Frequently Asked Questions
If you can’t find an answer from our list of FAQs, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Car Insurance FAQ’s
Legal Requirement for Car Insurance in Ireland
The minimum level of cover for car insurance in Ireland is ‘Third Party Only’. ‘Third Party’ car insurance is required by law and covers third party injury or damage caused by you or another insured driver when driving the vehicle.
There is also an option to select ‘Third Party, Fire & Theft’ car insurance.
The best level of cover available is comprehensive car insurance. This covers ‘third party, fire, theft and accidental damage’ to your vehicle.
Factors which affect your car insurance premium?
There are many factors which may affect your car insurance premium and these can include:
The car, including model, engine size, value and year.
Your age.
Your Occupation.
Your address, area of use.
Your ‘No Claims Bonus’ or ‘Named Driving Experience’ or lack of.
Previous car insurance history including claims or convictions.
Your penalty points.
Your named drivers.
What is a No Claims Bonus?
For every year that you hold a motor insurance policy in your own name, Irish insurance companies will allow you a 1 year ‘No Claims Bonus’ up to a maximum of 9 years.
What is Named Driving Experience
Named driving experience is any period for which you have been insured as a named driver on someone else’s car Insurance policy. This may allow you to get a discount when you apply for insurance in your own name.
What is Open Drive?
Open drive is when your policy covers drivers with full EU/UK licences with a clean driving record to drive your car with your permission. This is normally restricted to drivers aged between 25/30 – 70. Not all companies offer this and it usally costs extra to have on your policy.
Am I insured to driver any other cars, also known as DOV?
Some Irish private car insurance policies will include a ‘driving of other cars’ extension which will allow you to drive other cars which do not belong to you, hired or leased to you. This cover is ‘third party only’ and may also exclude some vehicles. This is restricted to full licence holders usually over 25. Refer to your policy booklet and certificate for full details of cover & terms & conditions.
If you need comprehensive cover you should get yourself named on the owner of the car’s policy. This can be done temporarily.
What is a Policy Excess?
The excess is the amount of each claim that you will have to pay. All policies have a policy excess, which usually vary from €250 to €1000. These are usually higher for young drivers. You will find the amount on your policy documents.
How can I help reduce my car insurance premium?
Restrict the number of drivers covered on your policy. Insurance companies often give ‘Insured Only’ or ‘Insured & Spouse’ discounts.
You may get a discount if your spouse has insurance in their own name.
Stay free from penalty points as many Irish car insurance companies will charge extra if you have penalty points.
If your car has a large engine or is highly valued then this may increase your premium.
Stay claims free!
Consider selecting ‘third party’ insurance cover instead of ‘comprehensive’ cover (depending on the value of your car)
Consider getting named driving experience on a family members car before you purchase your first car.
What do I do in the event of an Accident of Claim?
Any accidents or claims need to be reported directly to the insurance company. They have a team of experts to guide you through out the process. Claim numbers can be found by clicking here.
Will my no claims bonus be affected if I make a claim?
If you have full protected bonus your bonus won’t be affected if you need to make a claim.
If you have step back bonus protection your no claims bonus will be stepped back according to the insurance companies scale.
If you don’t have any bonus protection your no claims bonus along with the discount it offers will be lost and reduce to 0.
Will a claim affect future quotes?
If you had your bonus protected following a claim while it may not have affected your renewal premium it may affect other companies from quoting for you at the renewal stage. This needs to be disclosed if looking for alternatives quotes.
Your duties under the policy?
An insurance policy is a contract between you and the insurer and included in this policy are detailed terms and conditions which include duties of the insured. Theses may include but not limited to:
The duty to inform the insurance company if any of the details on the original proposal form or statement of fact change.
The duty to make a full and honest disclosure of relevant facts to the insurer and answer all questions on the proposal form truthfully.
Where can I find details of my policy?
Your policy documents are issued to you once you arrange a policy. Your Certificate of insurance shows the car you are covered to drive along with who is covered to drive your car.
Full policy details can be found in your policy booklet, which is available on our website or we can email you a copy.
When will I get my disc for my car?
Your certificate & disc will be issued to you once payment is received, once received by the inurance company.
