Complete guide to getting your car insured in South Australia
You get compulsory third party car insurance in SA automatically when registering your car, but finding the right car damage and property liability insurance can be a little harder.
This guide explains how to find the right car insurance for your needs, how much car insurance costs in Adelaide and other parts of SA, and what to look for in your cover.
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What types of car insurance can I get in SA?
CTP insurance covers you against medical costs in the event of a car accident, but will not pay for property damage or other expenses you are liable for. This is why you need other types of car insurance.
The best car insurance in SA, or anywhere else, is the one which strikes the perfect balance between price and protection. For some, that might just be the cheapest car insurance, with a third party property policy. For others, it's going to be comprehensive car insurance.
| Third party property | Third party property, fire and theft | Comprehensive | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal liability | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Protection for your car | No | Cover for fire damage and theft | Comprehensive protection from many forms of damage |
- Personal liability: Personal liability expenses are the consequence of damaging someone else’s property, such as a house or car, in the course of an accident. This is covered by all three types of car insurance except CTP.
- Protection for your car: You’ll get a different level of protection for your car depending on your policy type. Personal liability expenses are covered by all three policy types. Two of the policies, third party property with fire and theft protection and comprehensive, will also cover specific types of damage or loss to your vehicle.
How does CTP insurance work in Adelaide and SA?
For CTP insurance you will automatically be assigned to one of the approved state insurers. It will either be AAMI, Allianz, QBE or SGIC. This insurer will be specified on your registration certificate.
A good starting point for picking car insurance is to get an understanding of how your situation shapes your car insurance needs.
Are you a:
- Driver under 25?
- Senior over 50?
- Driver of a modified car?
- Driver of a vintage car?
- Commercial vehicle owner?
How much does car insurance cost in South Australia?
- South Australia has relatively average car insurance prices compared to the rest of the country. It’s cheaper than some states, but more expensive than others.
The more likely you are to make a claim, the more expensive your car insurance premiums will be. This is affected by factors such as age, driving record, what type of car you have and many others.
It's also affected by your location. For example, car insurance might be more expensive in Adelaide than regional areas, because more cars on the road can increase the chance of accidents. Insurers will typically ask for your South Australia postcode.
Rounded average annual cost of comprehensive car insurance for recent model cars in SA
| Under 25 | 25 to 29 | 30 to 44 | 45+ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual premiums | $1,650 | $820 | $650 | $600 |
- Stamp duty: Different financial services, including car insurance, are taxed at different levels around Australia. This is known as stamp duty, and for car insurance in SA, it’s set at 11% of the premiums which is typically added to the cost.
All states have some dangerous drivers, and South Australia is relatively standard, with fewer drivers engaging in dangerous behaviour while driving than in WA or VIC, but slightly more than in NSW or QLD.
How to find cheaper car insurance in Adelaide and regional SA
Your car insurance premiums are determined by the risk factors covered by your policy. This means you might find very different premiums with different cover types in Adelaide, and in country areas.
For example, a heavier and more powerful car might be more likely to cause extensive property damage than a smaller vehicle. If you live in an affluent part of Adelaide that tends to have more valuable cars on the road, a more powerful engine in your own car may increase premiums disproportionately, compared to how much it would raise costs for someone who lives in regional SA.
This is just one example of how your location and your cover might combine to influence your premiums. Different insurers might consider these factors in different ways, so you might find much higher or lower premiums with some insurers than other, depending on how these factors are considered.
If you're looking for cheaper car insurance, it can help to bear this in mind and shop around, as well as take advantage of other ways to save money on car insurance.
- Use online discounts: You can find considerable car insurance discounts simply by buying online.
- Consider pay as you drive car insurance: If you don't drive that far each year, you might want to look into Pay As You Drive car insurance. This could be especially useful if you're in Adelaide and generally don't need to travel far.
- Raise your excess: A higher car insurance excess can significantly reduce your premiums. As long as it's still affordable, you may want to raise your excess.
- Select your options: There are a range of different policy options, and you may be able to opt in or out of them in order to save on cover. Automatically included options such as excess free windscreen replacements, can be useful, but you may not want to be paying for car insurance extras that you don't want.
- Keep shopping around: Does it seem like you're paying too much for car insurance in South Australia? You might be. It can be worth shopping around and switching car insurance at renewal time if there's better value for money elsewhere.
What car insurers can I access in SA?
You can use the finder.com.au car insurance panel to compare car insurance in SA, with options from some of the top providers, including the following:
Australia Post
Balance affordability and cover by finding policies with built-in extras to suit your needs, such as rental vehicle hire following theft if you opt for fire and theft cover. Restricted driver discounts are available with all policies while others are only with comprehensive insurance.
Australia Post is worth considering if you’re looking for a way to get more options without needing a higher level of cover, or if you want the advantages offered by Australia Post Gold Comprehensive car insurance.
QBE
With options like excess-free windscreen and glass protection, a protected no-claims bonus you can retain in the event of an accident, cover for personal effects kept in the car and the ability to choose your own repairer with any policy, QBE car insurance is largely geared towards usability and not just peace of mind.
QBE is one of Western Australia’s state CTP insurers, but its liability and damage cover could be a good option for people who want to get more use out of their policy.
Budget Direct
One of the key ways an insurer can keep costs down is by only insuring safer drivers since the amount an insurer expects to pay in claims will impact the prices they can offer. Budget Direct takes advantage of this by maintaining eligibility requirements and only insuring safer drivers. By reducing their costs this way, Budget Direct can pass the savings to you.
If you think you qualify as a safe driver, or simply want the freedom to opt out of various unwanted extras, Budget Direct car insurance may be right for you.
Youi
Affordable, meaningful customisation that makes a real difference to your cover can sometimes be difficult to find. Youi strives to make it easier, and to make tailoring a more natural part of the process, by integrating customization into policy selection.
If you know you’ll want to choose extras for more protection or drop extras to keep costs down, it is worth looking at Youi car insurance when comparing options.
Dodo
Simple policies, simple features and low prices, without compromising cover, are Dodo’s objectives. Policies are pre-tailored to a certain extent since budget options come without unwanted extras, and the comprehensive cover has built-in features to offer a higher level of protection. Dodo still offers the important options so it is easy to find a policy to suit your needs.
If you’re interested in a simple, straightforward policy built on a foundation of low prices, it is worth looking at Dodo car insurance.
Woolworths
Get price matching with Woolworths comprehensive car insurance policies. All you need to do is provide a written quote from a competitor, for equivalent comprehensive cover, and Woolworths will see if it can be beat. Additional benefits and other discounts are also available alongside a range of effective, flexible policies.
If you think you’ll be hunting discounts and are willing to actively manage your policy to earn bonuses and rewards, Woolworths car insurance might be a good choice.
Virgin Money
Virgin Money offers standard personal liability, fire and theft policies, as well as two different types of comprehensive car insurance. The cheaper comprehensive policy is a honed comprehensive car insurance policy that does away with unwanted extras, while the other is a high-level comprehensive car insurance policy that costs more, but delivers more benefits.
For more policy options, including a more basic comprehensive policy, it’s worth considering Virgin Money.
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