Most insurers in South Africa offer emergency assist services with their comprehensive car insurance offering. It’s become a standard part of the deal and is automatically built into the cost of your cover. This way, in times of need, you’re assured of some support and practical help to get you through a crisis… And you don’t have to fork out a bundle for something necessary, like emergency transport by ambulance to the hospital after an accident.
The 3 main assist services that are generally included with comprehensive car insurance are road assist, medical assist and home assist. We’ll take you through the basic way these services work and why you should consider upgrading your car insurance to comprehensive cover.
How road assist helps you
There are a few names rolling around for this service, from road assist to roadside assistance. Whatever it’s called, it’s intended to help you with a flat tyre, breakdown and the like. Basically, your insurer will help you with a set limit of incidents per year, usually per car that’s covered by your policy.
Road assist is pretty handy when things go awry on the road and the only person left to call is your ex. (We’ll spare you that!)
These incidents typically include:
- Towing, if you’ve broken down.
- Paying for the labour to change your tyre at roadside or non-roadside locations.
- Delivering 10 litres of fuel (which you pay for) to your car.
- Sending a locksmith if your keys are locked in the car and paying for the first hour’s labour.
- Paying for accommodation for 1 night, or for a taxi or a class B rental car to get you home, if you break down over 100km from home.
Medical assist could be the difference between life and death
Some insurers, like King Price, automatically include medical assist with your comprehensive car insurance, but some give you the chance to add it for a small fee. This service will generally pay for emergency medical transport if you or any of your passengers need medical attention after an accident. It’s worth noting that the accident needs to have happened within South Africa’s borders.
These services typically include:
- Paying to have you transferred to the nearest hospital for emergency medical care.
- Paying to have you transferred to a different hospital if the doctors recommend it.
- Paying to transport you to a hospital closer to home within 24 hours of the incident, if the current hospital can’t do so.
Home emergencies
Things go wrong at home. It’s where you spend so much of your life, so it’s just a given that you’ll snap your key in the front door, lob a ball through the lounge window, flood the loo, or blow your fuse box. In times of these kinds of crises, the insurer’s home assist team will organise qualified services and pay the call-out fee and 1 hour’s labour for a set limit of incidents per address that’s insured.
This way, if something’s broken… Help is just a call away and you might not have to pay for anything, depending on what’s wrong.
These services typically include:
- Plumbers.
- Electricians.
- Locksmiths.
Speedy help and how to get it
If something does happen, you’ll be able to call 1 number to get help, whether you’re on the road or at home. For instance, when you join an insurer like King Price, you get free access to the king’s emergency assist, which operates 24/7/365. All you have to do is call 0860 50 50 50 and follow the prompts to get help.
If you’re interested in super cheap, comprehensive car insurance that includes all these extras, just click here. King Price will sort you out with decreasing premiums (yes, your car premium goes down automatically every month) and tell you about all the emergency assist services that come with your cover.
This way, your car insurance will get more affordable in the long run and you’ll be covered for all the risks that the world can throw at you.