Does Your Car Insurance Cover Off-road Driving?

Securing your car with Car Insurance is necessary as it covers you financially for any damages caused to your vehicle due to accidents, natural calamities, car theft, etc. The third-party car insurance safeguards you in the event of any damage to another person/s, third party vehicle, loss of property, death, or physical injury caused in an accident. Hence, it is advisable to buy a Comprehensive Motor Insurance Policy that extends its coverage to the third party as well as one’s own car. However, even a Comprehensive Car Insurance Policy comes with various exclusions, terms, and conditions you should be aware of before buying the policy. One such activity that many car owners are often seen concerned about is whether Car Insurance covers off-road driving.

What is Off-road Driving?

Many car owners enjoy the thrill of driving a car on unexplored paths, and driving on natural paths gives them immense pleasure. Whereas, for some car owners driving off-road is a profession.

Off-road driving is driving on natural surfaces like rocks, sand, snow, mud, gravel, etc. There are several vehicles specifically designed for the purpose of off-road driving, as driving regular vehicles/cars off-road can cause accidents and damage the vehicles.

Here are some examples of off-road driving:

· Off-road racing

· Dune bashing

· Rock crawling

· Cross-country

· Mudding and mud plugging

· Competitive trials

Off-road driving involves several risks like vehicle malfunctioning, poor visibility, error in judgement, etc., as the driving is done on unexplored roads with no facilities like quality roads, street lights, etc.

Does Car Insurance cover off-road driving?

Every day nearly 1400 accidents occur on Indian roads; that’s why securing your car with Motor Insurance is necessary. As per the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, it is mandatory to have a third-party car insurance policy if you want to drive on a public road. However, it is advisable to buy a Comprehensive Car Insurance Policy in order to cover the third party as well as your own car damage.

If you often drive off-road or have a vehicle specifically designed for off-road driving, buying add-on covers suitable for off-road driving makes sense. You can buy these add-on covers by paying some extra premium and ensuring that the off-road driving damages are taken care of. Here are some add-on covers that are suitable for off-road driving you can buy:

Off-road driving is thrilling but, at the same time, a risky activity. Hence, it is crucial to take all the safety precautions when driving off-road. Having a Comprehensive Car Insurance Policy will ensure you have third-party as well as own damage cover. However, only car insurance is not sufficient for off-road driving requirements. You should also buy suitable add-on covers to meet your off-road driving needs. Along with the right insurance cover, it is equally important to take necessary safety precautions to avoid such unfortunate events in the first place.