Dealing with power cuts can be a challenge, and many of our clients have questions about their car insurance cover during these circumstances. In this blog post, we’ll be addressing some frequently asked questions, guiding you through King Price’s car insurance cover during loadshedding, total blackouts or grid interruptions.
Will a blackout affect my car theft or accident claim?
Insurance policies come with exclusions that might be relevant depending on the circumstances surrounding a loss that’s being claimed for. Consider a claim for accident damage to a car that’s unroadworthy due to worn tyres. If the worn tyres were the reason the car couldn’t stop in time, causing a crash, then it’s probable we wouldn’t pay the claim.
However, each situation is unique, and the actual claim outcome depends on various factors. Although loss and damage due to ‘blackout’ or ‘grid interruption’ are specifically excluded from our cover, we determine whether a loss would still have occurred if there hadn’t been a blackout at the time of the incident. We can only make a decision on the claim once we’ve established the contributing causes.
At King Price, we use the term ‘grid interruption’ instead of ‘total blackout’. This refers to an interruption or suspension of electricity supply from any electrical power supply network to any end-user, for whatever reason.
On the other hand, ‘loadshedding’ refers to the intentional, total or partial withholding of electricity supply implemented in phases, not affecting a municipality or province at the same time. Accidental damage to cars during loadshedding isn’t specifically excluded.
With loadshedding becoming a daily occurrence and traffic lights often not operational, unofficial and untrained individuals sometimes take control of intersections to direct traffic. Our clients are still covered for loss and damage that might occur at such informally-controlled intersections, provided they exercised due care and precaution at the time of the incident
Have there been any load-shedding-related car insurance claims in 2023?
As of now, we haven’t identified loadshedding as a contributing factor to any car-related claims.
Has any cover been removed from King Price car insurance policies due to frequent loadshedding?
We haven’t made any specific changes to our car policies. However, we’ve added a general exclusion to all sections of our personal and commercial policies, excluding all cover for loss or damage due to grid interruption.
Please click here to find out more about what is and isn’t covered during loadshedding on our various car insurance options.
You can click here or WhatsApp us on 0860 50 50 50 to get a commitment-free quote for car insurance from King Price.
