Trade Me car insurance review

Author: Kevin McHugh, Head of Publishing at Banked.

About Trade Me Insurance

Trade Me Insurance is the insurance arm of the popular Kiwi online auction company, Trade Me. Trade Me partners with Tower to provide its insurance and the latter underwrites all Trade Me Insurance products.

Tower has a financial strength rating of A- (‘excellent’) and it is also a member of the Insurance Council of New Zealand (ICNZ).

Trade Me Insurance doesn’t have any branches, preferring instead to help its customers through digital channels and over the phone.

If you’re a Trade Me Insurance customer you can view your policy details and make changes through its My Insurance platform, or you can call its customer care team on 0800 950 145.

Car insurance policies available from Trade Me Insurance

Trade Me Insurance offers the typical range of car policies, from full cover comprehensive to a basic third party only car insurance option.

The insurer also provides commercial vehicle cover that offers protection for goods in transit, signwriting costs, and more.

Comprehensive

The comprehensive car insurance policy from Trade Me Insurance is provided on an agreed value, rather than market value basis. This means you’ll have the assurance that you’ll get the payout you expect if your car is a write-off or stolen.

Trade Me Insurance’s comprehensive policy will cover you for damage you cause to your car, as well as pay for any repairs for damage you cause to the vehicles of others.

Key features

See full details of the Trade Me comprehensive car insurance in the policy document.

Third party fire and theft

Third party fire and theft cover from Trade Me Insurance will cover you if your car is stolen or fire-damaged up to its market value. You will also be covered for the cost of repairs to another vehicle or property if you bump into it.

Key features

See full details of what’s covered in the Trade Me third party fire and theft car insurance policy document.

Third party

The most basic, but least expensive option, third party car cover from Trade Me Insurance will pay out for repairs to other vehicles if you accidentally cause the damage.

Bear in mind that, as with all third party policies, you won’t be covered for damage to your own vehicle.

Key features

See full details of cover in the Trade Me third party car insurance policy document.

Optional add-ons

If you want more than the base cover offered by Trade Me Insurance’s policies, there are a number of option cover benefits you can add for a small extra cost to your premium.

• Roadside breakdown service: Add the optional RoadWise breakdown service to any of Trade Me Insurance’s policies and you’ll have extra piece of mind out on the road. The add-on comes inclusive of 3 free callouts.
• Rental vehicle: Pick this optional add-on and Trade Me Insurance will pay up to $1,000 for a rental vehicle if your car is getting repaired or has been stolen.
• Accessories and modifications: Trade Me insurance will cover damage or theft of car accessories or modifications if you choose this add-on.
• Windscreen and window glass excess buyout: If you choose this optional benefit, claims you make for your windscreen or other window glass will be excess free, plus you’ll keep your no-claims bonus.

What’s special about Trade Me car insurance?

Trade Me Insurance is focused on being simple and easy, but there are features that make the insurer a little bit different.

My Auto Shop discounts

Thanks to the partnership Trade Me has with My Auto Shop, all Trade Me Insurance policyholders benefit from a 10% discount when they book a vehicle servicing or repair through the My Auto Shop website.

My Auto Shop has over 250 MTA-approved mechanics across NZ, so there is a good chance there is one near you.

WriteMark Plain Language Standard policies

All Trade Me Insurance car policies have been assessed by and awarded the WriteMark Plain Language Standard. This means they are simpler to understand than most insurance policies so you’ll know exactly what you’re covered for, and what you’re not.

4 best ways to save on Trade Me car insurance

1. Sign up for a Trade Me membership: Everyone with a Trade Me membership gets 15% of Trade Me Insurance’s standard insurance price. As setting up a Trade Me account is free, it’s the easiest way to save a significant amount on Trade Me Insurance car cover.
2. Pay annually: As with a number of other NZ insurers, with Trade Me Insurance you can save if you pay for your year’s insurance premium upfront. According to the quotes we got, this difference averages out at around 9%.
3. Take out more than one policy: Trade Me Insurance rewards customers who take out more than one policy with them. Take out 2 policies and you’ll save, but if you take out 3 you could save as much as 20%.
4. Choose a lower excess: With Trade Me Insurance you can choose your own excess, from between $400 to $1,000. If you choose a higher excess it means you’ll need to pay more if you make a claim, but it also means you have lower insurance premiums. Make the right balance for your circumstances and you could save.

Other insurance products offered by Trade Me Insurance

As well as car insurance, Trade Me also offers a limited selection of other insurance products. These include:

• house insurance
• contents insurance
• landlord’s insurance
• commercial vehicle insurance.