Weirdest things your car insurance will and won't cover

A lot can happen when you’re on the road, so car insurance providers must cover all their bases when writing the product disclosure statement (PDS). Fortunately for us, this means PDS is also littered with delightfully strange easter eggs.
So let’s dive into the weirdest terms and conditions in your car insurance policy**.
**Every policy is different, so your car insurance terms may vary. Always read the PDS.
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- Covered: Emergency transport back to…where you normally park at night?
- Not covered: Threat of communicable diseases
- Covered: Your sweet-as personalised number plate
- Not covered: Cyber attacks!
- Not covered: Putting the wrong fuel in
- Not covered: Off-road bush bashing and hooning
- Not covered: A snake in your boot
- Not covered: Damage caused by vacuuming
- Not covered: Unexplained damage or breakdowns, AKA car gremlins
Covered: Emergency transport back to…where you normally park at night?

Emergency transport is a common inclusion on most comprehensive car insurance policies, especially if you write off your vehicle. However, the fine print may contain astonishingly specific limits. One PDS we found will only reimburse a ride back to wherever you usually park at night. So good luck if you park in the next suburb!
While this condition might seem mind-boggling, it actually honours the basic function of insurance: a reset button. Claim payouts don’t pay for upgrades. They return you to the status quo.
So have fun walking home after the wreck! Tonight’s just like any other night – to your provider.
Not covered: Threat of communicable diseases

Scratching your head? Hopefully it’s not lice, because if you contract something (or give something to someone) while in your car, your insurance company won’t cover the, um…personal damages.
Do with that what you will.
Covered: Your sweet-as personalised number plate

Yep! Comprehensive car insurance usually covers custom rego plates – even ones that say JOYRIDR, SICK1, and ACHOO. Your policy may also cover baby seats, tow bars, and custom window tinting.
However, all other modifications or enhancements (like those sick flame decals) are not automatically covered, unless you get written permission from your insurance provider.
BRB, gonna go polish our custom MOZO number plate.
Not covered: Cyber attacks!

“I’m in, now drive,” says the hacker as they take control of your car. While modern dashboards contain some pretty amazing smart features, like satellite GPS, AI driving assist, and social apps, if a cyber-criminal breaches any of them, the fallout likely isn’t covered by even the most comprehensive car insurance.
Fortunately, cyber safety for your car is much the same as cyber safety for everything else. Add multi-factor authentication, back up your data, and if all else fails, perform a factory reset to clear out the bugs.
Not covered: Putting the wrong fuel in

Wait, was this diesel, or unleaded? Better safe than sorry, because if you accidentally refuel with the wrong type of petrol, it’ll absolutely wreck your engine – and your insurance won’t pay out.
Negligence is a no-go for insurance in general, and using the right fuel is a big part of looking after your car. Careless mistakes on your part are just too risky for car insurance providers to cover – so they don’t.
Better triple-check, yeah?
Not covered: Off-road bush bashing and hooning

Taking your four-wheeler for sick burnouts, hooning, and bush-bashing might be a hoot, but it’s highly dangerous for your vehicle – hence, car insurance won’t cover it.
Again, it’s about managing risk. If you’re wilfully driving like a hoon, you’re more likely to get into an accident and make an expensive claim.
Not covered: A snake in your boot

That’s right – any critter, vermin, or beastie that decides to make your car its mobile home isn’t covered under your policy. Therefore any damage they cause is yours to cop alone.
This issue can be particularly bad if you park your car in wooded areas for long periods of time, since possums, cats, and reptiles may find the wonderful engine, wheels, or hood warm places to cosy up for the night. (Fun fact, it’s illegal to move an Australian brushtail possum more than 100 metres from its den, so if you find one moved into your car, good luck!)
To prevent this from happening, keep your car in a protected area at night, like a lock-up garage.
Not covered: Damage caused by vacuuming

If you go really hard-core with your vacuuming, wiping, and buffing, be warned: if you damage your car during the cleaning process, car insurance won’t cover it. This exclusion again falls into the negligence category: providers expect you to look after your car, just not too hard.
Not covered: Unexplained damage or breakdowns, AKA car gremlins

