Car Insurance Buying Guide for Those Moving to Thailand

[DirectAsia]

Car Insurance Buying Guide for Those Moving to Thailand

It is compulsory for vehicle owners in Thailand to have car insurance, and you will be required to have at least a Compulsory Motor Insurance (CMI or PorRorBor) policy.

You can buy CMI from the local Department of Land Transport Office (DLT), from car insurance companies and from brokers, including at DirectAsia.co.th. The only information required is your passport number and car details.

CMI however only covers third party liability. You can buy Voluntary Motor Insurance (VMI) to enjoy greater protection.

There are more than fifty insurance companies offering car insurance in Thailand. Products and price are generally similar, in part due to a regulatory tariff, which ensures that premiums charged are within a minimum and maximum tariff. Cheaper “third party plus” products are available but full comprehensive insurance known as Type 1, has become popular due to a high frequency of vehicle damage in Thailand.

Insurance premium is usually based on vehicle factors like make, model, year of manufacture and engine capacity. However, some providers like DirectAsia.com, will seek more details about drivers for more accurate premiums and to help safe drivers save.

Flexible or “any” driver plans are common but if you specify the driver(s) you should get more accurate premiums.

Be aware that you may get to choose an option that allows you to have your car repaired at your preferred workshop, compared with the insurer’s panel of workshops.

If you buy a new car in Thailand on finance, you may feel like you have little choice of insurer due to dealers bundling car, finance and insurance where often you end up with expensive insurance. In this case, it’s worth at least getting a quick comparison quote so you know where you stand. If you are paying cash for a car or it’s a second hand car, you will find much greater freedom of choice.

A new trend is quoting and purchasing car insurance online, owing to its direct and instant nature. Non-Thai speakers may also benefit from information may be presented in English. In the case of DirectAsia Thailand, there is also English speaking support on the Customer Care hotline on Tel: 0-2627-7777. This can be important, especially if you are in an accident and need support at the roadside.

[Jeffrey346]

The DirectAsia.com website says your car must be registered in Singapore.

To get started please confirm that:

The main driver of the car is aged 70 and below and has a valid driving licence of at least 2 years.The car is not used for commercial purposes or for hire/reward.No driver has had any class of licence suspended or cancelled in the last 5 years.The car is registered in Singapore and any modifications it may have are LTA compliant.

[Jeffrey346]

BTW, They do not insure pickups

[sometimewoodworker]

The DirectAsia.com website says your car must be registered in Singapore.

No it doesn't if you change the country to Thailand!!

However it doesn't cover the Toyota Vigo

[superal]

Am I correct in my thinking that when the car has its annual test and tax disc issued , a basic insurance is included in the fee ?

[canopus1969]

Am I correct in my thinking that when the car has its annual test and tax disc issued , a basic insurance is included in the fee ?

You need to have the basic (Government) insurance before the Road Tax can be bought

[DirectAsia]

Jeffrey346 and sometime woodworker - We’re sorry that we could not provide you quotes for your pick-ups. We are working hard on this now and will update in this forum when cover for pick-ups becomes available.

superal – That’s a great and common question. The answer is no, you will need to show evidence of your Compulsory Motor Insurance in order to be able to renew/pay your road tax, it is pre-requisite. For more info call us at 0-2627 7777.

Thank you very much for your replies and comments.

Have a great Friday!

DirectAsia Thailand

[superal]

Jeffrey346 and sometime woodworker - We’re sorry that we could not provide you quotes for your pick-ups. We are working hard on this now and will update in this forum when cover for pick-ups becomes available.

superal – That’s a great and common question. The answer is no, you will need to show evidence of your Compulsory Motor Insurance in order to be able to renew/pay your road tax, it is pre-requisite. For more info call us at 0-2627 7777.

Thank you very much for your replies and comments.

Have a great Friday!

DirectAsia Thailand

Yesterday I had my car tested and at the same time the compulsory insurance was paid . The documents were then passed over to the tax disc issuing office . Totally compliant ?

[DirectAsia]

Hi Superal. I am not sure the circumstances, but there is a rule that cars older than 7 years need to be tested at the Dept of Land Transport (Krom Karn Khon Song Tang Bok). At those offices, there are insurance companies that will operate booths or will have authorized agents at booths offering Compulsory Car Insurance on the spot. This is to help car owners who need urgent cover. If you bought from one of these, you should have received your official policy there and the Dept of Land Transport officer would have viewed this in order to pass your car registration and payment. If this is the case, everything sounds fine. There have been cases in the past of unscrupulous and sometimes fake agents selling fake policies, but the regulator has taken measures to prevent that, such as standardized and controlled policy paper across all insurers. It is also a requirement for all Compulsory policies to be updated to a central database in real time. If you feel uncertain at all, you can check the status of your policy by contacting the insurer named on the policy, or by calling the insurance regulator http://www.oic.or.th/th/contact/ on their hotline 1186. There is also a service from the Road Accident Victims Protection Company http://www.rvp.co.th/ which can access the database and their number is 1791. You will need to quote your ID, car plate number or chassis number. Please note that you will need Thai language to use these hotlines. We hope this is helpful.

DirectAsia Thailand

[stubuzz]

I got a good package from DirectAsia.

[stevenl]

I got a good package from DirectAsia.

Are your policy and policy conditions in English?

[DirectAsia]

"Yes, our policy and package are in bilingual (English and Thai). Also, our call center staff can communicate in English. You can call 02-627-7777."

[Valentine]

Went to the website, posted details needed for insurance renewal on Mitsubishi Attrage which is due next month, then did not hear anything back from this company.

[DirectAsia]

Dear Valentine, thank you for interest in DirectAsia.co.th and allowing us to provide you a quote over the phone. If you have any concerns, comments or issues in the future please call us on 0-2627-7777. We’re always here to serve you again.

[Valentine]

Dear Valentine, thank you for interest in DirectAsia.co.th and allowing us to provide you a quote over the phone. If you have any concerns, comments or issues in the future please call us on 0-2627-7777. We’re always here to serve you again.

I must have missed that phone call. Sorry but based on your "service" I shall be looking for another company to insure the car I posted on the website plus another 2.

[Naam]

does your company provide comprehensive cover for oldtimers , e.g. for my "E-Type" model 1969?

[stevenl]

Dear Valentine, thank you for interest in DirectAsia.co.th and allowing us to provide you a quote over the phone. If you have any concerns, comments or issues in the future please call us on 0-2627-7777. We’re always here to serve you again.

So you don't react to website enquiries, but do expect prospective customers to follow up themselves with a phonecall why they did not receive their quotation?

[DirectAsia]

Hi Valentine, we apologise for any inconvenience to you. Our process is to not be intrusive with calls and to only contact people who want to be contacted. Currently, you can get a quote on our website without leaving any contact details. However, once all details are confirmed and you leave contact details, we then confirm and save the quote and can provide follow-up service. What we did after seeing posts here, is we searched all our saved quotes in the period and only found one Mitsubishi Attrage, with contact details but no name. Between no name there and aliases used on this forum, we have misunderstood that we contacted you. We will earnestly try to find a better way to meet the challenge of providing quotes and service without being intrusive and while leaving our customers in control of their buying process. We hope this may help explain and appreciate the time you took to check out our new service.

DirectAsia Thailand team

[KittenKong]

Were sorry that we could not provide you quotes for your pick-ups. We are working hard on this now and will update in this forum when cover for pick-ups becomes available.

I shall be looking forward to that.