Roadside Assistance (RSA) Cover in Car Insurance

Whether you are driving your car within the city or in the outskirts enjoying your road trip, you want the journey to be smooth-sailing. Problems during a car journey can cause a lot of inconveniences. If you face a problem, your journey is paused, you need to understand why your car is misbehaving, and get the issue rectified. This can derail your schedule. For example, you can miss an important meeting. But there is a quick fix for such scenarios – the Roadside Assistance Add-on (RSA) will be the best rescue.

You can purchase an RSA as an additional cover to your Comprehensive car insurance policy. Such a cover extension comes at a cost – you must pay an additional premium. However, it also offers multiple benefits, the best one being – assistance during car-related problems faced on the road. Read ahead to know more about this value-for-money add-on.

Road side Assistance is an add-on which you can include in a Comprehensive car insurance policy. With this add-on, you can avail help from an insurance company in case you face car-related issues while you are on the move on the Indian road. Roadside Assistance in India is offered by major car insurance companies online as well as offline. For example, you can purchase the RSA cover with a Comprehensive car insurance policy by visiting ACKO.

Raising a claim for your Roadside Assistance plan is easy. Here’s how you can do it.

The RSA Cover/Breakdown Cover can be purchased via ACKO website or mobile app. You will have to add the cover to your car’s Comprehensive Car Insurance plan while buying or renewing the policy. Here’s how you can do the same:

Here are the major benefits of buying a Roadside Assistance Add-on.

The coverage offered by RSA might not be uniform across insurers. Some insurers might offer more inclusions as compared to others. There can be a difference in the price as well. You can browse the insurer’s website for more information and check the policy wordings for details. Here are some of the popular inclusions.

1) Flat Tyre:This is one of the most common issues faced by car drivers. A flat tyre means you need to stop your journey and change the tyre. But what if you do not have a spare tyre or do not know how to change the tyre? With RSA you do not have to worry. The insurer will send a mechanic to help you out.

2) Battery Jumpstart:Your car will be immobilised in case of severe battery issues. If it is stalled, the battery would require a jumpstart. The RSA covers such instances. A mechanic will come to your aid and jumpstart your car’s battery.

3) On-spot Repair:There might be instances where the car needs some repair work. If the repair work is minimal, the insurer will arrange for a mechanic to conduct an on-spot repair. This way, there is no need to tow the vehicle to the garage.

4) Spare Key Retrieval:What if you forget the car keys inside the car? With RSA, the insurer will arrange for the spare car key to be delivered to you. Assistance for unlocking the vehicle for car key retrieval is also provided.

5) Fuel Support:No fuel means no movement. If your car’s fuel meter has given up on you and the vehicle refuses to move because of lack of fuel, RSA will cover fuel refilling services up to five litres. If you are facing issues because of bad fuel, the fuel tank will need to be emptied. This will be done under the RSA cover at a nearby garage.

6) Towing:If the appointed mechanic/technician is unable to resolve the car’s issue, the car will be required to be towed to a garage and RSA will cover the expenses for it.

7) Taxi Support:The insurer will arrange for an alternate mode of transport in case the vehicle cannot be started. Note that such a service will be for a specific distance. For example, if the car breaks down while you are on your way to your office, the insurer will arrange and pay for a cab that will take you to the office.

8) Hotel Search Assistance:If you are stranded outside city limits and need a place to spend the night because of car issues, the insurer can help you out in searching hotels. The accommodation charges will be paid by you and not the insurer unless specified otherwise.

9) Pick-up Facility:RSA covers the cost of picking-up the insured vehicle from the place where it stopped working to your place of residence.

10) Legal Assistance:Sometimes, issues can get out of hand. If you find yourself in a situation where you need legal assistance concerning your car, the insurer will arrange for a call with a legal expert.

Add-ons increase your payable premium. Therefore, you must only choose those add-ons that add value to your policy. You should only purchase suitable add-ons and not buy them just because they are available as it will increase the overall premium amount. Here are some factors to consider before purchasing an RSA cover.

1) Dealer Benefit: Some dealers offer roadside assistance benefits to new car owners. If you have such a benefit then you can purchase the RSA cover after the expiry of the dealer-offered cover.

2) Usage: If you are someone who likes long drives and ventures outside city limits on road trips quite often, then you might need an RSA cover. On the contrary, if you do not use your car that often or drive in and around your residential area where car mechanics are readily available, then RSA might not be too useful for you.

3) Condition of Vehicle: As a car owner, you should be aware of your car’s condition. If you know that the car is susceptible to frequent issues, then it is sooner or later going to malfunction and leave you stranded on the road. If the car is in pristine condition then it reduces the chances of a breakdown. However, even a car in top condition can face a problem in the middle of the journey – you can buy the RSA cover for such days.

4) Garage Availability: If you reside or travel in an area where you are not familiar with the garages, then the RSA cover can prove helpful.

5) Cost-feature Balance: Look at the premium payable and the conditions under which you can raise an RSA claim. If you feel you are paying too much for minimal features, then skip the Add-on. But if you are getting value for money, then go for it.

6) Convenience: An RSA cover can help you out with a flat tyre as well as towing. Help will be just a call away in case your car breaks down, it is that convenient. If you prioritise this convenience over managing things on your own then you can purchase this add-on.

If you are an experienced driver and are familiar with basic car-related issues such as tyre changing, checking the engine, or prefer calling and coordinating with a mechanic on your own, then you can do without this add-on. You can always add it during policy renewal or even get it removed if you no longer need this add-on.

The following people should buy the RSA cover.