Question 1

Do you cover drivers on a learner's licence?

Accepted Answer

At this stage you are unable to purchase a policy if you or any regular drivers of your vehicle are on a learner licence. Whilst we’re still pretty new we’re taking a fairly risk adverse approach to our policy selection, but we’re constantly reviewing our underwriting rules so this may change in future.

Question 2

I’m thinking about driving for Uber or Uber Eats. Is this okay?

Accepted Answer

Cove does not provide any form of commercial cover for vehicles. This includes using or registering your vehicle with a ride sharing or delivery service – Uber, Ola, Zoomy, Uber Eats, it doesn’t matter who.

Please be aware that using the vehicle for these purposes invalidates all cover under your policy and any claims raised will not be paid, no matter if you were driving the vehicle for Uber (or the like) at the time or not.

Don’t run the risk of ending up with no cover when you need it most. If your vehicle is registered to be used to carry fare paying passengers or to make deliveries you must choose another insurance provider.

Insuring your vehicle under a private use policy, like what Cove offers, when you use it for Uber or Uber Eats is quite simply fraud and here at Cove we have a zero tolerance policy for fraud. If we suspect your vehicle is registered for these services and you raise a claim, expect us to investigate your claim closely. We may ask you for evidence of your income and proof from Uber that your vehicle is not registered with them. Fail to satisfy the policy requirements and you may find yourself out of pocket.

Question 3

I’m a tradie and carry tools in my vehicle, is this covered?

Accepted Answer

Carrying tools, stock, equipment, or samples in your vehicle is deemed to be commercial use. Cove only provides cover for personal use so if you’re using the vehicle for work purposes you’ll need to find an alternative insurance provider.

Still unsure if you fit the definition of commercial use? Simply contact us to discuss.

Question 4

What does comprehensive car insurance cover?

Accepted Answer

Cove’s car insurance policy is a comprehensive policy that covers your vehicle for accidental damage and theft. It also provides cover for damage you may cause to another person’s car or property when using your vehicle.

We don’t cover commercial use, and we only cover standard cars, SUVs, and utes, less than 3,500kg and up to $80,000 in value.

There are also a number of automatic benefits included in the policy like emergency accommodation and towing cover, and you can extend the base cover by choosing to include our optional benefits too.

For an overview of the policy benefits click here. And to see the full policy wording simply complete a no obligation quote to get a personalised policy wording created just for you.

Unsure about anything? Simply contact us to discuss.

Question 5

Where can I read the policy wording?

Accepted Answer

Cove policy wordings are created dynamically and specifically for the policy holder, so to review the terms and conditions of cover that will be applicable to you personally you’ll need to complete a no obligation quote first.

When you’ve completed the quote you’ll find a link to your policy wording on the quote summary screen.

Question 6

Does Cove offer roadside assistance?

Accepted Answer

Because not everyone needs or wants breakdown cover with their car insurance we offer roadside assistance as an optional benefit.

To add roadside assistance cover simply turn on the roadside assistance optional benefit on the quote summary screen.

We outsource this service to New Zealand Roadside Assistance who have a fleet of vehicles nationwide and ready to assist should you breakdown, run out of petrol, or have a flat tyre. Assistance is available 24/7 by calling us on 0800 268 347.

Question 7

What does Comprehensive car insurance mean?

Accepted Answer

There are typically three types of car insurance available in New Zealand. Comprehensive, Third party fire and theft, and Third party only cover.

Comprehensive policies cover your vehicle for accidental damage and theft as well as providing cover for damage you may cause to another person’s car or property when using your vehicle.

Third party fire and theft provides cover for theft of your vehicle only, but still provides cover for damage you may cause to another person’s car or property when using your vehicle.

Third party only cover provides no cover for your own vehicle – it only provides cover for damage you may cause to another person’s car or property when using your vehicle.

