All You Need to Know About Car Insurance Inspection

Posted on: Mar 13, 2023 | | Written by:

All You Need to Know About Car Insurance Inspection

Published on March 13, 2023. EST READ TIME: 4 minutes

Buying a car insurance policy is a must for a lot of reasons. For starters, it protects you and your finances against any unforeseen accidents. It also protects you financially in the event of an accident involving third parties. In some cases, however, a car insurance inspection might be needed. Either for renewing a policy or while claiming one. Here is all that you need to know about these inspections.

What does a car insurance inspection mean?

Car insurance inspection is a process that is carried out to determine the current condition of the car. It is usually carried out by a surveyor that is appointed by the insurance provider. Once they inspect the car, they will submit a report to the insurance provider. And the insurance provider will use the report to either proceed with a claim or issue a car insurance policy.

Types of car insurance inspection

Here are the different types of car insurance inspection that your car might undergo.

1. Inspection prior to a claim

This car insurance inspection takes place when a policyholder files for a claim. The insurance provider will send a surveyor to assess the extent of the damage and report it back. This serves a couple of purposes. Firstly, insurance providers can assess whether a claim is legitimate or not. Also, the surveyor can assess the damage and the insurance provider will settle the claim accordingly.

2. Inspection prior to issuing insurance

This type of inspection happens before issuing a policy to a car owner. It usually occurs during policy renewals. And it comes into the picture if there has been a gap between the renewal and policy expiry. The inspection ensures that the insurance provider is aware of the damages to the car, if any, before issuing the policy.

The need for car insurance inspection

Your insurance provider might ask for a car inspection in certain cases. Here are some of the instances when your car might need an inspection and the reasons for it as well.

1. Why do insurance providers ask for an inspection?

● This helps the insurers to settle a claim with transparency.

● This helps the insurers to determine the sum insured.

● This helps the insurers to determine if the car has any other liabilities.

● This helps the insurers to determine the extent of damages and authenticity of the claim.

2. When do insurance providers ask for an inspection?

● If you move from a third-party liability policy to a comprehensive insurance policy.

● If there has been a gap between the renewal and expiry of your policy.

● If the vehicle gets damaged due to natural calamities or man-made calamities.

● If you are looking for coverage for items installed such as CNG, anti-theft device, etc.

● If the insurance plan is transferred from one person to another.

Self inspection for car insurance renewals

Self inspection in insurance is a feature that insurance companies have started to offer in the past few years. In self inspection, you can carry out the inspection of your car with the help of a smartphone. You must go around the car and make a video and upload it to the insurance provider’s website or app. This ensures that your car is inspected and that the insurance provider does not have to send a surveyor for the same.

Steps to perform self inspection for policy renewal

The process of self inspection might vary a bit from one insurance provider to another. Since it comes down to the technology on offer along with ease of usability. However, the steps would remain similar across insurance providers. Here is how you can complete self inspection for car insurance renewal.

1. You must first download the app of the insurance provider from the App Store or Play Store.

2. You must then log in to the app and provide any other details that might be needed. Details such as your policy number, contact details, name, etc. In most cases, your contact details would fetch the details of any existing policies.

3. You must create a video that captures the car from all angles. Ensure that the car is in a well-lit area and you cover any damages to the car. Once it is complete, you can submit the self inspection video.

Steps to perform self inspection for an expired car insurance policy

If your car insurance policy has expired, the chances of a car insurance inspection increase several folds. Here are the steps that you must follow for it.

● You must first download the app of the insurance provider from the App Store or Play Store.

● Log in to your account if you already have one or create a new account.

● Based on what your insurance provider asks for, you might have to submit pictures or video of the car to complete self inspection in insurance.

● You must then submit the pictures or video. Once it is approved by your insurance provider, you can proceed with renewing the policy.

Why should you perform self-inspection for policy renewals?

A policyholder might be required to carry out self-inspection of their car in some of the conditions. Here is why you must perform an inspection.

● If there has been a gap in your policy and you are trying to renew the policy, the insurance provider might ask for self-inspection video.

● At times, an insurance provider might ask for inspection videos to assess the damages to the car during accidents.

● The inspection video makes it easier for the insurance provider to settle a claim.

Advantages of carrying out self-inspection of a lapsed policy using a smartphone

Here are some of the advantages of self inspection on a lapsed policy.

● Since all you need to do is record a video of your car from all angles, it makes the process quite simple.

● Since you only need to record a video of the car, the process is rather quick. It is much faster than waiting for the insurance provider to send a surveyor.

● You can use your existing smartphone to record a video and submit it. You do not need any additional equipment, thereby making it very convenient. You also need not have a lot of expertise in shooting a video for self inspection process.

● This makes way for faster approvals since a representative from the company can view the uploaded video to make decisions.

Conclusion

A car insurance inspection is not needed for all and every condition. As mentioned above, it might be needed in certain circumstances. However, should a need arise to self inspect your car, the above steps will help you to do so. If you want car insurance without inspection, ensure that you renew the policy before its expiry.

Disclaimer: The above information is for illustrative purpose only. For more details, please refer to policy wordings and prospectus before concluding the sales.

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