Cover letter (motor vehicle)
The cover letter is the name for a product from the motor vehicle insurance sector or the scope of services of an automobile or traffic club . The policyholder , ie the vehicle owner, or the eligible club member receives assistance from the insurer in the event of a breakdown , an accident or theft . The services are vehicle-related, not personal. In some cases, the benefits also include personal assistance if a trip is undertaken without the insured vehicle. In Austria, Schutzbrief is a registered trademark of the ÖAMTC , which offers its members additional mobility services under this trademark.
Services
The services are essentially the same with the providers, but vary greatly in detail.
- Breakdown assistance: restoring the vehicle's readiness to drive at the breakdown or accident site.
- Towing: Transport of the failed vehicle to the nearest workshop .
- Recovery : The vehicle is lifted / brought back onto the paved road. Usually with unlimited insurance.
- Onward and return journeys: Transport of the (authorized) occupants to the destination and back to the repaired vehicle. Possible variants in order of frequency: rental car , train, flight.
- Vehicle return transport (pick-up): The failed vehicle is brought to the workshop at home (unlimited insurance, mostly only from abroad). In Germany, the option of returning the vehicle and its occupants with special tow vehicles is offered.
- Dispatch of spare parts: The insurer organizes the procurement and dispatch of a required spare part that cannot be obtained abroad (unlimited insurance, mostly only from abroad).
- Substitute driver: Provision of a substitute driver if the driver is absent due to illness / accident.
- Vehicle storage: stand costs until the vehicle is restored.
- Accommodation costs : Hotel costs for all authorized occupants until they are ready to drive again.
- Rental car in the event of vehicle theft for the return journey. If the stolen vehicle is found, it will be transported back to the home town.
- Other: route planning , reimbursement of costs for self-organized, loss of use, customs clearance / scrapping , organizational services without assumption of costs (assistance services).
Exclusions
- In the case of vehicle problems with towing / replacement driver / replacement vehicle as well as accommodation costs, a minimum distance of 50 km from the place of residence is usually required. This also applies if the insured vehicle came to a workshop on its own.
- The insurance cover covers various risks: breakdown (braking, breakage or operational damage), accident (externally occurring, unforeseeable event) and theft (or attempted). Forgotten keys in the car or a frozen door lock do not count, as the car is usually intact in such cases. Some insurers still pay if the vehicle is not at the home address because the vehicle cannot be used.
- Repair costs are not insured.
- In motor vehicle liability insurance, only one defined vehicle is insured with bundled letters of protection (often identifiable by product names with the plus or mobile component ), namely the one for which the liability insurance exists.
- Accommodation costs are only reimbursed up to a certain amount specified in the contract.
- Not all letters of protection are valid in Europe or worldwide.
- In some cases, breakdown assistance and towing are capped in terms of costs.
providers
The oldest insurance company in Germany is the automobile club ADAC , as well as many other providers such as ACV , AvD , ACE , JimDrive or BAVC . In the meantime, a large number of automobile and traffic clubs offer similar services in various variations. For example, prices at the ecologically oriented Verkehrsclub Deutschland are based on the pollutant class or the CO 2 emissions of the insured vehicle. In addition, most motor vehicle insurers now also offer an optional cover letter in motor vehicle liability insurance , or alternative products to the services of the automobile clubs are offered. To this end, the German motor vehicle insurers have built up a network of around 7,000 towing companies across Europe. Some authorized motor vehicle workshops also promise similar services (so-called mobility guarantees ). Comparison portals and consumer publications offer help in choosing the right provider.
See also
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Model conditions of the GDV insurers' association
- ^ GDV: Auto protection letters - insurers provide roadside assistance 205,000 times in summer , accessed on September 21, 2015
- ↑ Comparison through good advice
- ↑ Auto protection letters: Auto insurers usually cheaper than ADAC , test.de from March 17, 2015, accessed on March 17, 2015