Royal Sundaram is a general insurance company which offers a range of general insurance products in India. The company offers car insurance, two-wheeler insurance, travel insurance, health insurance, home insurance, individual personal insurance and business insurance. The car insurance policy offered by Royal Sundaram is called Car Shield.
The policy provides a host of coverage benefits, both inbuilt as well as optional. The policy is available online and can be bought at a click of a button. Car Shield is a comprehensive policy which provides coverage for third party liability as well as for the damages suffered by the car itself.
Key benefits and features of Royal Sundaram car insurance plans
Car Shield, offered by Royal Sundaram, has a lot of benefits and features the important ones of which are as follows –
- A roadside assistance kit is provided with the policy free of cost
- There is an optional cover for 100% invoice price payable in case of total loss or theft of the car
- Personal accident cover is available under the plan for the policyholder, paid driver and the co-passengers as well
- Attractive discounts are available with the plan
- Spot repair facility is provided under the plan
- Round the clock assistance is provided in case of claims
- The coverage benefits are divided into three categories. There is a basic cover which comes inbuilt under the plan. Then there are additional coverage features which are available at very low additional premium rates. Lastly, there are a range of add-on covers which can be selected as per the coverage requirement of the policyholder
Royal Sundaram car insurance plans
Royal Sundaram offers only one type of car insurance policy called Car Shield. This is a comprehensive car insurance plan which provides coverage under two heads –
- Third party cover – under this cover, the mandatory third party liability is covered. if any third party is injured or killed in an accident involving the car, the policy would pay the financial loss incurred. Similarly, if the car damages any third party property, the financial loss is compensated by the car insurance policy. In case of third party claims which are related to bodily injury or death of the third party, there is no coverage limit. Unlimited coverage is allowed and the policy pays the compensation fixed by the motor accidents tribunal. However, in case of third party claims for damaged property, the maximum claim limit is up to Rs.7.5 lakhs.
- Own damage cover – under this cover, damages which the car suffers in an accident or due to theft or loss, are covered.
- Thus, the actual basic cover under Car Shield is allowed for the following –
- Third party liability for third party bodily injury, death or property damage
- Damages suffered by the car due to natural calamities like landslides, earthquakes, storms, floods, lightning, etc.
- Damages to the car due to man-made causes like riots, strikes, fire, explosion, malicious acts, burglary, theft, terrorism, etc.
- Any type of accidental and external damage incurred by the car
- Damages suffered by the car when it is in transit by road, rail, air or water
Personal accident cover for the owner/driver of the car for Rs.2 lakhs. This cover pays a benefit in case of accidental death or accidental permanent disablement.
In case of a claim, spot repair facility is arranged under the Car Shield Policy. if, however, spot repair is not possible, the policy also arranges for towing of the vehicle for all reputed manufacturers across India.
Besides these two basic inbuilt coverage benefits, there are additional coverage features and add-ons available under the Car Shield Plan. These additional features need an additional premium which is quite low. The additional coverage benefits which are available include the following –
- Personal accident cover for the paid driver and unnamed passengers of the car for up to Rs.2 lakhs
- Legal liability for the paid driver who has been hired for the car
- Legal liability to the employees of the policyholder, except the paid driver, who might drive or travel in the insured car
- Coverage for electrical, electronic and non-electrical fittings in the car
- Coverage for CNG kit and bi-fuel system attached in the car if the same is endorsed in the RC Book of the car
The policyholder can choose any additional cover as per his coverage requirements and customise his policy. There are add-ons too which help in enhancing the policy further. A wide range of add-ons are available and for choosing each add-on the policyholder has to pay an additional premium.
The policy can be bought easily online through the website of Royal Sundaram. Online policies are approved and issued instantly and the policy document gets delivered to the policyholder’s mailbox.
Add-on covers in Royal Sundaram car insurance
As stated earlier, there are eleven optional add-on covers which are available with Royal Sundaram car insurance plan Car Shield. These add-ons are as follows –
- Depreciation waiver cover – as the name of the add-on suggests, this cover waives the applicable depreciation on the car’s parts. Thus, in case of repairs, the policy pays the actual cost of the parts repaired and not the depreciated value.
- Windshield glass cover – under this add-on, if the windshield of the car is damaged and broken and needs to be replaced, the policy would pay the cost of replacement without it resulting in the loss of no claim bonus
- Voluntary deductible cover – if the policyholder choose a voluntary deductible limit ranging from Rs.1500 to Rs.15, 000 and chooses to bear a portion of the claim, the plan offers him a premium discount of 15% to 35% under this add-on cover
- Full invoice price cover – this is a unique add-on available with Royal Sundaram’s car insurance plan. Under the add-on, 100% of the list price of the car is paid in case the car is stolen or damaged beyond repairs
- Loss of baggage cover – if any baggage placed in the car is lost or stolen this add-on pays for the loss incurred. Moreover, the no claim bonus is not affected when the claim is made and settled
- Spare car clause – when the car is being repaired after a claim, this add-on covers the cost incurred in arranging for a spare car for conveyance. Even if the spare car is not arranged, the add-on pays for the conveyance expenses incurred during the car’s repairs
- Engine (aggravator) protector coverage – damages to the engine’s internal parts, gear box’s internal parts, transmission or differential internal parts or power steering pump parts are covered in case of damage due to water logging
- NCB protector – this add-on protects the accumulated no claim bonus even if the policyholder makes a claim in his policy
- Key protector cover – if the car’s keys are lost, misplaced or damaged, the add-on covers the costs incurred in repairing or replacing the key
- Tyre cover–under this cover, damages suffered by the car’s tyres are covered even if the car is not involved in an accident.
