Cover information and limits in the table below verified as correct at 25 April 2024. Other information correct at the time of writing.
Advertiser disclosure.
Important information on terms, conditions and sub-limits
| Product | Monthly premiums available | Maximum no claim discount | Online discount | Choice of repairer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Comprehensive Car Insurance |
Yes |
Not Published |
n/a |
No |
| Comprehensive EV Insurance for Tesla Vehicles |
Yes |
Not Published |
n/a |
Optional Extra |
KOBA currently offers three policies:
Pay-per-kilometre insurance. KOBA’s cornerstone product is its ‘pay per kilometre’ comprehensive car insurance policy, which is Australia’s only true pay-as-you-drive policy. It uses sensors to track your actual kilometres driven and charges you per kilometre.
Insurance for Uber Carshare. Another innovative solution, this policy caters to Uber Carshare hosts. It ensures your car is covered for damage when the car is used for personal driving and while it's parked. The policy cleverly integrates with Uber Carshare's technology to ensure comprehensive coverage outside of bookings, with a flexible pay-per-kilometre rate for personal use.
Electric Vehicle insurance. KOBA’s most recent innovation is Australia’s first insurance policy crafted specifically for electric vehicles (currently Teslas only). It offers tailored coverage based on actual usage, with an upfront fixed rate and a per-kilometre charge, along with exclusive benefits like certified repair services and charging equipment coverage.
Clearly, KOBA is intensifying its focus on technology, positioning itself as arguably the most innovative insurer currently active in Australia.
All of KOBA’s policies use the pay-as-you-drive model, adjusting your premium based on how far customers drive each month. The premium price is made up of two different costs:
To track how far you drive each month, KOBA will send you the ‘KOBA Rider’ telematics device, which is to be plugged into the OBD-II (On-Board Diagnostics) port in your car. This will allow the device to be plugged directly into your onboard computer. The port is usually located underneath the steering wheel and according to KOBA most cars manufactured after 2006 should have one.
KOBA Rider keeps track of the number of kilometres driven in real time and sends the information to KOBA’s cloud server. The information is recorded and you will be able to access it via the KOBA app.
Additionally, all of KOBA’s policies are of the comprehensive variety. Here’s a quick summary of what cover KOBA’s comprehensive car insurance comes with:
Up to $20 million legal liability cover
Cover for loss or damage caused by weather events, such as storms, hail and flooding
Cover for loss or damage caused by theft, collisions and vandalism
New car replacement cover. If your car is written off within 24 months of being registered and it has less than 40,000km on the clock (or 50,0000km for electric vehicle cover), KOBA may replace it with a new car of the same make and model.
A lifetime repair guarantee on repairs authorised by KOBA
Cover for reasonable towing and storage costs, following a covered incident
Hire car following a theft. KOBA will cover hire car costs for eligible claims, up to a maximum of 14 days, by as much as $70 per day ($85 for electric vehicle cover).
Up to $500 worth of emergency travel and accommodation cover, if your car breaks down more than 200 kilometres from home and cannot be driven.
$500 per item, up to $1000 total, for damage to baby seats.
KOBA also offers some optional extras, including ‘alternative transport’ cover and ‘windscreen and window glass’ cover. Just keep in mind that any optional extras you choose, will up the price of your overall insurance premium.
Additionally, the different policies (EV, Carshare, etc) will have a few other inclusions specific to those situations. A full list of what KOBA's comprehensive car insurance covers will be included in the appropriate PDS, which you can find on the provider’s website.
As is usually the case with insurance, there are some things that are not covered with this policy. Some instances in which KOBA may not cover you include:
These are just some examples of exclusions that apply with this policy. Check out the PDS for a full list of what is not covered with KOBA’s comprehensive car insurance.
KOBA Insurance’s Comprehensive Car Insurance policy is underwritten and issued by Pacific International – an Australasian underwriting company with more than 20 years experience in the industry.
