But before you pick an insurance provider or even a policy, you must understand car insurance.

First, let’s look at the different types of car insurance:

• Liability insurance- Also known as Third-party insurance- This option covers any injury or damage you may have caused to another person and their vehicle or property. This is the legally required minimum coverage for motor vehicles in Barbados. Driving without being insured against third-party risks may disqualify you from holding or obtaining a license for 12 months from the conviction date. While this insurance is the most cost-effective option, it lacks coverage for your car damages.

• Collision- Collision insurance covers damage to your vehicle. It may help you repair your car or even replace it. This type of insurance does not cover medical bills, damage to someone else’s vehicle, or damage to yours unrelated to driving such as a tree falling on your car.

• Comprehensive- As the name suggests, this type of insurance is comprehensive but can be costly. Comprehensive insurance policies, like what we offer at General Accident can cover:
  • The costs for mechanical repairs, accessories, and spare parts
  • The cost of wrecking/towing services if the vehicle is totaled.
  • Replacement vehicle hire in case your vehicle is undrivable after a collision.
  • Repairs or replacement for broken windscreen or window glass
  • Medical expenses for the insured driver or authorized driver.
  • Legal charges such as manslaughter
  • Clothes and personal effects are lost in an accident with exclusions for things like money and jewelry.
  • Damage caused by natural disasters and civil unrest.

Optional Coverage

Depending on your insurance provider, your budget, and your overall preference, you can choose to get optional coverage for your motor vehicle such as:

There are other types of car insurance coverage you may be interested in such as:

• Personal Injury Protection- This ensures the policyholder and passengers get their medical bills covered after an incident.
• Uninsured Motorist Coverage- This helps you to get compensation if you’re in an incident with an uninsured driver.
• Glass Breakage- You can put in a claim for broken glass, whether windscreen or windows with this policy.

Criteria for Evaluating the Best Car Insurance Providers

If you’re looking for the right car insurance provider we recommend evaluating certain factors.

We recommend you evaluate:

• Affordability and premium costs- Contact at least three car insurance providers and get the costs for a couple of the policies such as the one required by law and the ones that appeal the most to you. Note the ones that are within your budget. The policies with the least coverage will be more affordable and the ones with the most coverage will attract a higher cost. Your premium is the amount of money, you, the policyholder have paid or agreed to pay to the insurance company for their acceptance of his risk. You have to consider whether or not this is within your budget.

  Coverage options and flexibility—When evaluating car insurance providers, consider the various coverage options and their flexibility. For example, if you’re looking for comprehensive insurance, look at what each provider offers. You may find that they vary a bit.

• Customer service and claims handling- If and when you need to contact your insurance after an incident, the last thing you want is bad customer service and issues with claims handling. Read reviews on the internet and ask around to find current and past clients of the car insurance providers you’re evaluating. Find out about the quality of the customer service and how they handle claims. Don’t be afraid to contact them and test their customer service yourself.