This guide covers buying car insurance in Singapore for the first time. It goes through what to have ready, what the quote form asks, how to read the results, what happens on the insurer's site and what arrives after payment. It is general information. It is not advice on your own situation.
What to have ready
The quote form asks about three things: the car, the main driver and the driving record. Having the details at hand makes the form quicker. It also makes the prices more accurate.
Items to gather:
- The car's make, model and engine size
- The car's age, or its year of registration
- The date the main driver passed the driving test
- The main driver's age and job
- Details of anyone else who will drive the car, such as a spouse or parent
- Any past claims or demerit points
- Any No Claim Discount (NCD) from an earlier policy, if one was held
- The date the cover needs to start, such as the day the car is collected
What the quote form asks, and why
On the car insurance quote page, all the questions sit on one page. Each answer affects the premium. Insurers weigh the answers differently, so the same car can be priced very differently.
What each part of the form is for:
- The car. Model, engine size and age. A bigger engine or a pricier model usually costs more to insure.
- The main driver. Age, years of driving and job. Young drivers and new drivers usually pay more. They often have a higher excess too.
- The No Claim Discount. This is the single biggest discount, worth up to half the premium. It builds by 10% for each year without a claim, up to 50% after five years. A first-time policyholder has no claim-free years to count yet.
- Claims and demerit points. A recent at-fault claim or demerit points raise the price. Some insurers will not quote online in these cases.
- Where repairs are done. Plans that use the insurer's authorised workshops usually cost less than plans that let you choose any workshop.
Answer every question accurately. Answers that turn out to be wrong can cause problems if a claim is made later.
Choosing the type of cover
There are three main types of car insurance. The results page lets you switch between them without answering the questions again.
The three types:
- Comprehensive pays for damage to your own car as well as what you do to others. Most drivers of newer cars choose it.
- 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. It does not cover your own car. It can suit an older car that is worth little.
A comprehensive plan may also include windscreen repair or replacement, personal accident cover for the driver, and 24-hour roadside assistance and towing. What is included differs between plans.
Reading the results
The results list plans from the insurers on the panel. They are ranked by premium only. A lower premium does not mean the same cover. The details sit behind each price.
As an example, on 25 October 2026, 18 insurers priced a five-year-old Toyota Corolla Altis 1.6 from about S$604 to about S$1,687. That example driver is 40, has driven for 10 years and has a 50% NCD with no claims. A first-time driver will not match that profile. The Corolla Altis example page shows the full spread. Other models are on the price pages.
Points to check for each plan:
- The type of cover shown
- The excess, which is what you pay towards each claim for damage to your own car
- Whether repairs go to authorised workshops or any workshop
- Whether an NCD protector is offered, which keeps the discount after one claim
- Which extras are included, such as windscreen, roadside assistance and personal accident cover
- Whether every regular driver can be named
To set two insurers side by side, use the compare page.
On the insurer's site
Picking a plan takes you to the insurer's own site. The purchase is completed there, not on this site. Your answers are already filled in.
Steps on the insurer's site:
- Check each pre-filled answer against your records
- Add any named drivers
- Choose or decline add-ons
- Confirm the start date and the car's registration details
- Read the policy wording, especially the exclusions and the excess
- Pay and note the confirmation or reference number
If any answer changes on the insurer's site, the price may change too.
After you pay
The insurer usually sends the policy documents by email. These typically include a policy schedule, a certificate of insurance and the policy wording. Read them once while the purchase is fresh.
What to check and keep:
- Your name, the car's registration number and the start date are correct
- Every driver who uses the car is named
- The excess and workshop terms match what was chosen
- The insurer's claims and roadside assistance numbers are saved on your phone
- A copy of the documents is kept, in the glovebox or on your phone
- The renewal date is noted
Each year without a claim adds to the NCD. The discount belongs to you, not the car. When you switch insurers, the new insurer checks it with the old one. Renewal is a natural point to compare prices again. More on renewal is in the guides.
Things to note
- The first premium is often higher. Young and new drivers usually pay more and often have a higher excess. The NCD builds over time.
- Drivers not named on the policy may not be covered. This applies outside the policy's terms. Check before lending the car to a friend or relative.
- Private hire is excluded. Using the car for ride-hailing work, racing or rallies falls outside these plans.
- Comprehensive cover has limits. Wear and tear and mechanical breakdown are not covered. Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs is not covered.
- One at-fault claim affects the discount. It usually cuts the NCD by 20 to 30 points, unless the plan has an NCD protector.
Where to get help
For what to do when something goes wrong with the car, see the Claims page. Questions about a policy already bought go to the insurer named on it. For questions about using this site, use the Contact page. To start a comparison, go to the car insurance quote page.