- Lifetime road tax clause – in this add-on, the unexpired portion of road tax is paid in case of total loss or theft.
Insured Declared Value
Insured Declared Value is the value of a car insurance policy. It represents the sum insured of the plan and the maximum liability up to which the insurance company is liable to pay a claim. Though, in case of a claim, the actual cost of repairs is paid, in case the car is damaged beyond the scope of repairs or the car is stolen, the insured declared value of the policy is paid by the insurance company.
Insured Declared Value is calculated by taking the market price of the car and deducting the applicable age-based depreciation. The rate of depreciation depends on the age of the car and is fixed. Insured Declared Value affects the premium of the car insurance policy
Exclusions under Royal Sundaram car insurance policy
Royal Sundaram’s Car Shield policy has a list of excluded coverage features which are not covered in the plan. These exclusions are as follows –
- Any type of consequential loss suffered by the car is not covered
- Normal wear and tear of the car due to its aging is not covered. This is called depreciation
- Any type of mechanical or electrical breakdowns are not covered
- If the individual is driving the car without a valid driving license, any damage suffered or loss caused would not be covered
- If the individual is driving the car under the influence of drugs or alcohol, any damages suffered or caused would not be covered
- If the car is not used as per its usage guidelines, the damages suffered would not be covered
- Damages faced when the car is being driven outside the Indian boundaries
- Intentional damages or damages sustained during criminal acts are not covered
- In case of third party policies, damages to the policyholder’s own property and expenses incurred without the prior consent of the insurance company would not be covered
Royal Sundaram Car Insurance premiums
Premiums for the car insurance policy offered by Royal Sundaram are fixed by the insurance company after taking a lot of factors into consideration. These factors are the make, model and variant of the car, the manufacturing and registration year of the car, the car’s age, registration location, insured declared value selected, the discounts opted and any no claim discount available for a renewal policy. Discounts lower the premium rate and Royal Sundaram offers a range of premium discounts. For instance, becoming a member of a particular association earns the policyholder a discount.
Royal Sundaram car insurance claim process
To make a claim, the following steps should be followed –
- The company should be intimated immediately
- The vehicle should be taken to the nearest networked garage
- Survey of the car would be arranged by the company after it is intimated
- All the relevant documents pertaining to the claim should be submitted with the insurance company
- A FIR is required if the vehicle is lost or in case of third party claims
- Cashless claim settlement is available if the car is repaired at a networked garage
- In case of theft of the vehicle, a non-traceable report is required from the police
Documents required to file a claim for Royal Sundaram car insurance
The following documents would be required when filing a car insurance claim with Royal Sundaram –
- A duly filled in claim form which should state the details of the claim, details of the policy and the details of the policyholder
- FIR would be required for third party claims and for theft claims
- Driving license of the driver of the car
- RC book of the car
- Policy document stating the insurance details
- Other documents as required by the insurance company
Royal Sundaram car insurance renewal process
Renewing Royal Sundaram’scar insurance policy is quite easy. Renewal is available on the insurance company’s website and can be done online in an instant. Here is the process –
- Visit the insurer’s website at royalsundaram.in
- Select ‘Car Insurance’ in the product’s tab
- A new page opens where there are two options. One is ‘Calculate Premium’ and the other is ‘Renew Policy’
- Choose ‘Renew Policy’
- A new page would open where the existing policy number and the policy expiry date would be required
- Once the information is provided the details of the renewal policy would be shared
- The policyholder can see the renewed insured declared value and premium. Add-ons and any additional coverage features can be selected as per requirement
- By paying the renewal premium online, the policy could be renewed
Royal Sundaram car insurance terms and conditions
Royal Sundaram’s car insurance policy has some terms and conditions. Only when the specified terms and conditions are met would the policy provide coverage and settle the claim. Some important terms and conditions of the policy are as follows –
- The proposal form and the declaration made in the form would form the Schedule of the policy. this Schedule would be the basis of the car insurance policy
- Loss or damage suffered by the car during the period of insurance, which is one year from the date of issue of the policy, would only be covered
- A premium should be paid by the policyholder to avail coverage
- Loss would be covered and a claim would be paid by the insurance company only if the damages are caused by covered perils. Such perils include fire, explosion, self-ignition or lightning, burglary, housebreaking or theft, riot, strike, earthquake, flood, typhoon, hurricane, storm, tempest, cyclone, malicious acts, accidental external means, terrorism, landslide, rockslide and during transit.
- Depreciation would be deducted from the claim amount for different car’s parts as per the applicable rates
- Coverage would be given up to the insured declared value
Royal Sundaram car insurance customer care
Royal Sundaram provides policyholder ease of accessing the company through its customer care department. Individuals can contact the company for buying, renewing or making a claim in their policies and also for any grievances. Individuals can call the company’s helpdesk at 1860 425 0000 or write an email to [email protected]. Mails can also be sent to the company’s corporate office which is located at VishranthiMelaram Towers, No.2/319, Rajiv Gandhi Salai (OMR), Karapakkam,Chennai– 600097.