Will your insurance cover your claim for a stolen car if the keys were left in the car, and if not, then why? It seems like the obvious answer is ‘yes, you will be covered’ because stolen is stolen, right? It shouldn’t matter if a thief uses a fancy gizmo, hotwired your car, used a duplicate key or turned the key you left in the ignition. The fact is that they stole your car and you’ve got insurance against theft…
Wrong. Generally speaking, insurance companies in South Africa tend not to pay out a claim for the theft of a car if the keys were left inside by the driver.
It’s actually quite an interesting topic, because you’d want to argue that, as we said, ‘theft is theft.’ However, there’s a little bit more to it, which we’ll get into right here.
Insurance is a contract with rules
Ultimately, whatever it is that you have insured and whichever insurer you have chosen to get your cover from, your policy with them is a contract. It is an agreement between yourself and the company, and more often than not, we tend to think of this agreement as only boiling down to you paying your premiums every month and the insurer paying out any claims that you submit.
We also know that there are a few exclusions (things that aren’t covered). But actually, there’s more to it when it comes to understanding why an insurer might not settle your claim for a stolen car if you left the keys inside.
Reasonable care
Different insurers handle their contracts in different ways, but 1 thing they have in common is making sure that their policies include a reference to the reasonable care that their clients need to apply to the item that they are insuring.
King Price, for example, puts it in very simple terms, saying that you, as the policyholder, must ‘look after your stuff’ by taking ‘reasonable, necessary steps to prevent or minimise loss, damage, injury or liability.’
What this means if you were to have car insurance with the royal insurer, is that it would be your responsibility to do what you can to make sure you’re not involved in an accident, that you park your car somewhere safe and that you check that your car is locked when you leave it. Even if you’ve just dashed into the corner shop for 2 mins, because it really only takes that long for a thief to take advantage of the situation.
With this in mind, it makes sense that your claim for your car that was stolen with the keys inside is less likely to be approved.
Examining each case on its own merit
The important thing to realise is that if you have, for whatever reason, left your keys in the car that was then stolen, your claim might not automatically be rejected. Most insurers, especially reputable ones, will judge each claim on its own merit. So, going back to King Price, this insurer will do some detective work, gather more info around the incident and examine the data before coming to a decision.
In fact, it’s good to know that most insurers will investigate a claim like this with due diligence. Not only because it means that they’re not just rubber stamping ‘DENY’ all over claims willy-nilly, but also because it’s a good reminder that it’s your duty to tell your insurer the whole truth and nothing but the truth. If, during the claims process, it’s discovered that you misled the claims team, your claim could be rejected and your policy could be cancelled.
Basically, if your keys were in the stolen car or you know that you didn’t lock it, then it’s best to tell your insurer the truth and explain what happened so that they can make a fair and correct ruling on your claim.
When in doubt, double check
In South Africa, we simply can’t afford to take these kinds of risks, so always lock your car and then, before walking away, check that it’s actually locked.
We trust that this info has helped. It may be that you’re facing a tough situation and need to find out if you would be covered and, if not, understand why this might be the case.
Of course, if you were just browsing and are looking for car insurance that you can trust to have your back, why not take a look at ours? We explain every detail of your insurance in everyday English, just as if we were already the best of friends.
Click here to see what our simple cheap car insurance is all about and get a commitment-free quote.
Posted in Partnership with King Price Insurance
