Car insurance plans in Singapore differ less in the events they cover and more in how they pay. The type of cover, the excess, the workshop rule and the treatment of your No Claim Discount (NCD) usually separate one plan from another. The broad list of covered events tends to look alike. Our comparison page ranks plans by premium only, so the lowest price sits at the top whatever its benefits. This guide sets out what to compare, benefit by benefit, so you can read that list with care.
How the comparison page ranks plans
You answer questions about your car, your driving record and the main driver, all on one page at car insurance quotes. The results show prices from the insurers on our panel. Plans are ranked by premium alone, lowest first. The ranking does not score the excess, the workshop terms or any benefit.
This means the plan at the top is the lowest price for your answers. It is not a judgement that the plan suits your car or your household. Prices for the same car can differ by hundreds of dollars, because each insurer weighs the car, the driver, the NCD, past claims and workshop choice differently.
Today's examples show the spread. For a five-year-old Toyota Corolla Altis 1.6 with a 40-year-old main driver and 50% NCD, 18 insurers give a price, from about S$604 to about S$1,687. You can see the detail on the Corolla Altis example page. When you pick a plan, you finish buying on the insurer's own site, with your answers already filled in. That is where you can read the policy wording before you pay.
Start with the type of cover
The first comparison is the shape of the plan. Car insurance here comes in three:
- Comprehensive pays for damage to your own car as well as what you do to others.
- Third party, fire and theft covers what you do to others, plus your car if it is stolen or catches fire.
- Third party only is the legal minimum. It covers injury to others and damage to their property, never your own car.
Comprehensive is better for newer or higher-value cars, where repairing your own car after an accident would cost a lot. Third party only is better for older, lower-value cars that are worth little. Third party, fire and theft sits between the two.
Compare like with like. A third party plan may rank above a comprehensive one simply because it pays for less. You can switch between the three on the results page without answering the questions again.
What tends to look alike between plans
Comprehensive car insurance generally covers a familiar set of events. These include:
- Damage to your car from accidents, fire and theft
- Injury to other people and damage to their property
- Windscreen repair or replacement
- Personal accident cover for the driver
- 24-hour roadside assistance and towing
The main exclusions also follow a common pattern. Car insurance does not cover driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. It does not cover drivers not named on the policy, outside its terms. Private hire, racing and rallies are excluded, as are wear and tear and mechanical breakdown.
These are broad descriptions, and the exact wording differs. Check that the excluded uses do not match how you use the car. If you drive for a ride-hailing platform on weekends, for example, a private-use plan will not fit that use.
What usually differs between plans
The detail inside those benefits is where plans part ways. These are the items to line up side by side:
- The excess you pay towards each claim for damage to your own car
- Workshop terms, either the insurer's authorised workshops or a workshop you choose
- Windscreen cover, including how a claim is handled and the limit
- Personal accident cover for the driver, and how much it pays
- Roadside assistance and towing, and what each callout includes
- NCD protection, whether it is offered and on what terms
- Named drivers, and who else may drive the car
Where a figure matters, such as a benefit limit or an excess amount, it differs between plans. The policy wording and the side-by-side insurer comparison show the detail for each plan.
The excess
The excess is what you pay towards each claim for damage to your own car. Young or new drivers often pay a higher one. A plan with a lower premium can come with a higher excess, so the two need reading together.
Think of a scrape on a pillar in an HDB multi-storey car park. The excess decides how much of that repair bill you pay yourself. On a small repair, a high excess can mean the plan pays little or nothing.
Questions to ask of each plan:
- What is the excess for the main driver?
- Is there a different excess for young or new drivers?
- Does it apply to each claim separately?
Authorised workshops or your own choice
Some plans send you to the insurer's authorised workshops. Others let you choose. Plans that use authorised workshops usually cost less than plans that let you choose any workshop.
Authorised-workshop plans are better for drivers who value a lower premium and are content to use the insurer's network. Any-workshop plans are better for drivers who want to keep a trusted mechanic or a specialist for their make.
Note that our typical-price pages assume comprehensive cover with authorised workshops. A plan that lets you choose your workshop may price differently from those examples.
How each plan treats your No Claim Discount
The NCD is the single biggest discount, worth up to half the premium. It builds at 10% for each year without a claim, up to 50% after five years. One at-fault claim usually cuts it by 20 to 30 points.
An NCD protector, an add-on on many plans, keeps your discount after one claim. When comparing, check whether a plan includes it, offers it as an add-on, or does not offer it at all. For a driver at 50% NCD, that difference can outlast a single year's premium.
The discount belongs to you, not the car. It moves with you to a new insurer, which checks it with your old one. If you do need to make a claim, our Claims page covers what happens next.
Weighing a lower premium against a thinner benefit
A lower premium often reflects a real difference in the plan. It may carry a higher excess, a narrower workshop choice or no NCD protection. None of these shows up in the ranking, so a short check helps.
One orderly way to read the results:
- Fix the type of cover first, so every plan shown is the same shape.
- Look at the top few plans, not only the first.
- Compare the excess, workshop terms, NCD protection and named drivers.
- Ask what one small claim in a year would cost you under each plan.
The gap between the top plan and the next few is sometimes small. Where it is, the benefits may be the deciding detail. Where the gap is wide, ask what the extra premium buys. Our Honda Vezel example shows how wide it can be today: 17 insurers, from about S$779 to about S$2,249.
Frequently asked questions
Why is the top plan not always the one with the most cover?
The comparison page ranks plans by premium only. It does not score benefits, the excess or workshop terms. The top plan is the lowest price for your answers, so the benefits still need checking.
Do all comprehensive plans cover windscreen damage?
Windscreen repair or replacement is part of what comprehensive car insurance generally covers. How a claim is handled and the limit differ between plans. Check the policy wording on the insurer's site before you buy.
Does my NCD stay the same if I switch insurers?
The NCD belongs to you, not the car, so it moves with you. The new insurer checks it with your old one. An at-fault claim before you switch can still reduce it.
Are the typical prices what I will pay?
No. They are today's examples for a set driver and car, such as a 40-year-old married office worker. Your own quote depends on your answers. You can browse more examples on the price pages.