Premier Car Insurance in New Zealand

When we receive your claim, there are a few steps to work through, but rest assured one of our experienced claim handlers will guide you through the process. First off, we will ask you to follow the instructions on our car insurance claims page which is the start of the claim process. As a Full Cover Assurant policyholder, you then have the opportunity to use our Accident Management service, which is set up to take all the hassle and stress out of organising the repairs to your car.  You aren’t required to use our Accident Management service and you are more than welcome to choose your own repairer instead.  You can learn more about our Accident Management service by reading our Accident Management FAQs.

At this point, an independent assessor (a freelance expert who specialises in assessing required repairs) will be assigned to your claim.  During this process, multiple steps may be required as dictated by the circumstances of your claim.  These may be such things as a Police Offence Report, a Traffic Crash Report, Ministry of Justice report, witness accounts, or liability disputes with third parties.

Where the cost of the repairs means that your car is likely to be written off, then we’ll organise a minimum of two approved independent valuers to supply a Pre-Accident Valuation, which will help us to determine the true value of your car. Once there is an agreement from all parties involved on the amount that the pay-out will be, we’ll send you a Discharge Form, which forms the settlement of your claim. When you confirm your acceptance of the discharge, we’ll pay out the settlement figure and the wreck of the car then becomes our property.

When you claim on “Full Cover” comprehensive motor vehicle insurance from us you can also receive the benefits of our Accident Management Service.

Assurant offers you a number of ways to pay your car insurance premium. If you wish to pay your full annual premium upfront, you can pay by direct credit, credit card, or DPS Account2Account. If you prefer, we can split your annual premium into instalments, which you can pay via direct debit or credit card.

Direct debit is one of the safest and most convenient ways of paying your bills. Payments are made automatically, so bills are never forgotten. Your money is protected in the unlikely event that there is an error in the payment of a direct debit, for instance if a payment is collected on the incorrect date, or the wrong amount is collected. 

If you do choose to pay by instalment, please note that Assurant is one of the few car insurance providers in New Zealand that don’t penalise you for this. Your instalment amount will simply be the annual price divided by the number of instalments you wish to make – there are no additional charges or penalties added to your premium for these options. We also don’t charge any more for people paying by credit card, it’s our belief there should be one price for your car insurance no matter how you choose to pay.

If you wish to pay via credit card or Account2Account, you can  purchase your insurance online from this website. If you prefer to pay by another method, or if you wish to change how you pay for your existing policy with us, then please contact us and we can arrange it for you.

For more information about the payment methods available on this website, please see  our Privacy Policy.

Having a crash in your car is never a pleasant experience and it can be a confusing time with a lot going on. It can be hard to remember what to do at the time, but one of the most important things you can do is to remain calm. Take deep breaths, and try to remember the following steps:

• Safety first - secure the scene. Make sure everyone is safe, the health and well-being of the people involved needs to always come first – see if anyone needs medical assistance and if so, call 111 immediately. If it's safe to do so, post a helper to warn oncoming traffic of the accident until you are able to clear the road. Turn off your vehicle's ignition (as a fire precaution) and turn on your hazard lights. If an ambulance has been called, make sure room is cleared for the ambulance to get as close to the scene as possible, and have your helper guide it in when it arrives.
• Do not admit liability. Don’t try to apportion blame at the side of the road, just make notes about the crash, and if possible sketch a quick diagram or take some photos of the crash scene. It’s up to the insurance companies to work out who was at fault, and rest assured that as your car insurance provider, we’ll act in your best interests (as they are also our best interests).
• Obtain the other vehicles details. Note the make, model and registration number of the other vehicle, and also get the drivers name, phone number, address, and drivers licence number. Try to note exactly where the accident happened, and which direction each vehicle was travelling.
• See if there were any witnesses. If there were, also get their name, phone number and address.
• Secure your vehicle. Take all reasonable steps to secure your car and prevent any further damage or loss. Our full cover car insurance policy does include recovery expenses, so if you require towing let us know and we can organise for a tow truck to take your car to a repairer. Only drive your car if the damage is minor and you are sure it is safe to do so.
• Contact Assurant. Call us on 0800 776 832 or email [email protected] to advise us of the accident, and we’ll also help you with what to do next.

Please check your Certificate of Insurance to see if your policy includes this benefit. When included, this benefit covers all windows in your car, including the sunroof if your car has one. Please note that there is no excess if the broken windscreen or window glass is the only damage to your car, and it won’t affect your No Claims Bonus.

To make a claim under this benefit, just call us on 0800 776 832 and one of our experienced claims handlers will step you through the process.

Yes - Assurant’s full cover car insurance includes Transport Cover, which means we’ll cover you for any damage while your car is being transported anywhere within New Zealand territorial waters. Under New Zealand law, carriers are only liable for $1,500 worth of damage, but Assurant’s car insurance automatically protects you beyond that limit.

This is an automatic benefit, you don’t need to advise us ahead of time or select any special options. If you have purchased a car from out of town and are having it shipped to you, take out your car insurance with Assurant before getting it shipped and you can relax knowing that your vehicle is covered.

For more information on this benefit, please see Insurance for cars and motorcycles being transported, or refer to your policy wording.