Does home and car insurance cover earthquakes?
Earthquakes aren’t all that common in Australia, which is why many were shocked when a quake hit Victoria on Wednesday. The small town Mansfield was at the epicentre of the earthquake and the highest magnitude recorded was 5.9 at 9.15am.
So far there have been no reported serious injuries, but there has been building damage. If you haven’t experienced an earthquake before, right now you might be wondering whether it’s possible to claim repairs with your car or home insurance.
Here’s the lowdown on insurance and earthquakes.
Does home insurance cover earthquakes?
The first thing to know is that earthquake damage is often covered with home building and contents insurance. Where earthquakes are included as an insured event, building insurance will usually provide cover for damage to the actual property, while contents insurance will usually provide cover for damage to belongings inside the home. For example, a piece of furniture might be damaged by falling rubble.
Often earthquakes and tsunamis are listed together on insurance policies. Although thankfully the Bureau of Meteorology has reported that there is no tsunami threat to Australia from the earthquake. Generally, policies that cover earthquakes will cover damage caused within 72 hours of the initial quake.
An insurance company may also require that the earthquake has been officially recorded by a geoscience organisation, run by the Australian government. The earthquake in Victoria was recorded by Geoscience Australia.
So to sum up, generally earthquake damage is covered with home insurance. Although it is always a good idea to read through the PDS that accompanies a specific policy to double check. You may also find that the definition for earthquakes varies from policy to policy. Some insurance plans may even have waiting periods. This means you may have to wait a certain amount of time after taking out the policy to be covered.
Does car insurance cover earthquakes?
Generally speaking, comprehensive car insurance is the type of car insurance most likely to provide cover for earthquake damage. Although some third party fire and theft insurance plans may provide cover for quakes too.
Some policies may not specify earthquakes, but instead stipulate that cover is provided for natural events. If earthquakes are not mentioned in the PDS, it might be a good idea to give the insurance provider a ring and clarify whether or not quake damage is covered.
With both home and car insurance, how much cover you have after an earthquake will depend on the individual policy. That includes whether the policy covers earthquake damage, any excesses that may apply, limits and sublimits.
Head to Mozo’s compare car insurance page to see what comprehensive policies are available in Australia right now. Or check out the deals below.
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Gold Comprehensive Car Insurance
- Monthly premiums
- Yes Costs Extra
- Choice of repairer
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- $550 - $1,900 (varies By State)
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Get award winning Car Insurance. Save 15% ^ on your first year’s premium when you purchase a new policy online. Budget Direct offers tailor-made cover, new-for-old replacement, 24/7 claims, a highly-rated claims service, and get a hire car following a theft.
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- Not at fault - Yes. At fault - Optional Extra. Up to 14 days for at fault accidents.
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- Yes - standard excess. Option to reduce windscreen excess to $40 on every windscreen claim for an additional premium.
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- Young driver excess imposed
- $600 for drivers under 21, $500 for drivers under 24, $600 for unlisted drivers, $500 for inexperienced drivers.
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- SA VIC TAS NSW ACT QLD WA
Terms, conditions, exclusions, limits and sub-limits may apply to any of the insurance products shown on the Mozo website. These terms, conditions, exclusions, limits and sub-limits could affect the level of benefits and cover available under any of the insurance products shown on the Mozo website. Please refer to the relevant Product Disclosure Statement and the Target Market Determination on the provider's website for further information before making any decisions about an insurance product.
Read our Mozo Review to learn more about Budget Direct Gold Comprehensive Car Insurance
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- States where offered
- SA VIC NT TAS NSW ACT QLD WA
Terms, conditions, exclusions, limits and sub-limits may apply to any of the insurance products shown on the Mozo website. These terms, conditions, exclusions, limits and sub-limits could affect the level of benefits and cover available under any of the insurance products shown on the Mozo website. Please refer to the relevant Product Disclosure Statement and the Target Market Determination on the provider's website for further information before making any decisions about an insurance product.
Read our Mozo Review to learn more about QBE Comprehensive Car Insurance
Comprehensive Car Insurance
- Monthly premiums
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- New car if written off
- Yes - within 15,000km of original registration
- Rental car after theft
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- Rental car after accident
- Yes - Up to 21 days, max $80 per day after a covered event
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- Modifications
- Covered only if agreed in writing.
