Dubai is not only a widely adored vacation destination but also a very popular choice for a workplace. This is why the majority of people living in Dubai and the rest of the UAE are expats and immigrants who are residing in the country for work. It is exciting to build a new life in a new country, however, it comes with its own set of challenges. One of these challenges is to arrange for the necessities like insurance coverage. This piece is dedicated to explore all aspects of expats car insurance in Dubai. We will cover everything from types of plans you can buy to top companies, benefits, buying and renewal process and claim procedure as well. So, let’s begin.
Best Car Insurance in UAE
Some of the best and the cheapest car insurance quotes in Dubai are:
Types of Expat Car Insurance Dubai
Expat car insurance in Dubai can be divided into three major types. Given below is a brief introduction of them all:
Third-Party Liability Insurance: A third-party liability expat car insurance Dubai is designed to offer protection against all third-party liabilities. It comes in handy if a third-party vehicle or the driver are damaged/injured in an accident that’s your fault. All third-party damages are covered up to the assured sum of your insurance plan. However, damages incurred by your own vehicle are not covered by these plans.
Comprehensive Car Insurance: A comprehensive expat car insurance plan covers both own damages as well as third-party damages. Comprehensive car insurance plans come with benefits like cover against natural disaster damages, ma-made disaster damages, accidental damages, theft, third-party liabilities and total loss of the car in any other way. This is a well-rounded insurance policy to cover all possible damaging threats for your car.
Temporary Car Insurance: A generic car insurance plan comes with a tenure of twelve months. A temporary car insurance plan is similar to generic expat car insurance Dubai expect in terms of tenure. It can be bought for any duration from just a few days to a few months as well. Temporary expat car insurance Dubai can be bought as a third-party as well as comprehensive cover depending on your needs.
Motor Executive, Motor Smart and Motor Value covers
Why Do You Need Expat Car Insurance in Dubai?
Legal Requirement
It is required by law for all to have a proper car insurance plan for their vehicles in the UAE at all times. You cannot drive your car in the UAE if your car insurance plan has expired. The law requires you to only have third-party liability coverage and not a comprehensive car insurance plan. But comprehensive expat car insurance in Dubai also fulfils the mandatory requirements set by the UAE government.
Offers Protection Against Third-party Lawsuits
Being on road and having a car accident with another vehicle can be traumatising in many ways – physical, mental as well as financial. Third-party lawsuits that come as a result of road accidents. Having an expat car insurance in Dubai can protect you from any financial setback due to these lawsuits in the UAE. Car insurance plans are designed to take care of not only third-party damage repairs but also legal fees in most cases.
Provides Financial Stability
Living and working in the UAE as an expat can be tricky sometimes, especially when you are hustling to create a new life. Having an added layer of financial stability and backup can be of huge help in this situation. Expat car insurance Dubai does exactly that by ensuring that you do not face any sudden financial setbacks.
Covers Theft and Total Loss of Vehicle
Comprehensive expat car insurance Dubai also includes cover for theft and total loss of the vehicle. Buying a car is a big milestone in many ways which means theft or total loss of your car can not only be an emotional but also a financial setback. A car insurance plan will help in recovering the current value of your stolen vehicle saving you from a huge financial dip.
Covers Physical Injuries as Well
Ex-pat car insurance Dubai also comes with coverage for emergency treatment for injuries and such. Add-on covers can also be used to get better accidental coverage. But even a normal comprehensive ex-pat car insurance Dubai will cover expenses for emergency medical attention you, the owner-driver, needs after an accident.
Factors that Affect Expat Car Insurance Premiums
Condition of the Car
One of the first factors that will affect the car insurance premium in the UAE will be the condition of your car. Cars that are kept in good condition tend to get lower premiums for their car insurance plans. On the flip side, cars that are in bad condition, despite their age, get higher premiums. The reasoning is simple here. Cars in good condition are less of a risk for insurance companies to take. They are expected to break down less or face other kinds of issues covered by insurance plans. Whereas, maintenance of cars in bad condition is quite high and hence the high premium.
