Etiqa Car Insurance 2024 Review Singapore

Looking to insure your car in Singapore but want coverage that adapts to your unique driving habits?

Etiqa Car Insurance stands out in 2024 with its versatile coverage options, whether you're a daily commuter, occasional weekend driver or simply need to protect your vehicle while it sits in storage. Their flexible plans allow you to customise protection based on how you actually use your car, ensuring you don't pay for coverage you don't need.

While some auto insurers believe in bundling as many useful benefits the average driver would need as possible into an all-rounded plan, Etiqa takes a different approach.

Instead, the insurer simply includes only essential benefits in its base plans and provides several other attractive and useful benefits as optional add-ons, one of which even allows you save up to 30% in cash rebates yearly (more on that below).

This way, drivers can customise their auto insurance plans to a greater degree than they might find at other insurers, helping them to control their premiums in the process. 

However, this degree of flexibility may not be suitable for everyone. For example, a young, new driver anxious about high premiums may be tempted to skip certain add-ons, not realising their importance.  

In this guide, we’ll take a closer look at how Etiqa Private Car Insurance works. 

Etiqa Car Insurance Review: Key Pros and Cons

Find out how Etiqa Private Car Insurance compares with other top providers. 

Click on 'Compare Best Car Insurance' now and find a plan that best suits your driving needs at the lowest cost!

Key features of Etiqa Private Car Insurance

#1: Base plans offer limited benefits, but useful add-ons allow customisation

One thing to note about Etiqa Private Car Insurance is that the base plans actually offer very limited benefits. On their own, the three plans mainly focus on damage or loss due to accidents, theft or fire - along with some personal accident and third-party liability cover. That’s about it. 

Other useful benefits such as medical and dental expenses, loss of use, and emergency assistance like towing, are offered as add-ons, which you have to choose when purchasing your plan. 

Such a structure allows for a greater degree of customisation, but it also means you’ll need to consider your insurance needs more carefully in order to properly customise your plan.

As mentioned above, Etiqa Private Car Insurance offers a unique add-on called Drive Less Save More to help infrequent drivers save money. This add-on provides cash rebates up to 30% yearly, based on how frequent you drive.

The Drive Less Save More add-on is free to add when you initially sign up for or renew your Etiqa car insurance policy. Any cash rebates earned will be credited to your TiqConnect eWallet. This reward system allows occasional drivers to save money the less they use their car.

#2: Attractive perks for drivers

Etiqa offers a few attractive perks for drivers, ranging from freebies to warranties and even cross-border coverage. 

Drivers with young children can opt for free child seat cover of up to S$300. Additionally, you can get an extra 5% premium discount for staying demerit-free. Windscreen cover is unlimited, but there’s an excess of S$100 per claim.  

If you want to drive into Malaysia and Thailand, know that your vehicle is covered in West Malaysia, and as far away as Thailand (although only within 80km of the Malaysian border).

Also, repairs carried out by Etiqa’s authorised workshops come with a nine-month warranty. 

#3: Low-priced plan for those storing their vehicles 

If you’re mainly looking to protect just your vehicle and the personal belongings inside (perhaps you’re planning on storing your prized sports car), this plan will help you do so without having to spend too much on premiums.

Specifically, the Third-Party, Fire and Theft plan protects your vehicle against damage or loss against fire and theft, while also extending some personal liability cover. 

This is useful if, say, your vehicle parked at your condo carpark exploded due to sabotage or a fire, and now the MSCT is suing you for damages.

The Third-Party Only plan, on the other hand, only offers personal liability cover. This may be useful in case your vehicle is involved in an accident while being moved between storage locations by another driver. 

Important exclusions to note

Take note of these exclusions if you’re considering signing up for an Etiqa Private Car Insurance policy. For the full list of exclusions and other important information, read the policy wordings here. 

Your policy doesn’t insure you against: 

• mechanical, electrical or electronic breakdown, failure or breakage to your car 
• damage and/or loss to tyres unless other parts of the car are damaged in the same accident 
• loss of or damage to accessories and fittings that are not installed by the manufacturer, and spare parts that are not in/on the car at the time of damage, loss or theft, unless otherwise endorsed into the policy (basically, everything you spruced up your car with)
• any damage and/or loss if your claim is lodged after fourteen (14) days of the loss or accident 
• any loss arising out of delay in claims settlement due to non-availability or delay in delivery of spare parts.

Who is best suited for Etiqa Private Car Insurance?

Etiqa Private Car Insurance offers pretty comprehensive coverage, alongside attractive perks and useful services that are available as add-ons.

As such, this plan is best suited for drivers who are clear about their auto insurance needs and seek a degree of customisation in their policy to help control premiums.

If you don't drive your vehicle regularly, its Drive Less Save More add-on should prove useful as it allows you to save up to 30% in cash rebates yearly. 

Plan tiers, premiums and latest promotions

What plan tiers are available for Etiqa Private Car Insurance?

The following table contains a summary of the Etiqa Private Car Insurance policy. Be sure to study the policy in its entirety before making a purchase.

How much does Etiqa Private Car Insurance cost?

Young, inexperienced male drivers typically get charged high premiums by auto insurance companies, who consider them the riskiest category of drivers. 

Hence, we’ve constructed such a profile as a completely unscientific test of how friendly Etiqa is to young drivers. Here are the quotes we got for a 25-year-old male driver with two years’ driving experience, driving a Mazda 3 1.6A.

At a glance, Etiqa’s premiums for private car insurance looks a little cheaper than some other plans for a similar driver profile. 

But as pointed out in the previous section, the base plans do not offer much coverage beyond the basics. 

Instead, Etiqa has a whole slew of other add-ons - some of them quite useful, like personal accident, towing assistance, etc - which you can bundle together with your plan. With all the add-ons thrown in, the difference for the year can add up to over S$900!

Of the add-ons, the four most important ones to consider getting are:

• Etiqa Package - which contains several useful services that you’ll need in case of an accident
• Gap Cover - which is a rarely offered benefit that can help you mitigate the financial fallout of total loss of your vehicle
• My Workshop - This allows you to send your car for servicing at a workshop of your choice. Useful if you have an established relationship, or want to ensure only authorised dealers work on your car. However, this can be quite expensive - in our test, choosing this option increased our premiums by more than S$500!
• Drive Less Save More - With this, you can save up to 30% in cash rebates yearly depending on how much you drive. Who doesn't love savings right?

If you’d like to compare the cost and benefits of Etiqa car insurance to other car insurance plans, simply complete the form below. You will receive 6 free, customised quotes instantly to evaluate for the best deal that fits your driving needs.

What promotions are there for Etiqa Private Car Insurance?

Eagle-eyed readers may have spotted a discount displayed in the quotes screenshotted above.

Indeed, Etiqa is having an ongoing promotion for Private Car Insurance. Here are the details:

How to file a claim with Etiqa car insurance after an accident?

Being in a car accident can be stressful and confusing. Follow these steps to smoothly file an insurance claim with Etiqa after an accident:

At the accident scene:

• Exchange particulars with all involved parties - name, NRIC/FIN, contact details, insurer info.
• Note down vehicle numbers and take photos of vehicles and accident scene.
• Call an Etiqa Approved Reporting Centre for advice and towing if needed.
• File a police report if there are injuries, damage to government property, foreign vehicle involved, pedestrian/cyclist involved, hit-and-run, or vandalism.

Within 24 hours:

• Bring your vehicle, driving license, NRIC, and police report (if applicable) to the Etiqa Approved Reporting Centre for inspection.

In terms of documentation, you'll want to prepare:

• Attending Physician Statement if you sustained any injuries
• Any relevant medical test reports
• Medically boarded out letter if you have one

Submit all required documents to the Etiqa Approved Reporting Centre. It's important to report the accident and bring in your vehicle promptly, as failing to do so within 24 hours may affect your NCD or claim eligibility.

You can also contact Etiqa at (65) 6887 8777 or customer.service@etiqa.com.sg for claims assistance.

Conclusion

Etiqa's car insurance provides an affordable base plan with the option to pay for add-ons. Drivers can tailor their coverage by choosing from various useful add-ons like personal accident coverage, roadside assistance, and more. 

However, note that the base plan offer limited benefits on its own. So drivers should consider their needs carefully when opting for add-ons to get sufficient coverage. 

Ultimately, Etiqa's flexibility allows drivers to customise the plan to match their desired budget. 

Before purchasing Etiqa's car insurance, compare plans on SingSaver to find the most suitable and cost-effective car insurance for your needs.

SingSaver lets you easily compare comprehensive quotes from major insurers, and reward you with exclusive discounts and gifts.

Note: The content of this article is presented for information purposes only. Always speak to a certified financial adviser or qualified person before buying the product. If you choose not to seek advice from a qualified adviser, you should consider whether the product is suitable for you. Buying an insurance product that is not suitable for you may impact your ability to finance your future needs.

If you decide that the policy is not suitable after purchasing the policy, you may terminate the policy in accordance with the free-look provision, if any, and the insurer may recover from you any expense incurred by the insurer in underwriting the policy.

Read these next:
Car Insurance 2019: What You Need To Know And How These 5 Factors Determine Your Car Insurance Premium
5 Best Car Insurance Plans in Singapore (July 2021)
11 Fun (and Lesser-Known) Facts About Car Insurance For You Car Owners
5 Top Causes Of Car Accidents In Singapore
Buying An Electric Car In Singapore: A Complete Guide