*iSelect does not compare all car insurers or policies in the market and not all policies or special offers are available at all times, through all channels or in all areas. Not all policies available from our providers are compared by iSelect and due to commercial arrangements and customer circumstances, not all policies compared by iSelect are available to all customers. Learn more.
Like the rest of Australia, the ACT offers four main types of Car Insurance—all of which are covered in the table below:
Car Insurance type |
Damage to your car |
Damage to another person’s car or property |
Damage or loss caused by theft |
Injuries or death to others in an accident |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
|
No |
Yes |
No |
No (but covered by MAI) |
|
No |
Yes |
Yes |
No (but covered by MAI) |
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No (but covered by MAI) |
The Australian Capital Territory used to offer Compulsory Third Party (CTP) Insurance to cover someone if they caused accidental death or injury while driving. On 31 January 2020, this was been replaced by Motor Accident Injuries (MAI) Insurance.1
MAI basically covers the same things as CTP. So if you get into a car accident which injures or kills another person, MAI will cover the costs of their medical treatment, lost income, funeral expenses and any death benefits to their dependents.2 It also covers the driver who caused the accident, whether it was yourself or another person.3
Canberrans will buy MAI as part of their motor vehicle registration. It is mandatory car insurance but you can currently choose between four different insurers when registering your vehicle: AAMI, GIO, NRMA and Apia.4
The next step up is Third Party Property Damage insurance. As the name suggests, this option can help cover damage to other people’s vehicles and property caused by an accident that was your fault, although it doesn’t cover damages to your car or property.
Third Party Fire and Theft insurance can help cover damage to your car because of fire or theft. It also covers third party property damage, so this is another step up in cover. It’s important to remember, this option still doesn’t cover damage caused to your car in an at-fault accident.
Comprehensive Car Insurance is the top of the tree. It can help cover damage to other people’s property and vehicles as well as your own, whether an accident is your fault or not. In some cases, it also covers weather events like hail or storm damage. A Comprehensive policy may come with options to add extras to your cover, like a hire car, Roadside Assistance, or personal effects cover. These options vary between providers and while some may be covered in the original premium others may incur an additional cost, so it’s always worth checking out your options.
The short answer? It depends on your circumstances and what kind of coverage and peace of mind you’d prefer.
If you get into an accident, MAI Insurance will provide a safeguard that can help cover the medical costs of any injured drivers, passengers or pedestrians. But if you damage the other driver’s vehicle or someone else's property, the repair costs could come straight out of your pocket.
Only a Third Party Property, Third Party Fire & Theft, or a Comprehensive policy can cover the repair costs if you damage another person’s vehicle.
Furthermore, a Comprehensive policy can help cover some or all of the repair costs of your own vehicle if it’s damaged in an accident where you’re at fault. So it’s important to weigh up these considerations when determining if any additional coverage over and above MAI is required.
How much you’ll pay for your Car Insurance will definitely depend on a variety of things, such as your age, the make of the car and where you live. Use our interactive chart below to check out the average cost of Comprehensive Car Insurance premiums for iSelect customers across Australia to see how the ACT compares.
Anyone living in the Bush Capital can breathe easy. The ACT has traditionally had the lowest rate of fatal car crashes in Australia per 100,000 people, and this has stayed consistent from 2012-2021.5 One more reason that makes life in this tiny territory so good.
Unfortunately, the ACT doesn’t have the same stellar record when it comes to theft. Over the 2020-2021 financial year, there were 3.68 thefts for every 1000 registrations.6 That might not seem like much, but it’s actually the second highest rate of car theft in Australia (only the Northern Territory had more7). Yikes! It might be time to buy a car alarm if your car isn’t already equipped with one!
It should come as no surprise that the most popular cars in Australia also get stolen the most in the ACT. Holden Commodores top the list, but the Ford Falcon, Ford Ranger, Toyota Camry and Holden Captiva also make common targets for thieves.8
Choosing Comprehensive Car Insurance can be a bit more involved than MAI or Third Party Cover. Your insurer might even offer a selection of optional extras—many of which can cost extra. Some of these extra options may include the following:
Some policies may include these features as part of your Comprehensive Cover, without requiring you to pay extra. But it really depends on the terms of your policy and can vary from insurer to insurer. For this reason, you’ll always want to check out the policy’s Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) to find out which features are included and which are offered as optional extras.
There are a number of things Canberrans might be able to do in order to reduce their premiums. These can include:
This being said, you’ll also want to keep in mind that a cheaper policy isn’t necessarily better. You’ll always want to check your policy’s PDS to ensure that the policy will give you the cover you need, when you need it.
Well you’ve made it all the way here, so let’s start comparing Car Insurance in the ACT. It’s not hard – simply compare Car Insurance online with iSelect to compare from our range of providers in the ACT, or call us on 13 19 20 to speak to one of our team members.