Make, Model and Price of the Car
The make, model and brand of your car also make a huge difference in terms of premiums. Expensive care will attract higher premiums. The expat car insurance Dubai premium for a Ferrari will be higher than that of a Toyota Yaris. The make, model and price of the car affect the maintenance of the car as well. Expensive cars have equally expensive maintenance requirements. In addition to that, some decently priced models may have hard to score parts. This increases the price of car insurance plans as well.
More experienced drivers are prone to cause fewer road accidents as compared to younger drivers with less experience. This is why, older, more experienced drivers tend to get lower car insurance premiums. Generally, driver-owners between the age of 18 to 25 get higher premiums as compared to drivers in their 30s. If you have had expat car insurance since your early driving years, you may even expect a price drop in your thirties.
Accident and Driving Record of the Owner and Drivers
Driving record is quite accessible for insurance companies in the UAE. Since the way you drive directly affects the possibility of you causing an accident, it affects your car insurance prices as well. Good driving history will earn you some special discounts on your expat car insurance in Dubai. On the other hand, a bad driving record will bring you higher insurance prices and a few black points on your license as well. One way insurance companies track your driving record is by tracking the black points on your license.
Usage of the Car
The more miles you put on your car, the more premium you may have to pay. A car that is used a lot, say for everyday commute to work, attract high car insurance premiums. Several car insurance companies even offer usage-based expat car insurance Dubai. Here, the premium is charged based on how much the car is driven during the tenure and how it is driven. The policyholders can choose different slabs based on their usage.
Coverage of the Plan's
The more comprehensive your car insurance in UAE is, the higher it is going to cost. In addition to the basic benefits of the plan, you also have the option to get a few add-ons. Add-ons can be used to customise your expat car insurance. But add-ons also come with an added premium. This means, the coverage of your plan, whether basic or customised, can make a huge impact on the overall premium of the plan.
Deductibles of the Coverage
A deductible is an amount that the policyholder is liable to pay out of the total claim amount. Deductibles are generally voluntary which means that the policyholder can choose to take as many deductibles as they would like to. The higher the deductibles, the lower the car insurance premium will be. Plans with lower deductibles tend to have higher premiums.
Discounts and Offers on the Plan
Certain car insurance providers may offer special discounts and promotional offers on their expat car insurance plans. It is quite rare but not impossible to find discounts on car insurance in the UAE. Most car insurance providers offer discounts for expat car insurance plans bought online. Keep your eyes peeled for any seasonal discounts and offers. Many providers offer great discounts on insurance plans around National Day as well.
Current Insurance Market Standards
All insurance companies are regulated by a singular governing body that ensures fair play. This governing organisation also set regulated insurance prices. When these standard prices change, it makes an impact on plans from all the providers. This simply means that the insurance premium may increase or decrease as per the changes that occur in generally regulated prices.
How to Choose the Right Expat Car Insurance Dubai?
Choosing the best expat car insurance plan is not a very tricky thing. However, it does require a little bit of hard work and time investment. Given below are some of the things you can do to ensure that you buy the best possible expat car insurance Dubai for your lovely vehicle:
Compare Car Insurance Plans: Instead of going with the first option you come across, choose to sit back and compare the plans. Obtain a few car insurance quotes from a bunch of different providers and then compare them to find the best suitable option for your needs. Finalise the top three plans and then pick the most cost-effective option.
Conduct Research: It is common to have your car dealer or the leasing bank offer you your “perfect” car insurance plan. While the choice that they offer may be good, you should still choose to do your own research. Take the plans offered by your dealer or bank into consideration as well. See which plan feels the best and then pick the right option.
