Hybrid And Electric Vehicle Batteries
Not long after the Tesla Model S was awarded the unofficial title of “the safest car ever” by the media , a Tesla Model S caught fire in the fall of 2013. That’s never good, of course, but for Tesla, it was especially bad. The company had implied numerous times that its fully electric Model S was all but immune to the battery-related problems that have plagued hybrid cars and EVs of the past. Alas, a Model S traveling at high speeds hit a piece of debris that punctured the car’s battery, and the battery behaved like any other battery would: it ignited. Several other Teslas have caught fire since the first one in 2013, though these types of fires are rare.
Chevrolet recalled about 110,000 of its Volt EV model years 2017 to 2022 for potential battery fire issues. The problem was traced to a hardware and software issue in the batteries. It’s estimated that about one-third of fires in electric vehicles occur while the car is parked and unplugged.
But hybrid cars seem to be the most likely to catch fire, with gasoline vehicles coming in second. Cars that run only on electricity are a distant third. Of course, because there are more gasoline-powered cars on the road, they also account for the vast majority of total fires.
How French Hooligans Set Cars On Fire
Rioters in France burned more than 1,400 vehicles on Sunday night, as the civil unrest that began almost two weeks ago continued to spread. So far, at least 4,000 cars and buses have been torched by angry protesters. How do you set fire to a car?
From the inside out. The cars interior contains all the parts that are easiest to ignite: carpets, seat foam, soft plastic, even windshield wiper fluid. Manufacturers treat the interiors of some cars with flame retardants, but even these vehicles will go up in flames in a few minutes if theres a bit of fuel around. A cigarette butt probably wont set off a blaze by itself, but a single sheet of newspaper, if ignited, could do the trick.
The easiest way to torch a car would be to crack open a window, douse the interior with lighter fluid, and toss in a match. If the windows arent open or smashed, a car fire will burn itself out for lack of oxygen.
A fire in the interior of a car spreads quickly to the trunk. A bit later, it passes forward through the metal divider that protects the engine compartment. The dividerwhich is known, for some reason, as the firewallhas holes in it for the wires and tubes that provide air conditioning, heat, and power from under the hood. Once these tubes burn out, flames can get through the holes and into the engine. Within 10 or 20 minutes, the fire will have gone through the whole engine compartment, burning flammable fluids and melting plastic and metal components.
How To File A Claim For Fire Damage
Filing an insurance claim after a car fire is actually a simple process. Insurance companies do understand the hardship of dealing with a damaged vehicle after a fire and they provide compassionate support via phone, email or in person.
If your car has been damaged by any kind of fire, you should begin the claims process by contacting your insurance company immediately. Delaying your claim will delay any reimbursement, and extensive delay of weeks, months or years may void your claim entirely.
Most insurance companies offer a toll-free claims phone number listed on your insurance cards, policies, and the company website. The insurance representative will ask you a few questions about the cause of the fire and the extent of the damage to start the claims process.
They will also arrange a time and place for an insurance adjuster to come and inspect the car to assess the damage. The adjuster will want to determine the cause of the fire to see if it is covered by your policy, and the extent of the damage to appraise what the cost would be to repair or replace the vehicle.
Relax, if your claim is investigated for fraud, do not be alarmed as this is a very common procedure. In most instances the investigation is part of the companys due diligence process and will conclude quickly that no fraud has occurred.
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Comprehensive Coverage The Key To Fire Protection
If you are concerned about protecting your car against losses from a fire, then you will want to carry comprehensive coverage. This type of insurance is also sometimes referred to as full coverage, as it protects not only people injured and property that is damaged outside of your car , but also your car too. Full Coverage will basically cover anything that happens to your car from collision, hitting an animal, vandalism or any other kind of damage. This policy will even provide some medical payments to injured parties that were in your car during an accident. Some people have liability only insurance, which is required by law, but this policy will not cover your car for fire damage.
What Does Voluntary Excess Mean
You can choose your own voluntary excess. You don’t have to set one at all. But the higher you set it, the cheaper your car insurance premium will be.
You’ll have to pay your voluntary excess on top of your compulsory excess – the two will be added together.
Although having a higher voluntary excess tends to make your premium cheaper, you need to make sure you choose an amount that you could afford to pay if you had to make a claim.
(We don’t offer voluntary excess on our temporary car insurance. But you can adjust your excess with our pay-monthly car insurance.
