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Third Party Only Car Insurance offers a basic and more affordable form of cover for your car by covering the damages that you have caused to other parties and their property in the event that you are responsible for an accident.
Looking for car cover but not the full-blown comprehensive commitment? Third-party only car insurance might be just what you need! This type of insurance comes with the fewest benefits, but it's saves many drivers hassle when they've caused accidental damage to someone else's property.
Here's a scenario for you. You're driving to work when the robots at your favourite intersection (insert sarcasm here) aren't working. AGAIN. You're so distracted by your irritation that you don't keep track of whose turn it is to go, and you move out of turn. And, oh no, you've T-boned a car coming from the other side.
In this instance, you've caused an accident—you're at fault. That means it's your responsibility to pay for the damage you've done to the other vehicle. But luckily, you have third-party only car insurance. You exchange insurance details with the other driver, stop by the cop shop to report the incident (or do it online if you can), and submit an insurance claim to your provider. From there, it's basically out of your hands; your provider will take care of the rest, and you're not obliged to pay for the repairs from your own pocket.
That's not all, though. Let's say you hit the other car’s boot and damaged the driver's laptop in there. Your insurer will pay for this, too. That's because property damage isn't only limited to cars, but extends to other personal belongings. It could also apply if, say, you crash into the boundary wall of someone's house.
Third-party cover only insures you for third-party liability. To help you understand the difference between the various car insurance options, here's a handy reference table to get a quick insight.
| Comprehensive | Third Party, Fire, & Theft | Third Party Only | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accidents | • | ||
| Theft & hijacking | • | • | |
| Vandalism | • | ||
| Fire & explosions | • | • | |
| Damage to someone else’s property | • | • | • |
| Weather damage | • |
In South Africa (unlike some other countries), a person cannot make a third-party claim against you to pay for their medical bills if you cause them injury on the road. Rather, that is for the Road Accident Fund to pay out. Third-party liability extends only to others' property.
Since 2011, the South African Insurance Association (SAIA) has called for mandatory third-party car insurance, with the argument that if all drivers were insured, the cost of insurance would come down and there would be more funds available to repair the damaged cars on our roads. While this type of insurance isn’t mandatory yet, it may very well be in the near future.