Cover type
Comprehensive cover
The full one. Pays for damage to your car, their car, and almost everything else. Highest premium, broadest cover.
- Premium band
- $70–$160/mo on a 2018-ish hatch, mid-30s driver, mid-loading region
- Insurers offering
- 8 of 8
In plain English
What comprehensive actually means
Comprehensive is the cover most kiwis end up with on a car worth keeping. It pays for damage to your own car (whether it's your fault or someone else's), damage to other people's cars and property, theft, fire, and weather events. It's the most expensive of the three cover types, but the gap between comprehensive and third-party fire & theft has narrowed over the last few years — for many drivers, comprehensive costs $20–$40/mo more than TPFT, which is hard to argue with if your car is worth more than $5,000. The case against comprehensive is weakest when your car is worth real money; strongest when you're driving a $1,500 runabout that's effectively at end-of-life.
What it covers
- Damage to your own car from a crash you caused
- Damage to other people's cars and property
- Theft of your car or its contents
- Fire, weather, and natural-event damage
- Windscreen and glass replacement (usually with a separate excess)
- Hire car while yours is being repaired (depends on insurer)
What it doesn't cover
- Mechanical breakdown (that's a different product)
- Wear and tear, tyres, or scratched paint from age
- Driving while disqualified or under the influence
- Use for ride-share or commercial delivery without disclosure
Best for
Cars worth $5,000 or more, financed cars (your lender almost certainly requires it), and drivers who can't easily afford a sudden $5–15k repair bill.
Not right when
Your car is worth $2,000 or less and the comprehensive premium would write off your replacement budget over two or three years.
NZ insurers offering comprehensive
Every mainstream NZ insurer sells this cover type. The premium and the small print vary; click through for the editorial on each.