At this time all Cove car insurance policies are for comprehensive cover. Starting from as little as $29.16 per month, even if your car may not be worth much you may be surprised at just how affordable comprehensive cover can be.

Question 8

Can I be covered if I’m under 21?

Accepted Answer

At this stage there is absolutely no policy cover for anyone under the age of 21 – this includes non regular drivers of your vehicle that are not named on your policy.

Whilst we’re still pretty new we’re taking a fairly risk adverse approach to our policy selection, but we’re constantly reviewing our underwriting rules so this may change in future.

Question 9

What is a car insurance certificate of currency? How do I get one?

Accepted Answer

A certificate of currency is simply a notification to a finance company that we have an active policy in place and that they are noted as an interested party for the asset insured.

In the event of a total loss we are required to settle the balance of any finance contract on the insured asset before paying you the remainder of the policy value (if anything). We’re also required to notify the finance company if the policy is cancelled.

If your finance company has requested a certificate of currency just let us know – live chat is always the quickest way to get this sorted, just click on the live chat widget on the bottom of this page.

All we need from you is the name of the finance company and their email address – we’ll provide a certificate of currency directly to the finance company if required.

Question 10

Do I need to name other drivers on my policy?

Accepted Answer

We ask you to name any person who drives your vehicle, on average, more than once per month on your policy. Each driver is subject to our standard underwriting criteria.

Failure to record any regular drivers on your policy may result in claims being declined so it’s best to do this as soon as you purchase a policy or when someone new begins using your vehicle to ensure you always have cover when you need it.

It is important that you provide an accurate driving history for every driver too – an incorrect claims count or non-disclosure of traffic offences could result in claims not being paid and worst-case scenario, your policy being cancelled back to when it started.

If in doubt about what needs to be disclosed simply contact us to discuss.

Question 11

Is this an agreed value or market value policy?

Accepted Answer

The Cove car insurance policy is an agreed value policy. This means that in the event of a total loss claim we’ll pay you the sum insured you’ve selected and is recorded on your policy (less any applicable excess).

When calculating your quote we set a default sum insured value using information provided by a third party vehicle valuation service. This default value represents the average market value for your car but doesn’t take into account the condition or mileage of your specific vehicle so could be a little low or a little high in some cases.

Be sure to review the sum insured on the quote summary screen and adjust it up or down to meet your specific needs.

Question 12

What’s an example of a driving offence?

Accepted Answer

One of the most common driving offences is receiving a ticket for speeding, but there are numerous types of driving offences that we need to be told about.

If you’ve received a fine or demerit points, or lost your licence, for something you’ve done whilst driving or in charge of a vehicle we must be told about it.

More examples of what’s a driving offence can be found here.

We can consider special acceptance for low level offending so be sure to disclose your entire driving history to us when you purchase a policy, and at each renewal be sure to tell us if anything has changed.

Failure to tell us may result in your policy being amended or cancelled for non-disclosure and any claim you have may not be paid so it’s best to be honest here.

And whilst technically parking tickets are also considered a driving offence, we won’t use these to underwrite you so no need to disclose them to us.

Question 13

Is glass cover included in your policy?

Accepted Answer

Damage to your car's windscreen and windows is covered under our standard policy and an excess will apply, however we also provide the option to make claims for these items without an excess.

If you’d like excess free glass claims just be sure to turn on the excess free glass optional benefit on the quote summary screen.

Question 14

I’m not the registered owner of the car, how do I record this?

Accepted Answer

During the quote process we will ask you who the owner of the vehicle is, simply record their name here. If the vehicle is registered to a company (but remember Cove doesn’t provide cover for commercial use) it can also be recorded here, simply enter the company name into the first name field and ‘Limited’ into the last name field.

If the owner of the vehicle is also going to be a regular driver of the vehicle you must add them to the policy as a driver as well. We don’t treat ‘main’ drivers differently from ‘additional’ drivers so it is fine if the owner is recorded as an additional driver rather than as the main driver.

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