Okay, we know, car insurance is kind of a bore. Really, we just want it sorted for as little money and effort as possible.
Happily, we have some good news on that front – we just found out that safe drivers can get up to 20% off their premiums if they haven’t made any claims. That’s according to Jonathan Rawling, CFO of yallacompare, who recently explained some amendments to the UAE’s insurance regulations.
Here’s how it now works: If you haven’t made a claim, you have the right to a free certificate to prove it. Your insurer should also give you a no-claims discount if you’re renewing and haven’t claimed in a year or more.
Previously, insurers would traditionally charge their customers an administration fee for providing a no-claims certificate. And despite the new ruling, some insurers are still doing that. But yallacompare says that, if your insurer does this to you, you can go to UAE Insurance Authority’s website to file a complaint.
Still, if you’re a safe driver, yallacompare reckons that this is an important step on the road towards fairer insurance pricing. However, the company also said it’d like to see other factors, such as distance driven, in any insurance premium calculation.
“The one example we always use is that, all other things being equal, a person driving to Abu Dhabi and back every day will pay the same amount for insurance as someone driving between Dubai Media City and Dubai Marina every day. That means the person doing the short journey is effectively subsidising the risk of the person driving hundreds of kilometres every day,” Rawling said.
And if you’re a really safe driver, Rawling pointed towards new initiatives that’ll save you even more money on your insurance. He pointed out that some insurers are creating mobile apps that monitor driving styles – where those who agree to run the application while driving can prove they’re safe drivers, and will benefit from enormous savings on their premiums.