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South Australia, like the rest of the country, has four main types of Car Insurance as listed below. Which cover you choose depends could depend on various factors.
CTP is a mandatory insurance for every driver in Australia and in SA it’s paid whenever you register your car. It helps provide cover for accidental injury or death to another person caused by your driving. It will generally help pay for medical and some legal costs, but won’t pay for any property damage.
If you have an at-fault accident, let’s say you rear-ended your neighbour’s new Ferrari, Third Party Property insurance could help cover the damage that occurred to their vehicle and/or property. Sadly, it doesn’t cover damage to your car or property. So if you take out this type of insurance, you’ll have to pay for your repairs out-of-pocket.
Third Party Fire and Theft insurance covers third party property damage as above, but on top of that, it also helps cover damage to your car caused by fire or theft. However remember, this cover still doesn’t cover damage caused to your car in an at-fault accident.
The top cover available in SA is Comprehensive Car Insurance. Whether an accident is your fault or not, a Comprehensive policy will help cover damage to other people’s property and vehicles, as well as your own. Depending on your provider and the policy you choose, it might also cover other events like hail or storm damage. On top of this, you can often add on additional options which could include things like personal effects cover and roadside assistance sometimes at an additional cost.
It’s fairly simple to understand the difference between the Car Insurance available in SA. This table is a quick reference of the main points.
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 |
CTP |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
Third Party property |
No |
Yes |
No |
No (but covered by CTP) |
Third Party Fire and Theft |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
No (but covered by CTP) |
Comprehensive |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No (but covered by CTP) |
It’s important to review the Product Disclosure Statement for information about policy inclusions, limitations and exclusions before deciding on a policy.
With CTP insurance being compulsory in SA, you might think that’s the only cover you’ll need. While it is up to you the level of cover you choose, it may be worth considering the cost of an at-fault accident where you hit someone else’s car/ property. As you can imagine, the price tag on this could get pretty scary depending on the car you hit (stay clear of Porches).
According to iSelect Car Insurance sales data for South Australia, the below are the average comprehensive premiums for FY19, and FY20:
|
Female |
Male |
||
Age (group) |
FY19 |
FY20 |
FY19 |
FY20 |
18 - 24 |
$856 |
$806 |
$938 |
$839 |
25 - 29 |
$751 |
$753 |
$761 |
$786 |
30 - 44 |
$651 |
$647 |
$630 |
$677 |
45+ |
$537 |
$540 |
$543 |
$572 |
When it comes to crashes, South Australia doesn’t score too well. Sadly, according to the 2019 Road Trauma annual statistical report, SA had the 2nd highest rate of fatal car crashes, per 100,000 people, in the country.
Thankfully, South Australia does slightly better when it comes to thefts. According to the National Motor Vehicle Theft Reduction council, there were 3,010 car thefts in South Australia in 2020. That’s around two car thefts for every 1,000 vehicles registered. It’s the second lowest rate of theft in the country.
You might not expect it, but the top ten vehicles stolen in the SA generally weren’t high-end European models. These included models like Holden Commodore, Ford Falcon, Toyota Hilux and Nisan Navara.
When choosing a comprehensive Car Insurance policy in South Australia, you may want to consider some of the following:
As well as looking out for those points, there are other steps you may be able to take to help make sure your Car Insurance premium is fitting in with your budget.
Now you know you have more information, let’s get down to detail and start comparing Car Insurance in South Australia. Give us a call on 13 19 20 or simply use our online service to compare from our range of providers.
Last updated: 09/09/2021