Motor Insurance in India
Every car on an Indian road must be insured. Start with your car number below.
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For private cars, whether hatchback, sedan, SUV or MPV.
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Lowest premium for the minimum cover required by law, on a private car up to 1000cc. Excludes 18% GST. Your own premium depends on your car and the cover you choose. We store your registration number to improve these insurance pages. We do not ask for your contact details here. See our Privacy Policy.
Features of Motor Insurance
Third party liability is compulsory under the Motor Vehicles Act. A valid policy is what keeps you road legal and covers what you owe someone else after an accident.
Own damage cover pays to repair your car after a collision, fire, flood or riot, and pays out if it is stolen. Third party cover does none of this.
Zero depreciation, engine protection, roadside assistance and return to invoice can each be added at extra premium, subject to the vehicle’s age and eligibility.
At a garage in the insurer’s network the insurer settles its share directly with the workshop. You pay only the deductible and any depreciation.
Every claim free year cuts your own damage premium, up to 50% after five years. The discount belongs to you, not the car, so it moves with you.
A compulsory ₹15 lakh personal accident cover for the owner driver is part of every motor policy, unless you already hold one on another vehicle.
Types of Motor Insurance
Three kinds of motor policy. Only the first is compulsory. The rest is a judgement about what your vehicle is worth to you.
| Type of cover | Status | What it pays for | What it does not |
|---|---|---|---|
| Third party liability The legal minimum. Cheapest, and priced identically by every insurer because IRDAI sets the rate. | Mandatory | Injury, death or property damage you cause to someone else | Any damage to your own vehicle |
| Own damage (standalone) Bought alongside an existing third party policy. This is common when the two were issued at different times. | Optional | Damage to your own vehicle from accident, fire, theft or natural calamity | Anything you cause to a third party |
| Comprehensive What most owners of a vehicle worth insuring actually buy. | Optional | Third party liability and own damage in one policy, plus optional covers | Wear and tear, mechanical breakdown, driving without a valid licence or under the influence |
Minimum cover premium by engine size
IRDAI fixes third party rates centrally by engine capacity, so this portion of your premium is identical whichever insurer you buy from. Insurers compete on the own damage premium, the optional covers and the service around a claim.
| Engine capacity | Typical cars | Premium / year |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 1000cc | Alto, Kwid, i10, Celerio | ₹2,094 |
| 1001cc to 1500cc | Swift, Baleno, i20, Nexon | ₹3,416 |
| Above 1500cc | Creta, Scorpio, XUV700, Fortuner | ₹7,897 |
- Electric private car: 15% discount on the third party premium
- Hybrid private car: 7.5% discount on the third party premium
Excludes 18% GST. Rates as notified by IRDAI and checked on 3 September 2026; they are revised by notification from time to time. Your final premium is shown on the insurer’s own quote page.
Coverage Under Motor Insurance
- Accidental damage to your own vehicle from a collision
- Fire, explosion, self ignition and lightning
- Theft of the vehicle, and burglary or housebreaking
- Natural calamity such as flood, cyclone, earthquake or landslide
- Riot, strike, malicious act and terrorism
- Third party injury, death and property damage you cause
- Damage in transit by road, rail, inland waterway, lift or air
- Compulsory personal accident cover for the owner driver
- Normal wear and tear, ageing and depreciation of parts
- Mechanical or electrical breakdown with no accident behind it
- Driving without a valid licence, or under the influence
- Damage while the vehicle is used outside its stated purpose, such as a private car run commercially
- Consequential damage, meaning further loss caused by driving on after a fault
- Tyre and tube damage alone, unless the vehicle is damaged at the same time
- Anything deliberate, and any claim outside the policy’s geographical area
Exclusions vary between insurers and between policies. What governs is the policy wording you are issued, so read it before concluding a sale.
Third Party vs Comprehensive (OD) Cover
The single decision that moves your premium most. Third party keeps you legal; comprehensive adds your own vehicle to the policy.
| Third party only | Comprehensive (TP + own damage) | |
|---|---|---|
| Legal status | Compulsory under the Motor Vehicles Act | Optional, but it includes the compulsory part |
| Damage to your own car | Not covered at all | Covered |
| Theft of your car | Not covered | Covered up to the IDV |
| Fire, flood, natural calamity | Not covered | Covered |
| Injury or damage to others | Covered, with unlimited liability for injury or death | Covered, identically |
| Who sets the price | IRDAI, so it is identical at every insurer | The insurer, on the own damage portion |
| Optional covers available | None | Zero depreciation, engine protection, RSA and more |
| No Claim Bonus | Does not apply | Up to 50% off the own damage premium |
| Best for | An old car of low value you only need road legal | Any car whose repair or replacement you could not absorb |
How to Make a Claim
The order matters. Most rejected claims fail on step one.
- 1 Tell the insurer first
Report the incident before any repair starts. A claim intimated after the work is done is the most common reason one gets rejected.
- 2 File an FIR if required
Theft, third party injury or major damage needs a police report. Keep a copy, because the insurer will ask for it.
- 3 Let the surveyor inspect
The insurer appoints a surveyor to assess damage and approve the estimate. Do not begin repairs before that assessment.
- 4 Cashless or reimbursement
At a network garage the insurer settles its share directly and you pay the deductible and any depreciation. Elsewhere you pay and claim it back with the bills.
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My Wheels Expert is a digital publisher and is not an insurance company, agent or broker. We do not sell insurance, do not underwrite policies and do not decide premiums. This page directs you to ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Limited and Acko General Insurance Limited, who issue the policy. Cover, optional covers, eligibility, premium and claim settlement are entirely subject to the insurer’s underwriting and the terms, conditions and exclusions of the policy wording. Please read the policy document carefully before concluding a sale. This page may earn a referral fee from the insurer, which does not change what you pay. All trademarks and logos shown are the property of their respective owners.