One of the benefits of Protecta's car and motorbike insurance policies is cover for your vehicle while it is being transported within New Zealand.
When having your vehicle (car or motorbike) transported, it is always a risk that some damage might occur to it while it is in transit. You are provided with some protection under the Carriage of Goods Act 1979, which governs carriers of all goods, including vehicles.
However, it's worth noting that the Carriage of Goods Act limits the carriers liability to just $2,000 (including GST). So, if the damage caused to your car or bike is greater than $2,000, then you'll have to pay the rest. Some carriers also write their contracts to be "at owner's risk" - if you sign one of these contracts, this means that they are not liable at all for any damage caused to your vehicle while it is in their care. In these circumstances, you would then have to bear the full cost of repairing any damage.
While your vehicle is in transit, if it is carried across water (for example, between the North and South Islands), then the maritime law of general averages applies. Under this law, all parties in a sea venture proportionally share any losses resulting from a voluntary sacrifice in an emergency of part of the ship or it's cargo, in order to save the whole. This can mean that even if your car or motorbike arrives safe and sound, you could still have to pay a proportion of another parties goods which did not reach their destination. While uncommon, there still are maritime incidents in New Zealand waters - the MV Rena for example, had vehicles on board when it ran aground on the Astrolabe Reef just outside Tauranga in 2011.
The good news is that Protecta (as a specialist in car and motorcycle insurance) recognises this is a concern for vehicle owners, and so our Full Cover insurance policies automatically cover your vehicle while it's being transported around New Zealand. This cover is included automatically with your Protecta Policy. You don't have to specifically request it, or pay any extra, nor do you have to tell us ahead of time that your vehicle is being shipped. You're just automatically protected.
These days more and more people are buying their vehicles from out of town, and getting them transported. The last thing you'd want is for your new pride and joy turn up only to find out it was damaged in transit and no one was willing to pay to fix it. It's just one more reason why New Zealand motorists are better off with a Protecta Car Insurance, Protecta Motorcycle Insurance or Protecta Classic Insurance policy.
We received a claim in October 2011 for a Dodge Challenger which had a pallet fall on it while in transit, causing around $30,000 worth of damage. You can bet the owner was glad they had their car insured with Protecta! Imagine this happened to your car or bike, and you were then told that the carrier was only going to contribute $2,000 towards the repairs. Don't take this risk, get your vehicle covered by Protecta.
If you would like to get a quote for our policies, you can get a fast, easy quote online on this site. Would you like a car insurance quote, a motorcycle insurance quote or a classic insurance quote? Or, if you would prefer to talk to a live person, please call us on 0800 PROTECT (0800 776 832).