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Windscreen Fire And Theft Claims Can Have A Different Excess
Sometimes, your insurer will charge different amounts of excess for different kinds of claim. If you need to make a claim for damage to your windscreen, for example, the excess might be lower.
Most insurers charge the same excess for fire and theft claims. But some don’t charge excess at all for those kinds of claims.
And sometimes the compulsory excess will be higherfor certain kinds of claims.
As ever, it depends on your insurer. Check your policy documents to see exactly what you’ll need to pay when you make a claim.
How To Make A Claim For A Burnt Car
You can raise a claim for the burnt car by following any of the processes stated by the insurance company. But before that, check if your policy is active and covers damage by fire.
Heres a stepwise overview of the claim process in case of a burnt car.
Step 1: Contact your insurer via call/email/website. For example, visit and login to www.acko.com
Step 2: Share policy details and state your intent to raise a car insurance claim for damage due to fire.
Step 3: Submit the necessary documents asked by the insurer.
Step 4: The insurer will appoint a surveyor to have a look at the damaged vehicle. The surveyor will also inspect the car and ascertain the cause of damage. Cooperate with the surveyor and answer all questions honestly.
Step 5: The insurer will either accept or reject a claim based on the surveyors findings. If the claim is accepted, it will be settled and you shall receive the claim amount as per the policys terms and conditions. Either the car repair expenses will be paid or the Insured Declared Value of the vehicle will be paid. The latter will happen in case the car is burnt beyond repair. If the claim request is rejected, you will be informed about the reason for claim rejection. You can then work on the reasons and then reapply.
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When Youre Shopping For Insurance Or Reviewing Your Policy It Helps To Know Some Common Insurance Terms
The definitions appearing in this Glossary are provided solely for general informational purposes. They are not intended to be complete descriptions of all terms, conditions and exclusions applicable to the products and services defined. As well, in the case of any inconsistency between the definitions in this Glossary and the definitions appearing in the actual policy, the definitions contained in the actual policy shall govern. In all cases, RSA products and services are governed by the terms and conditions of the actual policy, and the laws of the jurisdiction in which the products and services are offered.
Check Your Policy Docs
That’s generally how things work when you need to pay your excess, but different insurers will have different ways of approaching things.
Some will waive the excess if it’s clearly not your fault. Some will only charge you if they can’t get it back from the other person’s insurer, and some charge you up front and pay it back once they’ve got the money from the other person’s insurer.
If you get into a scrape that’s your fault , it might not be clear that it was your fault until all the detective work has been done.
So the other driver might claim on their insurance to cover the cost of their repairs, if they have a comprehensive insurance policy. That means they’ll have to pay their excess.
Once it becomes clear that the incident was your fault, the other driver’s insurance company will speak to your insurance company to cover the cost.
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What Is Comprehensive Coverage In Car Insurance
To know the answer to this question, it is crucial to step back a bit and understand more about the concept of car insurance in India. As per The Motor Vehicles Act in India, two-wheelers, three-wheelers, four-wheelers, etc. need to be insured. The vehicle owners must insure their vehicles with at least a Third-party Plan, which covers the vehicle owners liability towards third parties that might be injured or face property damage due to the insured car.
Vehicle owners have another optiona better alternative in the form of a Comprehensive Cover. This plan not only meets the requirements of the mandatory cover but also offers an Own Damage cover. This means, the damages to the insured car will be covered by the insurance company, which is not the case in the basic liability-only plan. Does Comprehensive Car Insurance cover fire, theft, and calamities? Yes, it does because of the Own Damage component in its coverage.
As you are getting enhanced coverage with the Comprehensive Plan, you also must pay a comparatively higher premium to purchase this plan. The premium for such a plan differs from one insurer to another. Thus, it is important to research and compare plans before insuring your car. Smartphones and the internet have made this process relatively simple. All you need to do is spend five to ten minutes researching and another five minutes buying and verifying the details of your policy. Thats it, your car will be insured.
What Does Compulsory Excess Mean
Compulsory excess is set by your insurer.
Your compulsory car insurance excess is usually based on lots of different bits of information about you – just like your car insurance premium.
That means your excess can be affected by your:
Age
Younger drivers tend to pay more for their insurance than older or more experienced drivers. And in the same way, younger drivers tend to get a higher excess.
If you’re under 25, your excess might be bumped up quite a bit.
Postcode
People who live in areas where there are lots of crashes, claims and thefts pay more for their car insurance.
You’ll also see your excess go up if you live in a “high-risk” area.
