Buying a car is unquestionably a major milestone in life, but you need to pay attention to its needs too. This includes conducting timely repairs, maintenance of the vehicle and of course, buying car insurance.
But along with getting the right policy for you, you also need to make sure its benefits continue to serve your needs, as long as you have ownership of the car. This means ensuring you keep a check on your car insurance status and renew it on time.
Why Should You Renew Your Car Insurance Policy On Time
Buying car insurance is as important as buying a car. There are a number of factors that make it important for you to keep an eye on your car insurance status. In fact, with the number of technological advances made in the country, you can also check car insurance online to know when you need to start the renewal process. The validity period of car insurance generally lasts for a year. Here’s some of the reasons why you should be vigilant of your car insurance status, and renew it on time:
Legal Issues
To drive on Indian roads, you need to be in possession of at least a third party car insurance policy. Any time you drive without a valid policy, you automatically become a legal offender. This could lead to high penalties if caught by the traffic police. This is because the Motor Vehicle Act regards an expired car insurance policy the same as having no car insurance. This also means that if you get into an accident, all the expenses for the upcoming legal battle will fall entirely on you. That is why you should keep track of your car insurance status. You can also make the process easier and check car insurance online.
No Protection
Having a valid car insurance policy is highly beneficial, especially since it provides coverage to you against any financial burden due to an accident i.e. your vehicle causing injury to any third party, or it ends up damaging any third-party property. This is in addition to the financial assistance for your own vehicle. But when your car insurance expires, the coverage also stops. This makes you highly financially vulnerable at critical moments.
You Need To Carry Out Re-inspection Of Your Car
If your policy expires, you will have to carry out re-inspection of your vehicle before the new plan can be made in your name. To do so, an inspection agent will visit you to check out your vehicle. The inspection report submitted by the agent will be scrutinized. If everything seems up to code, a fresh policy will be issued. To avoid going through this hassle, make sure you keep track of your car insurance status, as the renewal process is far more relaxed.
You Lose Out On Your NCB
No Claim Bonus or NCB is a benefit provided as an incentive for safe driving. The incentive is for not making a claim during your policy term. This bonus is given through discounts on your premium amount, during your insurance renewal. Your No Claim Bonus can increase till 50 percent for not making any claim for 5 years. But if you default on your renewal, the entire accumulated amount will be lost. That is why, check car insurance online so you renew your insurance policy on time.
High Premium
When buying a fresh car insurance policy, you won’t have many discounts, so the premium amount you will pay will be significantly higher. When your car insurance policy lapses, you have to go through the entire purchase process, which means submitting your application. But this time, your application will be looked over more severely, since you have neglected to continue on with your car insurance policy.
That is why it is advisable to check car insurance status, in order to avoid the above mentioned issues. You can check these details online on the websites of the Regional Transport Office (RTO) and Parivahan Sena. The details of how to do this are as follows:
Checking Details on RTO:
After you visit the website, follow these steps to check your car insurance details:
- Go to the ‘Online Services - For Citizens’ option
- Click on the ‘Vehicle Related Online Services’ option
- Click on the “VAHAN Citizen Services’ option
- Pick the details of the RTO office where your car is registered
- Under the ‘Status’ tab of the menu bar, select ‘Know Your Vehicle Details’
- Fill in your car registration number, chassis number and engine number
- After you fill the captcha code, your details will be displayed
Checking Details On Parivahan Sena Website:
Once you enter the website, follow these steps to get your car insurance details:
- Select ‘Informational Services’ option on the menu bar
- Click on ‘Know Your Vehicle Details’ in the drop down menu
- This redirects you to the ‘Vahan NR e-services page
- Input your mobile number and complete the citizen login process
- Input your car registration information and the verification code
- After selecting the ‘Search Vehicle’ option, you will see all your car insurance details
Also Read: Car Insurance Important During Monsoon Time?