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Loss of Personal Belongings Add-on in Car Insurance

Team AckoJan 17, 2024

Car insurance is simple. You need a Third-party Policy as per the law, and a Comprehensive cover offers the mandatory coverage as well as Own Damage cover. However, things can seem challenging when you dig deep. When it comes to the loss of personal belongings in car insurance, you need more details. For instance, Comprehensive Car Insurance policy covers damage to the car. But does it cover the damage to your laptop kept in the car? What if your mobile phone gets stolen from your car? Read ahead for the answers.

Contents

What is Loss of Personal Belongings in Car Insurance?
Personal Belongings Cover Add-on:
Exclusions of the Personal Belongings Add-on:
Claim Procedure:
Documents Required for Claim Settlement Process:
Does Acko Offer the Personal Belongings Add-on?
Explore Acko’s Car Insurance Policy Online & Its Benefits:
Key Takeaways:
Frequently Asked Questions:

What is Loss of Personal Belongings in Car Insurance?

There may be instances where your personal belongings might be unsupervised in your car. They can get stolen or damaged from the insured car resulting in you facing a loss. This is the meaning of ‘loss of personal Belongings’ in car insurance.

While insuring your vehicle, you might wonder, does car insurance cover theft of items in the car? If not, then is there a dedicated theft cover in car insurance? And what if the personal Belongings get damaged in the car? The answer to these questions is that a basic Third-party car insurance certainly does not offer such a cover. A Comprehensive Policy might offer it if you have additional coverage. This extra coverage can be availed by purchasing a Personal Belongings Cover Add-on with your Comprehensive Policy.

Personal Belongings Cover Add-on:

You can buy this add-on by paying extra premium. With this cover in place, your insurer will cover losses arising due to damage or theft of your personal Belongings from the insured car as per the terms and conditions of the policy.

Some insurers might offer separate add-ons when it comes to this cover. Here are the different dedicated policies that might be on offer:

Personal Belongings Add-on Including Electronic Equipment
Personal Belongings Add-on Damage Specific
Personal Belongings Add-on Theft Specific

Note that some insurance companies might adopt a mix and match approach or offer the above policies as a bundle. Some might not offer such a cover at all. In a few cases, the add-on might be available but the list of exclusions can be lengthy.

Therefore, it is of utmost importance to read the fine print when it comes to purchasing such add-ons. The details will be mentioned in the respective policy’s Policy Wordings. If you have any doubts whatsoever, get them resolved from the insurer’s customer support team before purchasing the add-on.

Exclusions of the Personal Belongings Add-on:

Exclusions are those situations where the insurance company will NOT cover you. These exclusions are clearly stated in the Policy Wordings of the cover. Different insurers might have different exclusions in place. It is advisable to go through them before buying and claiming against the policy. If you have raised a claim for a situation that is mentioned in the list of exclusions in the respective policy, then the insurer will not approve your claim.

Here’s a list of generic exclusions of a Personal Belongings Cover Add-on in car insurance.

Informing the insurance company after thirty days of the incident.
Loss caused due to the policyholder’s negligence.
Loss in circumstances where the car’s doors and windows were not locked.
Loss to Belongings kept in the insured car with relation to trade or business.
Loss of data stored in an electrical device.
In case the damaged or lost belongings were kept in the vehicle overnight.
Lack of proper documentation with respect to invoices and First Information Report (FIR).
Other points mentioned in the Policy Wordings.

Also, read: What is Total Loss

Claim Procedure:

Here’s the claim procedure to be followed while claiming against the Personal Belongings Cover Add-on in car insurance.

Step 1: Contact the insurer and explain the situation.

Step 2: Share the required details for verification

Step 3: Follow the process stated by the insurer. For example, file a First Information Report in a police station for theft.

Step 4: Comply with the claims team and submit documents as required, if any.

Step 5: Receive claim amount as per the applicable circumstances.

Note that the amount received in claim settlement will factor the depreciation cost of the damaged/lost asset in question. For example, if a laptop was completely damaged while it was in the car due to an accident, then the insurer will offer the depreciated amount of the laptop and not the invoice value. This calculation is done as per the following table.