Look, cars are a mystery. Sometimes wheels get stuck, engines overheat, and tyres make weird noises. The British Royal Air Force used to blame random malfunctions like this on gremlins. Unfortunately, “gremlins broke it” won’t fly with your car insurance provider.
Whenever you file a car insurance claim, you’ll need to provide a certificate of damage or some kind of assessment from a mechanic. But if even the mechanic doesn’t know the cause of the damage, fault, or glitch, it raises eyebrows from your provider.
While insurance fraud is rare, it does happen, and providers are hyper-attuned to anything that smells off. But by writing “???” under the cause of damage, you look like you’re trying to hide something.
Luckily, genuinely mysterious damage or breakdowns are pretty rare. A good mechanic should be able to sort out the root cause of the issue – and if they can’t, get a second opinion!
Ready to get a better deal on your policy? Compare car insurance offers below.
Compare car insurance policies - last updated 15 February 2025
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Comprehensive Car Insurance
Yes costs extra
Agreed or Market
$400 - $2,500
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CompareCompareComprehensive Car Insurance
Making sure your car insurance is about where you’re at right now could save you lots. Start a quote with Youi today and see what you could save.
- Monthly premiums available
- Yes costs extra
- Agreed or market value
- Agreed or Market
- Choice of excess
- $400 - $2,500
- Choice of repairer
- Optional Extra
- Discounts available
- -
- Quote time
- -
Read reviews and learn more about Youi car insurance
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Comprehensive Car Insurance
Yes costs extra
Agreed or Market
$500 - $2,300
Optional Extra
CompareCompareComprehensive Car Insurance
- Monthly premiums available
- Yes costs extra
- Agreed or market value
- Agreed or Market
- Choice of excess
- $500 - $2,300
- Choice of repairer
- Optional Extra
- Discounts available
- Online discount $75 off new policies
- Quote time
- 6 to 8 minutes
Read reviews and learn more about QBE car insurance
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Mozo experts choice awards won:
- Exceptional Value Car Insurance - 2024
- Exceptional Value Young Driver Insurance - 2024
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Gold Comprehensive Car Insurance
Yes costs extra
Agreed or Market
$550 - $1,900 (varies by state)
Optional Extra
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.
CompareCompareGold Comprehensive Car Insurance
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.
- Monthly premiums available
- Yes costs extra
- Agreed or market value
- Agreed or Market
- Choice of excess
- $550 - $1,900 (varies by state)
- Choice of repairer
- Optional Extra
- Discounts available
- No claim discount|Online discount 15% on first years premium
- Quote time
- 2 to 3 minutes
Read reviews and learn more about Budget Direct car insurance
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Mozo experts choice awards won:
- Exceptional Value Car Insurance - 2024
- Exceptional Value Young Driver Insurance - 2024
Comprehensive Car Insurance
Yes
Agreed
$800 flat excess fee
No
No additional excess for young drivers, lodge a claim 24/7 and zero cancellation fees. Hire car is included up to $80 per day for up to 21 days; cover for one tow to our nearest authorised repairer, following a covered incident. No excess on your first covered windscreen, sunroof, and window glass damage once per insurance period. List multiple cars and drivers under the one policy as long as they fit the underwriting criteria (excludes Safe ’n Save policies).
CompareCompareComprehensive Car Insurance
No additional excess for young drivers, lodge a claim 24/7 and zero cancellation fees. Hire car is included up to $80 per day for up to 21 days; cover for one tow to our nearest authorised repairer, following a covered incident. No excess on your first covered windscreen, sunroof, and window glass damage once per insurance period. List multiple cars and drivers under the one policy as long as they fit the underwriting criteria (excludes Safe ’n Save policies).
- Monthly premiums available
- Yes
- Agreed or market value
- Agreed
- Choice of excess
- $800 flat excess fee
- Choice of repairer
- No
- Discounts available
- Get 10% off the base premium for the first 2 consecutive monthly policies and up to a 15% potential monthly discount from your 3rd month for being a safer driver. Minimum premiums may apply. T&Cs apply.
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* 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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