Compare Providers: Expat car insurance plans are not the only thing you need to be comparing. There are over 60 car insurance providers in the UAE. It makes great sense to compare providers while you are comparing plans as well. Check the claim settlement ratio of each provider since claims are the endgame of any insurance plan. Look for a perfect claim settlement ratio, or at least close to perfect.
Check Customer Reviews: Customer reviews can help you land some reality about the plan and provider you are about to buy. See what the existing customers have to see about the providers. See if the claims are settled easily. If not, check out the kind of troubles people face the most. From customer care services to denied claims and car insurance plan renewal processes, spare no detail.
Get Agency Coverage: The agency coverage benefit ensures that your car is repaired at a manufacturer garage with all genuine products. Agency repairs benefit can be very useful, especially if your car is of a rare model with hard-to-find parts.
Customise Your Plan: Try and customise your plan to the best of your abilities. Take advice from a financial advisor if you like. Add riders that you may need. For example, the off-road add-on can be useful if you plan to go on a lot of adventure rides in your car. Choose your add-ons carefully though.
Buying Procedure for Expat Car Insurance in Dubai
Expat car insurance Dubai can be bought online as well as offline. You can either go to the provider website or buy your expat car insurance in Dubai via Policybazaar UAE. The procedure of buying car insurance from either of these platforms is quite the same. In the case of aggregators like Policybazaar UAE, your first step is to go to the car insurance platform. Head to the lead form on the page and fill out your basic information. Continue filling out the information form as per the requirements. You will then be led to a page containing all potentially perfect plans for your car. Take some time, draw some comparisons and pick one. Move forward to complete the buying process. Add the documents, and make payments to finalise the purchase.
If you are planning to use the provider website, you may not get much of a chance for comparison. You will have to make your choice beforehand. As far as the process is concerned, go to the website, locate the car insurance buying portal and click on it. Add the required details on the lead /application form and submit. Pick your plan, add the required documents and make payment to get your plan.
Expat car insurance Dubai can also be bought offline. You will either need to go to a car insurance broker or a branch office of the provider you have chosen. In case you have a car insurance broker, talk to them about the plan you want and get familiar with the buying process. The broker will take care of it all for the most part. To buy the plan from the provider directly, locate a nearby branch and get to it quickly. Once you are at the branch, an available representative will help you get through the buying process. Of course, you must have a firm understanding of the plan that you want to buy. The purchasing formalities will be conducted by your assigned representative at the branch. You will need to carry all your documents in physical form. Make sure to carry originals as well as copies.
Documents Required for Buying Expat Car Insurance Dubai
Several documents may be required to finalise your purchase of an expat car insurance in Dubai. The form in which you may need these documents depends on your medium of buying the plan, offline or online. Online purchases can be made using scanned copies of the required documents. Offline purchases require physical documents though. Given below is the complete list of documents you need to get expat car insurance in Dubai:
Registration card and registration documents of your car are also referred to as mulkiya. Scanned copies can be used for online applications while physical copies and original will be required for offline purchases
A record of some details about your car like the model, make, chassis number, etc.
Driving license of the driving-owner.
Passport of the applicant
Resident visa of the applicant
Address proof in the form of utility bills, etc.
Emirates ID of the applicant
Policy number of the previous expat car insurance Dubai, if applicable
Expat Car Insurance Dubai Claim Procedure
Whether it is the theft of your car/car accessories or a road accident, there is a simple way to submit a claim against your expat car insurance in Dubai. Given below are the steps to follow to submit accidental claims against your car insurance plan in the UAE:
Contact the police and ambulance service if there are any injured on the accident site.
Call and inform your insurance company about the accident and the fact that you may need to submit a claim.
Submit an official complaint with the police and record the events of the accident carefully.
Note down the names and license plate numbers of the third party involved in the accident. Also, take pictures if you can. Be as detailed as possible with a realistic account of the accident. You will need it to make a strong case when submitting the claim.
Call the roadside assistance services of your insurance provider and transfer your car to the garage that your insurance company assign you.