Asset’s Age	Depreciation % on invoice value
Not exceeding 1 year	20
Exceeding 1 year but not exceeding 2 years	40
Exceeding 2 years but not exceeding 3 years	50
Exceeding 3 years but not exceeding 4 years	60
Exceeding 4 years	80

Documents Required for Claim Settlement Process:

Nowadays, digital-first insurance companies are moving away from the old-school paper-based claim settlement process. To make the claim process simple and convenient, they do not ask for a long list of documents to be submitted. However, companies have their own ways of going about this process.

Usually, you will be asked for the following documents in case of a claim raised against a Personal Belongings Cover. Note that the exact list of documents might be based on the respective claim and the insurer’s claim settlement policy.

Claim form (digital or physical copy).
Copy of the First Information Report.
Invoices of the assets in question.
Any other supporting documentation as requested by the insurer.

Does Acko Offer the Personal Belongings Add-on?

You can buy a Personal Belongings Add-on with your Comprehensive Car Insurance Policy from Acko. You have the option of purchasing three types of this car insurance add-on from Acko.

Add-on Cover For Personal Belongings	Links
Damage	Policy Wordings
Electronic Equipment	Policy Wordings
Theft	Policy Wordings

Explore Acko’s Car Insurance Policy Online & Its Benefits:

If you are looking to buy or renew your car insurance policy with relevant add-ons, you can visit www.acko.com and find the right package. Here are some benefits related to purchasing car insurance online from Acko.

1) Incredibly Low Premiums:

Acko offers car insurance policies at incredibly low premiums without cutting down on the coverage. You can select appropriate add-ons and purchase a wide-ranging Comprehensive Car Insurance Policy at affordable rates as Acko works on the Zero Commission model on the website.

2) Fully Digital:

From buying to renewing and from assisting to claiming, all insurance-related services are offered digitally for your convenience. No paperwork and no form-filling. Simplified and convenient insurance experience.

3) No-stress Claims:

Usually, policyholders feel a lot of stress when it comes to claiming insurance. That’s not the case with Acko. You can log in to your account on the website to raise a claim and track it. Acko even offers pick-up, repair and drop facility in select locations to make the car insurance claims process hassle-free.

Key Takeaways:

Listed below are the highlights of this article.

Loss of Personal Belongings Cover is
an add-on to a Comprehensive Car Insurance Policy.
There can be different types of Personal Belongings Covers such as cover for damages, theft, and electronic equipment. However, they can be bundled as well.
Make it a point to read the exclusions of the policy before purchasing, renewing, and claiming.
Depreciation of the lost item will be calculated during claim settlement.
Loss of Personal Belongings Cover add-on can be purchased along with a Comprehensive Policy by visiting www.acko.com.

Also, read: Car Theft Insurance

Frequently Asked Questions:

Mentioned below are some questions and answers that are frequently discussed when it comes to a Loss of Personal Belongings Cover in car insurance.

Do all insurers offer such an add-on?

All insurers may or may not offer the Loss of Personal Belongings Cover. You can conduct basic online research or reach out to the insurer for details.

Can I purchase this add-on for just a year as I am going to go on a lot of road trips during this period?

Yes, you can purchase this add-on for a year and leave it out from your car insurance plan while renewing it for the next year.

Is the theft of a mobile phone from an insured car covered by a Loss of Personal Belongings Cover?

You will have to refer to the respective policy’s Policy Wordings for the answer as inclusions and exclusions can vary from policy to policy and insurer to insurer.

Do I need to submit a First Information Report in case of theft of an item from the insured car to claim against this add-on?

In most cases, a First Information Report is essential. However, you can discuss the same with the insurer.

Can I purchase this add-on while renewing Comprehensive Car Insurance Online?

Yes, if your insurer offers such an add-on, you can purchase it online while renewing your vehicle’s Comprehensive Policy.

Disclaimer: The content on this page is generic and shared only for informational and explanatory purposes. It is based on industry experience and several secondary sources on the internet; and is subject to changes. Please go through the applicable policy wordings for updated ACKO-centric content and before making any insurance-related decisions.

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