- Young driver excess imposed
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- Other benefits
- Optional benefit to boost the Single Car Value by 15%, it will be shown on your Insurance Certificate
- Other restrictions
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- States where offered
- SA VIC NT TAS NSW ACT QLD WA
Terms, conditions, exclusions, limits and sub-limits may apply to any of the insurance products shown on the Mozo website. These terms, conditions, exclusions, limits and sub-limits could affect the level of benefits and cover available under any of the insurance products shown on the Mozo website. Please refer to the relevant Product Disclosure Statement and the Target Market Determination on the provider's website for further information before making any decisions about an insurance product.
Read our Mozo Review to learn more about ROLLiN' Comprehensive Car Insurance
Comprehensive Car Insurance
- Monthly premiums
- Yes Costs Extra
- Choice of repairer
- Optional Extra
- Choice of excess
- $500 - $2,200
- Agreed or market value
- Agreed Or Market
Available discounts
- Online Discount $75
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Australia Post Comprehensive Car Insurance offers a broad range of coverage and includes cover for anyone who drives your vehicle. It also covers new car replacement if your recently purchased brand new car is written off within the first three years (provided it has travelled less than 60,000km). Save $75 on your first year's premium when you purchase Comprehensive Car Insurance online. T&C’s apply.
- New car if written off
- Yes - within 3 years and 60,000 km of original registration
- Rental car after theft
- Yes - Up to 14 days.
- Rental car after accident
- Not at fault - Yes. At fault - Optional Extra. Up to 14 days.
- Windscreen cover
- Yes - standard excess ($0 excess for repair only). Option to reduce windscreen replacement excess to $0 for an additional premium.
- Modifications
- Automatically covered.
- Young driver excess imposed
- $600 for listed drivers under 25, $1,600 for unlisted drivers under 25.
- Roadside assistance
- No
- Other benefits
- -
- Other restrictions
- -
- States where offered
- SA VIC TAS NSW ACT QLD WA
Terms, conditions, exclusions, limits and sub-limits may apply to any of the insurance products shown on the Mozo website. These terms, conditions, exclusions, limits and sub-limits could affect the level of benefits and cover available under any of the insurance products shown on the Mozo website. Please refer to the relevant Product Disclosure Statement and the Target Market Determination on the provider's website for further information before making any decisions about an insurance product.
Read our Mozo Review to learn more about Australia Post Comprehensive Car Insurance
Comprehensive Car Insurance
- Monthly premiums
- Yes Costs Extra
- Choice of repairer
- Optional Extra
- Choice of excess
- $400 - $2,500
- Agreed or market value
- Agreed Or Market
Available discounts
Comprehensive Car Insurance
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- New car if written off
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- Rental car after theft
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- Rental car after accident
- Not at fault - Yes. At fault - Optional Extra. Up to 14 days.
- Windscreen cover
- Yes - standard excess. Option to reduce windscreen excess to $50 for an additional premium.
- Modifications
- Covered only if agreed in writing.
- Young driver excess imposed
- Unlisted and aged 25 and over: $700, Unlisted and aged under 25: $2,000, Listed and aged under 25: $600
- Roadside assistance
- Yes
- Other benefits
- -
- Other restrictions
- -
- States where offered
- SA VIC TAS NSW ACT QLD WA
Terms, conditions, exclusions, limits and sub-limits may apply to any of the insurance products shown on the Mozo website. These terms, conditions, exclusions, limits and sub-limits could affect the level of benefits and cover available under any of the insurance products shown on the Mozo website. Please refer to the relevant Product Disclosure Statement and the Target Market Determination on the provider's website for further information before making any decisions about an insurance product.
Read our Mozo Review to learn more about Youi Comprehensive Car Insurance
* Terms, conditions, exclusions, limits and sub-limits may apply to any of the insurance products shown on the Mozo website. These terms, conditions, exclusions, limits and sub-limits could affect the level of benefits and cover available under any of the insurance products shown on the Mozo website. Please refer to the relevant Product Disclosure Statement and the Target Market Determination on the provider's website for further information before making any decisions about an insurance product.
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