Personal effects insurance protects you against loss of – or damage to – your possessions while they are in your car. It will usually apply to damage obtained by a range of causes, such as car accidents, car fires and theft.

Why Do I Need it?

Some insurance providers will list items or types of items that are covered by this policy, while others will allow for a limited list of items that you can choose. Commonly insured items include electronics like laptops, tablets, and cell phones, as well as things like sunglasses, wallets, and expensive items of clothing.

What are the Limitations of Personal Effects Cover?

Insurance providers will compensate for your personal belongings, but they typically have exceptions where the claims cannot be made. These could include:

• Any loss of personal belongings (due to theft or other causes) from a convertible car, unless the car has the cover on the top during the loss or the items are secured in the trunk.
• Items that an insurance company cannot practically compensate for, such as certain kinds of documents (certificates, reports, manuscripts).
• Cash, bonds, and cheques.

Insurance providers will also not pay if the items are already insured by a different policy.

Insurance providers should compensate for your loss upon submission of necessary documents. These might include a police report (especially in the case of theft) as well as your driving license and details of the insured items. Note that insurance providers will account for wear and tear of claimed items, so your compensation payout may not match the original cost of the insured items.

Should I get this kind of cover?

Whether or not this cover is crucial is very dependent on an individual’s personal circumstances. If your circumstances require that you often keep certain valuables in your car, it may be well worth considering. But in that case, it’s worth considering going a step further and getting comprehensive cover for your car. This would include personal effects cover in addition to various other kinds of cover that are not applicable to a basic car insurance policy.

Whether you’re in the market for personal effects cover, comprehensive cover, or any other kind, CompareInsurance is the best way to compare insurance policies in the UAE. CompareInsurance is your best option for finding your best option.