No, KOBA does not currently offer third party insurance. At the moment it offers one pay-as-you-drive, comprehensive car insurance policy.
How much money you save with KOBA, will depend on how frequently you drive. Generally pay-as-you-drive car insurance policies are designed to benefit people who drive less than around 13,000km per year.
So, if you’re solely a weekend driver or you only drive somewhere every few days, this type of policy might save you a bit of money. However, if you drive everyday, it might not be the right policy for you. KOBA says people who drive less than 7,000km per year could save as much as 25% on their insurance premium.
KOBA will review a whole bunch of information including your driving history, where you live and so forth, to figure out how much your individual car insurance premium will be.
Generally when insurance providers ask for details they are trying to work out what the likelihood is of you having to make a claim. The higher the chance that you will claim, the higher the premium price will most probably be. Here is some information KOBA will take into account, to figure out how much your fixed premium and the pay-per-km rate for your driving premium should be:
All of these factors and possibly more, will affect what your overall insurance premium will be. Adding optional extras to your policy may also increase what you pay and of course as this is a pay-as-you-drive policy, how much you drive each month will affect what your driving premium will be.
KOBA offers two optional extras with its pay-as-you-drive comprehensive car insurance: alternative transport cover and windscreen and window glass cover.
Alternative transport cover is designed to help cover the costs of alternative transport, when your car is in the process of being repaired or recovered as the result of an eligible claim. If eligible, KOBA will cover the cost of alternative transport up to $70 a day for a maximum of 14 days.
The windscreen and window glass cover basically provides excess-free claims for your windscreen, sunroof or window glass. So in other words, if you have this optional extra you won’t need to pay an excess on eligible claims that are solely related to your windscreen or sunroof.
Yes, KOBA does allow you to choose an agreed value for your vehicle.
Not sure what the difference is between market value and agreed value? Market value is basically the amount your car is likely to sell for, if it were put up for sale at the time of a claim. By contrast, agreed value is an amount you agree on with your insurance provider. Check out our guide on market value and agreed value to learn more about the difference between the two.
So first of all, you won’t need to have the KOBA app open all the time when driving. As long as your KOBA Rider telematics device is plugged in, the app can be refreshed at any time with the most up-to-date travel information.
To download the KOBA app you will need to have a smartphone. The app can be downloaded from the App Store for iPhones, or from the Google Play Store for Android phones. Once downloaded you will need to enter your unique username and password and make sure your KOBA Rider is connected.
KOBA says the app is available to download with most Apple or Android phones, granted they have an internet connection. Information the KOBA Rider collects is stored in KOBA’s cloud and sent to the app whenever it is logged in and refreshed.
KOBA has four different types of excess, these are: the basic excess, an age excess that applies if a driver is under 25, an unlisted driver excess for drivers that are not listed on the policy or are not a member of the household and a disconnected vehicle data excess.
The last excess applies if you have either unplugged or tampered with the KOBA Rider device, leaving KOBA without access to your vehicle data at the time of an incident.
Yes, KOBA charges a $55 annual administration fee. This is to help cover the cost of collecting, processing and storing your vehicle data.
KOBA’s car insurance policy comes with a 21 day cooling off period. This means that if you change your mind about the insurance policy and cancel it within the first 21 days, you may be eligible for a full refund. This is only if you have not made any claims and that you return the KOBA Rider device to KOBA undamaged.
Should you cancel the policy after the first 21 days, you may be eligible to pay the driving premium up to the cancellation date. Any refund you receive will be returned within 15 business days.
The vehicle data KOBA mentions is data collected from your car by the KOBA Rider device or your car’s manufacturer. In a bit more detail, KOBA may collect the following information:
KOBA says that while it collects all this information on your driving habits, it will only ever use the number of kilometres driven to calculate the driving premium cost each month.
To make a claim with KOBA you can either give KOBA’s customer team a call on 03 6159 2000 during business hours, or email KOBA at hello@kobainsurance.com.au.
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