Chandigarh, 17 October 2026: The festive season is traditionally considered an auspicious time for new beginnings, including purchasing a car or two-wheeler. For many buyers, bringing home a new vehicle is a significant milestone. While choosing the right model, features and financing are important parts of the purchase journey, selecting appropriate motor insurance is equally essential to protect the vehicle against unforeseen risks.

Reviewing motor insurance options goes beyond meeting mandatory requirements. Understanding the available coverage, relevant add-on covers and policy conditions helps customers choose protection suited to their vehicle, driving patterns and individual needs.

With this in mind, SBI General Insurance highlights a few essential motor insurance checks that car owners should consider before beginning their festive journey:

• Understand your add-on covers:Road trips involve longer distances and varied driving conditions, making it important to understand available motor insurance add-ons. Customers can explore options such as roadside assistance, zero depreciation, consumables, key cover, etc. and engine protection, based on their needs, and review the coverage and applicable terms and conditions.

• Know the exclusions, deductibles and claim conditions: Insurance protection is subject to policy terms and conditions. Before a road trip, check what your motor insurance covers, including exclusions, deductibles and claim requirements. Knowing these details can help avoid confusion if you need to make a claim.

• Explore usage-based insurance options such as Pay As You Drive: Pay As You Drive (PAYD) links premiums to a selected kilometre-based plan or declared vehicle usage, while Pay How You Drive (PHYD) may link premiums or benefits to driving behaviour. Customers should check their expected mileage, usage limits and policy terms before choosing a plan.

• Keep emergency and roadside assistance details handy: A breakdown or accident during a highway journey can be particularly challenging when travelling far from home. Customers should keep their insurer’s customer-care and roadside assistance details handy and carry essential vehicle and insurance documents during highway journeys.

• Understand protection against catastrophic events: Floods, cyclones, hailstorms and landslides can cause significant vehicle damage. Customers should review the natural calamity coverage under their comprehensive motor insurance policy and assess whether engine protection is relevant, particularly in waterlogging-prone areas.

• Look beyond mandatory third-party insurance: Third-party insurance is a legal requirement, but it does not cover damage to the insured vehicle. Customers should consider a comprehensive motor insurance policy that combines third-party liability protection with cover for damage to their own vehicle. This can help address the financial implications of accidents, theft, fire and covered natural calamities.

• Review your Insured Declared Value (IDV) and policy details: The IDV is an important component of a motor insurance policy, particularly in the event of theft or a total loss. The IDV determines the vehicle’s insured value in case of theft or total loss. Customers should review the IDV, vehicle details and policyholder information to ensure they are accurate and up to date.

As festive vehicle purchases and road journeys bring new opportunities for travel, motor insurance remains an important consideration in protecting the vehicle beyond the point of purchase. By assessing coverage requirements, understanding available add-ons and choosing a policy aligned with their driving needs, customers can make more informed decisions about their motor insurance protection. During the festive season, customers should choose motor insurance that suits their driving needs, with the right coverage and add-ons to protect their vehicle against unforeseen risks.

With over 8,700 network garages across India, along with cashless repair facilities and roadside assistance services, SBI General aims to make the motor insurance experience more convenient and seamless for customers. By combining relevant coverage options with accessible support and services, SBI General Insurance aims to build lasting customer trust while helping customers make informed motor insurance choices and take to the road with greater confidence.