Many drivers place a blind trust in their broker and do not worry about finding out what all that pile of papers that they give us when contracting a Car Insurance policy says . It is an error to ignore the fundamental points of the contract in which the guarantees and exclusions that cover our vehicle are established.

That beautiful folder that we keep in the glove compartment of the car can go months without opening and when any problem arises, with the nerves of that moment, we have doubts about what coverage we have or if this or that assumption falls within the guarantee. Sometimes we even find it difficult to find the insurer's information to give a part, among all the insurance documentation.

To put a little order, in this post we propose a review of the elements that are present in the Car Insurance policy , and we detail who is who in this type of contract. Let's start by analyzing the people who participate in an Auto Insurance contract and what their role is.

 

Many drivers are not very clear about the role played by the Insurance broker who sells us the policy or the difference between the owner and the owner of the car, in relation to their policy and the contracted coverage.

When signing the policy, there are various figures involved that not only must be known, but it is convenient to know the role they play in relation to that contract. These are the people who are related to the Auto Insurance policy.

 

It is the person who signs the Car Insurance policy with the insurer, assuming the obligations derived from the contract, according to the Law. It is the policyholder who agrees to pay the Insurance premium and who decides essential aspects such as the renewal or not of the Insurance. 

 

The insured person is the one who receives the policy coverage. In relation to the contract, he is considered the holder of the interest object of the Insurance and, if there were no policyholder (many times the policyholder and the insured are the same person in the Car Insurance), the insured would assume the obligations derived from the contract. This post about the policyholder and the insured can help you differentiate between the two figures.

 

The driver in an Insurance contract is a person who is legally qualified to drive and who, with the consent of the insured or owner of the insured vehicle, drives the car while his Insurance is in force. If you are interested, here we tell you more about the types of drivers that Insurance takes into account .

According to the law, the driver is civilly liable for the risks that may arise from driving the vehicle and the damage caused to third parties or their property in a possible accident or traffic accident.

 

We can find references to two types of drivers in a policy: the habitual driver and the possible occasional drivers .

Regardless of the importance they have in establishing the price of the Insurance, it should be noted that it is always necessary to include occasional drivers in the contract.

Failure to do so may result in the insurer rejecting a claim or applying the equity rule. In addition, in certain cases (travel assistance to people, defense of fines), the Insurance can cover only the people who appear as drivers in the policy.

 

The insured car always has an owner. The owner is the owner of the vehicle, as stated in the car's circulation permit.

 

It is the Insurance company that assumes the risks detailed in the policy and guarantees the contracted coverage, under the terms detailed in the Insurance contract. In exchange, he receives a premium for the provision of that coverage.

 

The figure of the Insurance broker is increasingly important. This person exercises a role as an independent mediator between his clients and the insurers, advising the insured and defending their interests. In this post we tell you in more detail what you can expect from an Insurance broker.

 

In Insurance, the beneficiary is the person who has the right to receive compensation, in the event of a certain claim.

In auto policies, it is common for the beneficiary to be both policyholder and insured. Although it may not be so, for example, in the case of a Driver Accident Insurance in which compensation is established for the death of the insured.

 

Once we are clear about the people involved in the insurance contract and what their role is, we go into detail about all the documentation for car insurance. That folder that they give us when we insure the vehicle contains all the information of the Insurance that we have contracted, its coverage and the conditions of the contract.

This information is organized in several parts:

  • General conditions

  • Particular conditions

  • Other documents and the accident-friendly report.

 

To know the coverage of the Car Insurance we will have to dive into the conditions of the policy . And it is in the general conditions of the Insurance where the rights of the insured and the general lines of operation of the coverage are explained.

It is essential to spend time reading this part of the policy, especially if we are thinking of changing Insurance . When hiring a car policy  we always look for the best price, but it is also convenient to compare the conditions of some insurers and others, for the same coverage.

This is because the general conditions of Car Insurance are different for each company. In fact, the conditioning can vary its length and collect more or less points, depending on each case.

However, there are basic elements that are included in the general conditions of any Insurance policy. In this way, in the general conditions we can read how civil liability coverage works , both compulsory and voluntary, and explains the legal protection provided to the user.

In addition, information is provided on the main coverage of the policy, indicating the cases that are covered and those that are not, both the exclusions common to all the coverages, as well as the particular ones.

This is where the operation of guarantees is explained as:

  • Driver Accident Insurance.
  • Travel assistance.
  • Window and windshield breakage.
  • Fire and theft.
  • Own damage.

 

The steps to follow to claim insurance compensation are also included and instructions are given to process claims and manage the various services that the insurer provides to its clients.

 

The particular conditions of the policy are fundamental, since they clarify aspects that are included in the general conditions and, in addition, they include the particularities that affect the coverage of each user.

This is where the type of Insurance the user hires is established and each and every one of the coverages he has contracted is mentioned. This point is important, since the particular condition will always prevail over the general condition of our insurer. Therefore, although certain coverage is stated in the general conditions, they will only be active if they are reflected in the particular conditions.

In addition, the specific conditions include relevant data from our Insurance contract, so that the people related to the policy are clearly identified, be it the policyholder, the insured and the beneficiaries, the driver, as well as the data of the insurer and the mediator.

 

A fundamental part of our policy is the one dedicated to Insurance information. The policy number , the data of the insurer and the insurance brokerage , together with the data of the insured vehicle and the people involved in the contract, are essential to process claims and have access to various services.

This information must be very precise, so it is advisable to review these points well before signing the contract to avoid headaches in the future.

Likewise, in the particular conditions other important data related to the Insurance coverage are established. The date on which the Insurance comes into force and the expiration date of the policy must appear .

It also details aspects such as the insured and their beneficiaries , or the non-standard accessories that the car may include and that the client wants to include in the policy, or other qualifications that are necessary to delimit the insured risk in the contracted coverage.

 

This document that we can find in the Insurance documentation will be of great help to us if we ever suffer a small accident with another vehicle and both parties agree on who is responsible for the accident. However, there are already applications that allow us to report accidents online .

The friendly accident report or "Friendly declaration of car accidents" is a document that must be completed by the drivers of the vehicles involved in an accident, which describes the damage suffered and detailed with a sketch the position of the vehicles when suffering the accident.

Accident friendly declarations are always the same, regardless of the insurance company. In fact, the model is the same in Spain and in any other country in the European Union.

Whenever the accident report is completed:

  • Fill in all the sections.

  • Describe what has happened in the best way in the sketch

  • Sign it and make sure the opposite signs it.

  • Do not modify it once signed.

  • Deliver it to the insurance company and keep a copy.

 

In addition, in the Insurance documentation there are data that may be necessary, such as the insurer's customer service data or the Insurance Assistance telephone number . This information is usually presented in an accessible and easy to carry format, such as a card, in which we will find the communication channels where we can notify the Insurance in the event of an incident.

In general, these phones are free, and it is convenient to always carry them by hand, because it is the first resource we use when the car breaks down or we are involved in an accident. If not, we can always contact our Insurance broker to help us out.