commercial Vehicles
The European Union defines a commercial motor vehicle as any type of motorized vehicle, that by its type of construction and equipment is designed for, and capable of transporting, whether for payment or not: more than nine persons, including the driver; goods and standard fuel tanks (Jackson, J., 2019). These range from small half ton pickups to the large monstrous trucks available on our roads. They also include Vans and company or school buses. The key aspect about these, however, is that they must only be used for the insured business and will exclude all usage for hire and any other general carriage of goods for monetary gain.
- Motor Cycles
Motor cycles must be used for the insured business only.
- Other Vehicles
These include agricultural vehicles like combine harvesters and tractors; emergency response vehicles like the ambulances; fire extinguishers and construction vehicles like graders among others.
INSURANCE COVERS
There are three types of covers for each category of vehicle highlighted above. These are;
- Third Party Only (TPO)
This is actually the basic and minimum cover offered
by insurance companies. It covers liability to third parties only in terms of
bodily harm and destruction to third party property. It is the minimum mandatory
cover that a motorist must have.
- Third Party Fire and Theft (TPF&T)
In addition to the Third Party cover explained above, Third Party Fire and Theft cover extends cover to others against the risks of fire and theft, including partial theft. Third Party Fire and Theft covers damage to others as a result of an accident that is caused by you. Damage to your car will not be covered.
- Comprehensive Cover
This is the most superior cover to all the others as in addition to Third Party Fire and Theft, it actually extends to cover events that are out of your control. It covers loss of motor vehicle through theft, vandalism, fire and natural disasters like Earthquakes, hail and floods.
