Does Car Insurance Policy Cover Off-road Driving in India?

Does your comprehensive car insurance policy allow cover for off-road driving? Do check with your insurer about coverage on off-road driving and which policy offers it.

Driving off-road is difficult and it makes your vehicle go through severe damages.  All such damages may not be covered under your motor insurance policy. In fact, there are many insurance companies that particularly state in their policy exclusions that they do not cover off-road driving. So, if you have any such requirement for off-road driving coverage, it is important to check with your vehicle insurance provider or car insurance online to ensure whether the off-road cover feature is included or excluded in their policy.

What is Off-Road Driving?

Many of you must be aware of the meaning of off-road driving. However, for those who are unaware here is the explanation, off-road driving means driving on road conditions that are not conducive for the vehicle, such as sandy roads or roads made of gravel, rocks, etc. Though, many people like to indulge in off-road activities as a hobby or recreation. However, there are others who take up such activity for their profession. So, desert racing and dune bashing are among the various off-road activities that are taken up as a profession by many people.

Do Car Insurance Companies in India Cover Off-Road Driving??

If your car sustains accidental damages during off-roading or off-road driving, your insurer might cover it. However, for an intentional collision of your car on uneven surfaces, you may not get coverage for the resultant damages. So, you might get coverage for certain incidents while some might not be paid by your insurer even under your best car insurance in India.

Further, if you pursue off-road activity as a profession or as a passion and do it on a regular basis, you may not get coverage for any loss sustained by your car insurance policy. So, you will have to confirm everything with your insurer before embarking on a off-road driving expedition.

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Types of Car Insurance Policies Offering Cover for Off-Road Driving

Not all companies offer specific cover for off-road driving in their car insurance policy. However, you may get coverage for accidental damages that might be sustained by your car. But these damages are not covered under third party car insurance. You have to buy comprehensive car insurance to get coverage for such damages. Third-party car insurance policies only cover liabilities of third-party and not that of your own car damages.

So, if you want coverage for off-road driving you need to buy a comprehensive cover or own-damage cover. With own-damage insurance policy  you can get coverage against damages caused to your car. So, if you do not have a comprehensive plan and you want to cover damages to your car, you can buy your own damage car insurance policy.

On the other hand, getting a comprehensive plan ensures better and wider coverage. So, this policy can be bought if the insured wants extensive protection.

Whatever the policy you buy, you might still lag in terms of certain protection which you can cover with the help of add-on coverage.

4 Add-ons that you can buy for off-road driving coverage

You can buy a comprehensive insurance plan to cover you against off-road driving as they offer protection against third-party damages as well as own car injuries. However, if you are into off-road driving as a profession or if you indulge in such activities often as recreation, you may require add-ons to cover against off-road driving. Here is a list of some add-ons to cover off-road driving in India:

1. Cover for roadside car assistance – If you need assistance due to your car breaking down on the road, you can get that protection by getting this add-on cover. So, you can repair your car battery, flat tyre, get the towing facility, among others with this add-on cover.
2. Cover for engine protection -With this cover, you can get your car engine repaired or replaced.  So, if your car engine gets damaged due to any mechanical or electrical breakdown, you can get coverage against it with this add-on.
3. Cover for consumables – This is another add-on that you can purchase to cover the consumable items of your vehicle. So, with this add-on you can get replacements done of things like nuts, oil filter, grease, screws and so on.
4. Cover to protect tyre –  This add-on cover will assist against damages sustained by your car tyres and tubes in case of any mishap taking place while you were driving off-road. So, you can get your car tyre/tube replaced or repaired if they are punctured, burst, etc.

Do I need off-road car insurance for my car?

Although having a third-party car insurance policy is compulsory for driving your car in India, buying a off-road cover is not a compulsory thing. However, if you want to drive off-road or you are a person who loves to explore all kinds of terrain on your vehicle, you must procure off-road cover in your car insurance policy. And to have off-road cover for your car you must purchase a comprehensive car insurance. Alternatively, you can buy a own damage car insurance plan to protect your vehicle against off-road driving.

Read More:

• List of 10 Best Car Insurance Companies in India 2022

To Conclude

Going off-road driving is a lot of fun but it poses several risks as well. Thus, it is important to ensure complete safety. To ensure safety, the first step is to cover your vehicle with insurance against off-road driving. Also, taking other precautions like not speeding beyond the limit etc. is important to make sure that your claim doesn’t get rejected. Further, make sure to compare car insurance prices of different policies to see that you get the best coverage against off-road driving under your car insurance policy.

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