It is a legal requirement to display this disc on the windscreen of the vehicle covered. The disc is non-transferable. Failure to display the insurance disc correctly could result in you being fined under the Road Traffic Act 1961.
How can I pay my premium?
– by credit card or laser card at no extra charge processed through a secure SSL server on our website. Make a payment
– by cheque, bank draft or postal order made payable to Pike Insurance Services Limited
– by direct debit (each company have different arrangements)
– by cash in person to our office
House Insurance FAQ’s
Legal Requirement for House Insurance in Ireland
The minimum level of cover for car insurance in Ireland is ‘Third Party Only’. ‘Third Party’ car insurance is required by law and covers third party injury or damage caused by you or another insured driver when driving the vehicle.
There is also an option to select ‘Third Party, Fire & Theft’ car insurance.
The best level of cover available is comprehensive car insurance. This covers ‘third party, fire, theft and accidental damage’ to your vehicle.
What is buildings insurance?
Buildings insurance covers anything that you cannot usually take away with you if you move home. These include the structure of your home including domestic outbuildings and any fixtures or fittings.
How much buildings cover should I have?
You should insure your home for the rebuilding cost and this is the reinstatement value and not the market value.
There has been a substantial increase in the cost of construction over the last 24 months and this looks set to continue. It is imperative that you ensure the buildings sum insured represent the full rebuilding cost (Including Professional Fee’s, Site Clearance Costs and allowance for the effects of future inflation) of the entire property (this includes domestic outbuildings, garages, terraces, driveways, walls, etc) in the event of a loss. If, in the event of a loss insurers find that your property is underinsured they will apply the Average Clause and any settlement amount would be reduced accordingly. If you have any uncertainty whatsoever regarding the adequacy of the buildings sum insured we would strongly recommend that you engage the professional services of a surveyor or valuer to assess the full re-building cost of your property. A house rebuilding calculator can be found on the Chartered Surveyor’s website by clicking here.
What is contents cover?
Contents insurance covers household goods and personal effects belonging to you or belonging to members of your household and domestic employees permanently residing with you, all in the private house and domestic outbuildings.
How much contents cover should I have?
You should insure your contents for the amount it would cost you to replace them if they were stolen or damaged.
What is Accidental Damage Cover?
Accidental damage covers accidental events giving rise to a loss for example a spillage on your carpet or if you or a member of your household hammers a nail into a pipe.
Is Accidental Damage covered?
Accidental Damage is an optional extra available and you may choose this option during your quote.
What is All Risks cover?
This is an optional extra that you must choose during your quote. All risks cover protects against loss, theft of, or accidental damage to items outside your home as well as in. The unspecified all risks section of your policy covers items such as jewellery, photographic equipment, personal effects, clothing and sports equipment up to a maximum sum insured as shown on the schedule with a limit of €1,000 for any one item. The specified all risks section of your policy covers specified items with a minimum value of €1,000.
Will I need to provide a valuation for items covered in the All Risks section?
Yes a valuation will be required for items valued more than €5,000. These items will not be covered unless we receive the valuation from you.
What is Unspecified All Risks cover?
All Risks cover is an optional cover available on a household policy to cover valuable items lost or damaged while inside or outside your home.
What happens if I am under insured?
If at the time of the loss or damage, your sums insured are less than the full reinstatement or replacement cost, then you will be your own insurer for the difference. Your insurer will only pay their share of the loss or damage which your sum insured bears to such cost.
What is Specified All Risks Cover?
All Risks cover is an optional cover available on a household policy to cover valuable items lost or damaged while inside or outside your home
Specified all Risks allows you to note specific items of value that you want insured on an All Risks basis.
What is a policy excess?
The excess is the amount of each claim that you will have to pay. All policies have a policy excess, which usually vary from policy to policy.
What is EN50131 Standard (old IS19)?
This is a regulation, which was introduced to establish a minimum standard for the installation of burglar alarms. If your burglar alarm has been fitted by an authorised contractor to EN50131 Standard (old IS199) you should have been given a certificate to verify this at installation.
How can I pay my premium?
– by credit card or laser card at no extra charge processed through a secure SSL server on our website. Make a payment
– by cheque, bank draft or postal order made payable to Pike Insurance Services Limited
– by direct debit (each company have different arrangements)
– by cash in person to our office