Car
The car you drive can have the biggest impact of all.
You might get a higher excess is you drive a car that has:
- Few safety features
- Parts that are expensive to get hold of or repair
So if you’re driving a brand new, high-spec car that cost a fortune, you’ll probably get a higher excess than on an old, cheap, low-performance car.
And, just like your premium, different insurers will charge different excess.
You can’t change your compulsory excess.
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What Is Covered Under Fire Damages
Okay so now you know exactly which policies will cover you in the case of fire damages to your vehicle, you might be wondering exactly what this coverage means. Generally, speaking, this is what is covered by your motor insurance for fire damages:
Natural Disasters
The fire was caused by your own negligence or on purpose
What Coverage Pays For Burned Vehicles
Comprehensive car insurance coverage is intended to protect you from damage caused by any force of nature, vandalism, theft and other types of non-collision losses. Supplemental fire insurance is also available and can be used to fill in any gaps in your coverage for a variety of other potential liabilities.
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When It’s Not Clear Whose Fault It Is
It gets a little more complicated when it’s not clear straight away whose fault an accident was.
If it isn’t clear, you won’t be able to claim on their insurance. Because while the detective work is being done, the other person’s insurer won’t pay out for you.
This is tricky if you need to make repairs to your car, because you’ll need your insurance to pay out as quickly as possible.
If so, you’ll need to claim on your own insurance. And that means you’ll have to pay excess. The compulsory and voluntary bits.
What Should I Do If My Car Catches On Fire
A car fire can engulf your vehicle in a matter of minutes, so time is of the essence. If you find yourself in a vehicle that catches fire, follow these steps.
What if the flames are coming from someone elses ride? Read our related article on what to do if you witness a car accident.
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Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance Set To Cut Car Insurance Premiums In April
SEOUL, Feb. 16 Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance Co., South Koreas top non-life insurer, said Wednesday it will cut its auto insurance premiums by an average 1.2 percent in April on falling loss rates.
It will mark Samsung Fire & Marine Insurances first premium reduction since 2020, when its car insurance premium increased more than 3 percent amid soaring deficits.
Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance, the non-life insurance arm of top conglomerate Samsung Group, said it has made the decision as its auto insurance loss rate improved thanks to fewer car accidents amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The loss rate refers to the proportion of coverage a non-life insurer pays to its policyholders from insurance premiums. The higher the loss rate is, the more likely insurers will suffer more of a burden.
The move by Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance Co. is widely expected to prompt other major industry players Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance Co., DB Insurance Co. and KB Insurance Co. to follow suit.
The four major industry players control around 85 percent of the countrys auto insurance market.
Last year, the four firms loss rates were estimated to range from 79.6 percent to 81.5 percent. Their break-even loss rate is known to be about 80 percent.
In January 2020, local non-life insurers jacked up their auto insurance premiums by 3.3-3.5 percent amid growing losses.
Does Your Motor Insurance Policy Cover Fire Damages
Now that you have realized the many ways in which your vehicle might be at risk from fire, youre probably wondering if your motor insurance will help you out in such a situation. The answer to that is it depends!
What does that mean? Well, some types of insurance policies cover against fire damages while others dont. You can learn more about this here:
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What Does Fire Insurance On A Vehicle Actually Cover
By George Iny on August 8, 2019
How your auto policy covers you in the event of a fire depends on what started it.
Image by Reinhard Thrainer from Pixabay
Q. I was informed by my auto insurer that fire insurance on a vehicle does not cover an engine fire as that is mechanical or electrical. Apparently, it exists in case my car is burned in a forest fire or the neighbours house goes up. Does that mean Im not covered in case of an engine fire or something like that?Chuck
A. Vehicle fires happen more often than you might think. Most often, they come from the under-hood area or dashboard, where most of the mechanical and electrical parts are concentrated, and usually require the presence of heat, either from hot engine parts or a short circuit in the electrical system. Leaking fuel or oil can also be contributors. A vehicle fire spreads quickly and, frequently, the vehicle is destroyed before it can be extinguishedin which case the vehicle becomes a write-off and the person insured is compensated for the loss.
However, its important to note that fire damage isnt automatically covered by insurance in all cases. It would have to be sudden and accidental, and in no way caused by a mechanical breakdown, explains Debbie Arnold, a licensed broker with Sound Insurance in Ontario.
The consequences of a fire, including damage to the vehicle and property damage, are covered in different sections of OAP 1, depending on the circumstances:
