Singtel Car Protect Review: Straightforward and Affordable Car Insurance Plan

The newly launched Singtel Car Protect offers simplicity and affordability for drivers. Here’s everything you need to know to decide if this plan is right for you. 

It’s strange to see Singtel putting its name on a car insurance plan. After all, what does the telco giant know about insuring private cars and their drivers, right?

But rest assured, Singtel Car Protect is a collaboration, and the policy is underwritten by Great Eastern General Insurance Limited. 

In case you didn’t know, Great Eastern holds the distinction of being the oldest life insurance company in Singapore and Malaysia, so despite appearances, you’ll be in good hands.

So, what does Singtel Car Protect actually offer, what are its strengths and weaknesses, and what type of drivers is this plan designed for?

Well, that’s what we’ll be discussing in this article, which will cover the following:

• Pros and cons of Singtel Car Protect
• Key features of Singtel Car Protect
• Important exclusions to note
• For whom is Singtel Car Protect best suited?
• Plan tiers, premiums and latest promotions
• How to claim

Pros and cons of Singtel Car Protect

Key features of Singtel Car Protect

#1: Affordable and straightforward car insurance plan

Singtel Car Protect is a simple and straightforward car insurance plan that covers you against the common risks you’re most likely to face as a driver. 

It adopts a stripped down approach, choosing to focus only on the benefits that are critical, and as a result is able to achieve a relatively affordable price point. 

However, the lack of extras and optional add-ons severely limit the customisability of this plan, which may be a no-go in the eyes of drivers with more sophisticated needs.

But for those looking for a no-frills comprehensive plan, the simplicity of Singtel Car Protect may prove refreshing. 

#2: Accident towing covered by default

Despite not being as richly featured as some other car insurance policies on the market, Singtel Car Protect makes sure to cover accident towing charges across all three of its plans. 

You can claim up to S$300 in towing charges in case your vehicle becomes inoperational due to an accident. This is a useful benefit that helps pare down the financial costs of an accident. 

#3: Personal accident and medical benefits included for two out of three tiers

Singtel Car Protect comes in three different tiers — Value, Essential and Premium — with the latter two also offering personal accident and medical benefits. 

As the policyholder, you’ll be covered for up to S$120,000 for accidental death and disablement. Authorised drivers and passengers, meanwhile, will be covered for up to S$50,000 each for the same. 

Additionally, there is also a medical benefit for you, authorised drivers and passengers maxing out at S$1,000 each. 

The limits for these benefits are one of the highest available and offer a considerable degree of assurance, in particular for the policyholder. 

Important exclusions to note

Take note of these exclusions if you’re considering signing up for Singtel Car Protect. For the full list of exclusions and other important information, read the policy booklet here.

Singtel Car Protect does not cover: 

• Loss of use of insured vehicle, or any other consequential loss
• Depreciation, wear and tear, electrical and mechanical breakdowns, failures and breakages
• Damage to tyres (unless as consequence of accident that damaged other car parts at the same time)
• Claims arising from the vehicle being driven with more passengers or a larger load than it is licensed for
• Loss, liability, damage, disease, injury or death, arising from or in connection with a communicable disease (i.e., cannot be used to cover claims against you if your passenger contracts COVID-19 while riding in your car, for example)

For whom is Singtel Car Protect best suited?

Singtel Car Protect offers a good balance between protection and cost. 

You’ll get coverage for the three most common insurance needs for drivers — loss, damage or theft; third-party liabilities; and personal accident and medical expenses — and a competitive price point to go along with them.

What you won’t find are add-ons and optional extras, but then again, these may or may not be necessary or applicable in your context.

Singtel Car Protect, then, is made for drivers with simple needs, and those who don’t need or want anything else.

The only real decision you need to make is whether you want access to a workshop of your choice, or if you’ll be fine using authorised workshops only.

Plan tiers, premiums and latest promotions

What plan tiers are available for Singtel Car Protect?

The following table contains a summary of Singtel Car Protect. There are three tiers for you to choose from: Value, Essential and Premium.

Value is a no-frills car insurance plan that offers coverage only for vehicle damage and/or loss, as well as third-party liabilities for property damage and personal injury. 

If you want a more comprehensive suite of coverage, you’ll want to take a look at the Essential and Premium tiers. Besides what’s included in Value, both also include personal accident and medical benefits. 

Between Essential and Premium, there is only one difference: choice of workshop. Premium allows you to use any workshop you want, whereas with Essential you can only make use of authorised workshops. 

For the full plan details, please refer to the policy documents.

How much does Singtel Car Protect cost?

The above premiums were generated for a single, male driver, 44 years old. Note that there is a 20% No-Claim Discount applied. 

Based on the quote we were given, the premiums for the three tiers have quite an even spread.

As noted earlier, the Value tier doesn’t include personal accident and medical benefits. Meanwhile, the only extra benefit you get from the Premium tier is the freedom to use your choice of workshop.

Therefore, it is likely that the mid-priced option, Essential, will prove to be the most suitable choice for the majority of drivers — especially if you do not have a standalone personal accident plan.

How to claim?

Singtel Car Protect is underwritten by Great Eastern General Insurance Limited, which means that’s the party you’ll need to direct your claims to. 

You can find the full details on Great Eastern’s website, but here are the steps you need to follow when making a claim:

1. Make an accident report at one of Great Eastern’s authorised workshops within 24 hours of the accident
2. If required, call the 24-Hour Towing Helpline at +65 6535 0511
3. If there are injuries, please call the police for assistance
4. For other motor claims, contact an authorised insurance advisor or call the General Claim hotline at +65 6248 2638

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.

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