Want to know the best insurance companies in Kenya? Great!
Of course, it’s imperative to have your valuable set of wheels insured- car insurance helps you mitigate financial losses that may arise unexpectedly (your car may be stolen, damaged by fire, be involved in an accident, etc.)
In addition, having valid vehicle insurance is a legal requirement for cars driven on Kenyan roads.
To point you in the right direction when shopping for car insurance in Kenya, below is a list of the best motor vehicle insurance companies in Kenya.
Read to the end and choose wisely.
List of the Best Car Insurance Companies in Kenya
Cooperative Insurance Company (CIC)
CIC is a regulated world-class insurance that serves countries across the East Africa region.
It’s also one of the leading motor insurance companies in the country –CIC is actually one of the few Car Insurance Companies in Kenya listed in the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE)
CIC sells insurance for all types of commercial vehicles from pick-ups, Lorries, and trucks as well as personal cars.
Plus, if you’re a lady, CIC’s lady auto product is specifically designed for ladies like you- ladies are known to be more careful on our roads than men so the terms of the cover consider this.
Add-on benefits for those who insure their cars with CIC include 24-hour roadside assistance nationwide, counseling services for traumatized drivers and even help in replacing car keys in case you lost yours.
Try CIC today.
Cooperative Insurance Company contacts
Location: CIC Plaza, Mara Road, UpperHill, Nairobi
Phone: +254 703 099120/ 0202 823000/+254 722 204572
Website: www.cic.co.ke
Directline Insurance
Directline was the first niche underwriter to focus on motor vehicle insurance in Kenya and has been especially dominant in the matatu sector.
The company has over 17 branches currently in the country.
Other than insuring Matatus and Taxis, DirectLine offers a wide range of other automobile insurance products including private car insurance as well as insurance cover for commercial vehicles.
Like most of the companies in this best Car Insurance Companies in Kenya list, Directline offers both Third-party and Comprehensive insurance covers.
Directline Insurance contacts
Location: Hazina Towers, 17th floor, Monrovia Street, Nairobi
Phone: 0711 030000/0730 130000/ 0203 250000
Website: www.directline.co.ke
Heritage Insurance Company
Heritage is also considered one of the top car insurance companies in Kenya and they’re one of the leaders when it comes to privately-owned cars (Saloon cars, station wagons, large four-wheel drives, et cetera).
In addition to insurance, Heritage provides a variety of other services (car tracking, towing services, and more).
Heritage Insurance Company contacts
Location: LIBERTY House, Mamlaka Rd, Nairobi
Phone: 0202 783000
Website: www.heritageinsurance.co.ke
APA Insurance
APA was formed when Apollo insurance and Pan-African insurance groups merged and provides myriad motor insurance products too.
The company is well known around the nation and can be another good option if you’re shopping for insurance for commercial/ private car or even your bodaboda.
APA has cash-less garages across the country where you can take your car for quick repairs for free- if you’re their client.
APA Insurance contacts
Location: Apollo Centre, Ring Road Parklands, Westlands, Nairobi
Tel: +254 203 641000
Website: www.apainsurance.org
Jubilee Insurance
Jubilee is an ISO certified insurance company.
What that means is that Jubilee has maintained top-notch quality standards- as per global best practices.
This sets the company apart from the competition since most of its rival insurance companies are yet to achieve this feat.
Jubilee offers comprehensive insurance cover for both private and commercial cars.
In addition, Jubilee has a special product named J Drive under which it provides towing services plus a replacement car, if necessary.
Jubilee Insurance contacts
Location: Jubilee Insurance Centre, Wabera Street, Nairobi
Telephone: +254 203 281000/+254 203 281150
Website: www.jubileekenya.com
Best Car Insurance Companies in Kenya- important information for car owners
Let’s start by understanding what car insurance is.
Put in a simple way, it’s an agreement between a car owner and an insurance company (insurance underwriter), under which the insurer undertakes to protect you against risks that might result in a financial loss when your car is involved in a mishap.
Types of car insurance in Kenya
In summary, your options are:
- Third-party insurance cover
- Third-party with fire and theft insurance cover
- Comprehensive insurance cover
- Commercial/PSV insurance cover
Here now is a brief description of each of these products:
Third-party insurance
Third-party insurance is the mandatory basic minimum insurance cover you need while driving.
The cover compensates the third party in case you’re involved in an accident leading to their injuries, death, and/or property damage.
In short, you plus your car is not insured but any third party involved is.
Notably, premium costs associated with third-party insurance are low (but it also means compensation amounts are significantly lower).
That being so, it’s not worth buying a third party cover for a prime vehicle (you know, it may not be very helpful for big rides since these tend to require high repair costs once caught up in an accident).
Third-party with fire and theft
This is an upgrade on the basic third-party insurance cover.
The key difference is that the affected third-party will now be compensated for damages listed in third-party insurance (they will be paid for damage caused to their car) plus any damages on your car resulting from an accidental fire.
You also cover for theft incidents (you’re compensated if your car is actually stolen)- you will be paid for damages to your vehicle suffered during attempted theft cases.
This means you will be paying higher premiums than holders of basic 3rd party insurance.
Comprehensive insurance cover
As the name implies, comprehensive cover is literary very comprehensive (there is nothing it won’t compensate for, as long as it’s not intentional).
First, the cover offers the full benefits of the third-party cover.
Comprehensive car insurance in Kenya also covers you for damage/loss from fire incidents, theft cases, accidental loss, vandalism, natural disasters, and even damages caused by things such as animals or even falling objects (such as a tree).
For this reason, while it’s not a must to have comprehensive insurance cover in Kenya, it is our most recommended insurance cover.
The downside – and the reason why some folks avoid it- is its cost.
To be clear, you’ll pay between 3.5 to 6 per cent of your car value as premium for comprehensive insurance cover in Kenya.
PSV insurance cover in Kenya
This is a type of insurance designed for PSVs (public service vehicles) in the country.
Not only are you insured against the loss of your matatu or damages to your vehicle but…
Also the insured is protected against any form of passenger liability, for example, successive lawsuits filed by such passengers claiming some kind of physical damages, mental trauma, or financial losses while in transit.
Premiums are charged for each travelling passenger in the vehicle.
Best Car Insurance Companies in Kenya- Final Words
There are quite a number of insurance companies in Kenya and it is impossible to really exhaust them in such a short article so keep looking if you’re not satisfied with these options.
One final thing: Always read the final print when buying insurance products since (as they say) the devil is in the details.
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