Motor Claims

• NCD stands for No Claim Discount, it's also called NCB (No Claim Bonus). If you have not made any claims for a year or more, you're entitled to a NCD. And you may still be entitled to a NCD even if you have made a claim, provided you are not liable for the accident. The NCD reduces the policy premium for the following year. The following table shows how the NCD is set by all insurers across the industry.

• Before making any claims, please check whether the total repair costs incurred is likely to be lower than the current discounts / rebates on your premium (NCD), it is advisable not to claim the repair cost from your insurance. You're better off paying for the repairs yourself in the long run.
  Refer to the following table to know how much discount on the premium you get to enjoy after you have made any claims. (You'll lost 30% NCD if you make a single claim. Base on NO NCD Protector cover.)

• Insure against the loss of the NCD? (NCD Protector) If you have accumulated a 50% NCD (without a claim in five years), some insurers may allow you to buy protection against the loss of the discount.
  Please check with your insurer whether NCD cover is available. (Some insurers allow their clients to add on this benefit if their NCD is 40% and above.)
  By paying a small amount of extra premium, you can make one claim during the year, and still have the discount fully protected. The 50% NCD is protected as follows:

• Transfer of the NCD
  Your No Claim Discount is not transferable to any other person.
  However, your No Claim Discount can be transferred from one car to another, but it can't be applied to more than one vehicle at any point in time. For example, if you have accumulated a 50% NCD while using one vehicle, it does not follow that the same NCD applies to any other vehicle that you own or decide to buy. In other words, you will have to earn the NCD for each vehicle separately.
  In principle, the NCD applies to the owner only and not to the vehicle. For example, if you sell your vehicle and buy another one, you will retain your NCD. However, if you own more than one vehicle, you might have a different NCD for each vehicle. You should check the details with your insurer.
• You are a foreigner or expatriate coming to live in Singapore
  The NCD from your country is taken into consideration when you get insurance here in Singapore. You may entitle to a NCD if you can provide your insurer a letter or other certificate from your last insurance company in which stating that you have been insured over the last 12 months or the number of "claim-free" years.

• Excess, also called deductible, is to the first amount of the claim which the insured has bear. The insurer normally imposes some excess as this would serve as a form of co-insurance. With an excess, the insured would tend to be more careful because if a claims occur, the insured also has to fork out of his/her own pocket and contribute towards the claim. In general, the higher the excess, the more careful the insured would be and hence the lower risk of making a claim.
• Type of Excess:
1. Excess All claims
   It means the total excess applicable for every accident.
2. Excess - Damage claims
   Your insurance policy is divided into many sections. Normally, there are two kinds of sections: Section 1 and Section 2.
   • Section 1. The Excess in Section 1 means the excess applies to an own damage claim only. Take this scenario, if you see terms such as Excess: $500 (Section 1 Only) means the excess applies to an own damage claim only. That means, the insured hits another vehicle and his own damage is $5,000 and the third party's damage is $9,000, then the excess of $500 shall only apply to his own damage claim, ie the insured only pays $500 and the insurer pays $4,500 for his own damage of $5,000. As for the third party claim, the insurer would pay the full amount of $9,000.
   • Section 2. This section deals with Third Party Claims. So if there is an excess in this section, it means if there is any third party claim payable this excess shall apply. Take the scenario above as well, if you see terms such as Excess: $500 (Section 2) on the policy, the insured pays $500 and the insurer pays $4,500 for his own damage of $5,000; for the third party claim, the insured has to fork out also $500 while insurer would pay $8,500 for a claim of $9,000.
3. Young, Inexperienced and Elderly Drivers Excess
4. Unnamed Driver Excess
   Liable when claiming your own insurance to repair your accident vehicle, and the driver is not listed as Named Driver at the insurance policy.
5. Excess - Third Party (Property) Damage
   You can't claim your own insurance. The insurer will only cover the damage of other vehicles, property etc if you're liable for the accident.
• Some insurers might provide a option that you can choose higher Excess to reduce your insurance premiums. Please check with the insurer base on your driving experience and age.

If you have a comprehensive policy, we may recommend that you file an own-damage claim, i.e. a claim against your own policy, if unsure of which party might be at fault.

• Your insurer will settle your claim as soon as possible, after deducting your excess.
• Your NCD will not necessarily be adjusted.
• If your insurer successfully recovers your claim including your excess from the other party's insurer, your excess amount will be reimbursed to you eventually.