Car Insurance

There are 2 main types of insurance cover to choose from. Third Party only is no longer available from the majority of Insurers

TPFT (Third Party Fire and Theft Cover) is similar to the above but it also means that you are covered in the following circumstances:
• Your car is stolen
• There’s damage or loss after a break-in
• Your van gets fire damage whether it was accidental or through arson unless it was due to some kind of defect such as a Manufacturing fault

This is the highest form of cover you can get. It’s the best option to go for if you want total peace of mind that any and all expenses will be covered. The following expenses will be paid out by your insurance provider if you’re unfortunate enough to be involved with/cause an accident:
• Damages to another vehicle
• Repairs to your own van after an accident
It also includes theft, vandalism, fire or any other damage which may have happened to your car.

You must tell us immediately about any of the following changes to your circumstances:
• Change of car;
• Convictions, prosecutions or penalty points which apply to you or a named driver on your policy;
• Change in your health, address or occupation;
• Modifications or alterations to your car including adding body parts;
• Change in use – for example if you started to use your car for your employment.

If you sell your car and are not planning on replacing it, simply return the certificate and disk to us along with a note telling us to cancel your insurance policy. Our address is Dempsey Insurances, Market Sq, Trim, Co Meath. If your insurance company allows a refund, we will process it immediately. Some Insurance Companies do not allow a refund on a cancelled car insurance policy during the first year of insurance, or only allow a small refund. If you are unsure, please check with us.

If you are planning on replacing your car, do send us your old certificate and disk, and phone us with the registration and value of your replacement car. You will also need to advise us of the time and date the transfer of cover is due to take place. We will then transfer your policy to your new car. If your policy is more than one year old, we will also check and see whether there are other, more suitable and/or better priced policies available for your new car. If there is we will make a recommendation

You must stop your car immediately – that is the law in Ireland. Think about your safety and that of others. Put on your hazard lights and call the emergency services. If you have a high visibility vest, put it on and then take photographs of the accident with your mobile phone before moving the vehicles off to the side of the road. If your car is severely damaged, do not attempt to push it off the road. It is much better and safer to wait for the emergency services. Many cars have a triangle warning reflector located under the boot lid. Check and see if your car has one of these and if so, stand it up 50 meters or so behind the scene of the accident to warn on-coming traffic of the accident scene.
Do not admit liability (fault) to anybody. Get the names, phone numbers and addresses of the third parties. Remember to use the camera on your mobile phone – a quick photo of the car registration plate and insurance disk will provide much of the information required by your insurance company.
If there are any witnesses to the accident, you should try to get their names and contact details. Get the name and phone number of the attending Gardaí.
Notify your insurance company as soon as possible. The name of your insurer will be printed on your insurance disk on your windscreen. The phone number for the claims desks of the insurance companies can be found in your policy document (provided at inception of your policy)
Your Insurance Company will request that you complete an accident report form. Please do so as soon as possible and include a diagram of the accident, taking into account the weather conditions and general visibility at the time of the accident. If you receive any correspondence from a third party or a solicitor in relation to the accident, send it on unanswered, immediately to your insurance company.

Yes, so long as the cover is suspended for at least 30 days and no claim has been made in the current period of insurance. In order to suspend your policy, please return your certificate and disc to us. Depending on which Insurance Company you are with, you may be entitled to a premium refund at your next renewal date.

This cover can be bought for an additional charge. It allows you to make at least one claim without reducing your no claims bonus. Whether you can make one claim or two claims depends on which insurance company you are with.
A second type of protected bonus is the step back protected bonus. This means that if you have one claim, your bonus will “step back” by two years instead of reducing to zero.

Your policy excess is the amount of the claim that you are responsible for. Excesses can vary from between €250 to €750. Insurance companies give a discount for having a higher policy excess. The downside of a higher policy excess is that you will have to pay yourself for damage to your car caused by small tips or bumps.

No – the policy excess does not apply to windscreen claims. However, certain Insurance Companies in Ireland are applying a separate lower excess onto windscreen claims. All insurance companies have a preferred or approved windscreen repairer and if you use an alternative, the cover will be limited to a certain amount, so do check with our office before getting your repairs done.

It is very easy to make a change to your car insurance policy. Simply phone or email us the details. If you wish to add a driver, it will be essential to know the date of birth, whether the proposed driver has any convictions and type of driving license. It would be helpful to know whether there are any penalty points and the driving license number.
Phone 046 9431312 for immediate confirmation of the change or email insurance@dempsey.ie - changes cannot be confirmed by email until we have responded.

This extension to a car insurance policy is called “driving other cars”. It is included on most, but not all, car insurance policies and provides third party only cover. Driving other cars is rarely given to people under the age of 25 and people who have learner’s permits. The cover only applies if you do not own the car and if you have the owner’s permission to drive the car.

Yes – Full cover may apply but some Insurers only provide for Third Party only in Europe for up to 30 consecutive days. If you travel to Europe for more than 30 days, please contact us in advance to arrange an extension of your insurance policy.