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Choice names top cover for drivers

Laine Gordon avatar
Laine Gordon
- 3 min read
Choice names top cover for drivers

April 21, 2011

The majority of Australian motorists are excluded from some of the best car insurance deals in the country, according to a new report, which revealed a bias towards over-50s and specialty car owners.

So what’s the best car insurance in Australia for couples, young drivers and the rest of the nation’s motorists?

The results are in
The report from independent watchdog Choice, which compared 30 Australian car insurance brands on features and quotes, revealed that specialist over-50s car insurer APIA was a stand-out performer.

APIA scored highest in terms of features, rated highly in terms of customer satisfaction and offered some of the lowest premiums of all of the insurers compared in the report.

It won extra merit for its additional benefits, specifically its promise to replace new cars in the case of theft during the first 10 years of a car’s life.

Shannons, another specialist insurer, also performed well for price, customer satisfaction and features, which include $0 windscreen excess as standard and a high level of cover across the board.

Unfortunately, both APIA and Shannons are also fairly restrictive in who they’ll insure, with the former catering primarily to over-50s and the retired, and the latter to speciality car owners.

Couples and young drivers
Choice named the “best buys” for car insurance in Australia, based on an insurer’s premium and features including no-claim bonus, whether a hire car is offered after an incident and new car replacement features.

For young drivers, the best buy was offered by Westpac with five ticks awarded in the study. Westpac was found to have the best buys in ACT, NSW, Queensland, SA and Victoria. The next best buy was Suncorp with four ticks, for NT, Queensland, SA and WA.

This was based on the driver profile of a 21-year-old male driving a 2004 Hyundai Accent up to 10,000km per year.

While for couples, the best buy was offered by AAMI awarded ticks for every Australian state and territory by Choice. The next best buy for couples was Shannons with ticks awarded in all states and territories, excepting SA.

The driver profile in this scenario was for a couple, aged 35, with small children, maximum no-claim bonus, driving a 2008 Mazda3 up to 15,000km per year.

Compare and save
While it can be tempting to simply pay up your comprehensive car insurance when the renewal slip arrives in the mail, comparing insurance policies can really pay.

It’s simple to compare car insurance brands online at comparison websites such as RateCity, and it just might save you money in the process.

Related car insurance links

Disclaimer

This article is over two years old, last updated on April 21, 2011. While RateCity makes best efforts to update every important article regularly, the information in this piece may not be as relevant as it once was. Alternatively, please consider checking recent car insurance articles.

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