Go to the official website of your provider fill out the claim form and submit it with the required documents. You can also download the form, print it, fill it out physically and submit it offline at the assigned garage.
Once you have submitted the direct claim form online, head to the assigned garage where your car currently is at. You can take the physical claim form and supporting documents with you to submit at the same garage.
Once the claim has been submitted, the provider representative present at the garage will examine the claim and the damages incurred by your car.
Once the claim has been approved and the expense payment has been settled, the garage will start the repairs.
The insurance company will cover the expenses up to your plan limits after the deductibles have been paid.
Once the repairs are done, you can pick up your car from the garage.
Submitting car or car accessory theft claims in the UAE
The claim process is slightly different for theft of the car or the car accessories. Given below is the complete list of steps for the same:
Contact the police as soon as your notice that your car or any accessories have been stolen. Submit an official report.
Also, contact the insurance provider as soon as you contact the police. Let them know about the theft and submit an official claim.
You will need to prepare an itemised list of all the accessories stolen from the car. Submit this list along with the claim form and other required documents to the insurance provider.
The police will run its course of investigation to find your vehicle first. Until then, the insurance company will wait to settle the claim.
Once the police close the investigation and categorise your vehicle as unrecoverable, the insurance company will begin the claim settlement process.
You will need a certificate from the police stating the unrecoverable status of the car and submit it to the insurance provider.
Once the provider has estimated the current market value of the car, it will offer reimbursement as per the assured sum of your plan. The whole process may two to three months to settle, unlike normal accidental claims which are settled in a matter of a few days.
Expat Car Insurance Dubai Renewal
Generally, you can renew your car insurance plan on the platform you bought it from in the first place. It can be your aggregator website, the provider website or a branch office of the provider as well. The renewal process is quite simple and very much like buying process itself. Given below are the steps you can follow to complete the renewal of your expat car insurance in Dubai:
Go to Policybazaar.ae or the provider website and log in using your credentials.
Go to the expat car insurance Dubai renewal page and begin the renewal process.
Fill up the required details in the form and choose your plan. Set the insured declared value for your car.
Add any add-ons that you like and customise your coverage. You can also remove previously taken add-ons here.
Finalise the details of your plan one last time and then head to the payment portal.
Make final payments and obtain the receipt.
You will receive your expat car insurance Dubai documents for the next tenure at your registered email address.
Alternatively, you can also visit your broker or the branch office of the provider to renew your plan. You will need to bring all the required documents in physical form. The broker or a representative at the branch will help you with the renewal process.
Can ex-pats buy car insurance without emirates ID?
No, emirates ID is a mandatory document to buy an ex-pat car insurance plan in the UAE.
Are damages caused to own vehicles covered in ex-pat car insurance Dubai?
Own damages are covered in a comprehensive car insurance plan for expats.
What is NCB? Is it offered in expat car insurance plans?
NCB or no claim bonus is a reward program that offers a discount on premiums for every consecutive claim-free year. Yes, no claim bonuses are offered in all kinds of comprehensive car insurance plans.
Can I buy my ex-pat car insurance without proof of residence?
No, proof of resident i.e., your resident visa is a mandatory document to buy your ex-pat car insurance in Dubai. You may also need proof of address.
What is the renewal deadline for ex-pat car insurance plans?
All ex-pat car insurance plans come with a renewal deadline of 30 days. The plans have a validity of 12 months. With the 30-day grace period for renewals, the total validity goes up to 13 months.
Can I get two ex-pat car insurance plans?
No, you can only have one car insurance plan for your car in the UAE. This rule is applicable for both UAE citizens and ex-pats.
Can I add other drivers to my ex-pat car insurance in Dubai?
Yes, you can add your friends and family as a named driver in your ex-pat car insurance plan in Dubai. The driving record of all the named drivers will affect the ex-pat car insurance premium though.
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