Windscreen cover, roadside assistance and other motor add-ons
A comprehensive motor policy covers the big risks. Add-ons handle the smaller, more frequent ones — windscreen cracks, breakdowns, and a few others worth knowing about.
A standard comprehensive motor policy is built around the big risks: accidental damage, theft, fire, and liability to third parties. It is not necessarily built around the small, frequent inconveniences that a driver in Singapore is actually more likely to encounter — a cracked windscreen, a flat battery on a hot afternoon, or a car that will not start in a multi-storey carpark. That is what add-ons are for, and it is worth knowing which ones exist before you find out the hard way that your base policy does not include them.
Windscreen cover
Windscreens crack from loose stones, temperature swings, and minor knocks that would never register as an "accident" for a normal claim. Many comprehensive policies either exclude windscreen damage entirely or cover it only as part of a standard claim, which means using your excess and potentially affecting your no-claim discount for a repair that costs far less than either. A windscreen add-on typically covers glass replacement or repair separately, often with its own smaller excess and, importantly, without counting against your main claims history — though whether it affects your NCD depends on the specific insurer's terms, so that is worth confirming rather than assuming.
Roadside assistance and towing
Breakdown cover — a flat battery, a lockout, a tow after a breakdown or accident — is not automatically part of every comprehensive policy. Where it is included, it often comes with limits on distance towed, the number of call-outs per year, or which locations are covered. Where it is not included, it is worth checking whether your insurer, or a separate provider, offers it as an add-on, and what a typical call-out actually covers versus what it excludes (for instance, whether a tow to a repair workshop of your choice is included, or only to the nearest one).
Electric vehicle owners have a specific version of this problem: an EV that runs out of charge on the road is a breakdown like any other, but not every roadside assistance package was originally designed with EV towing or charging support in mind. If you drive an EV, it is worth asking specifically whether the add-on covers this scenario rather than assuming a generic "roadside assistance" label includes it.
Personal accident benefit for the driver
Comprehensive motor cover generally protects the vehicle and third parties; it does not automatically pay you, the driver, for your own injury. A personal accident add-on for named drivers fills that specific gap, paying a benefit for injury or death arising from a motor accident, separate from and in addition to any personal accident or life cover you hold elsewhere. It is worth checking whether this overlaps meaningfully with existing personal accident cover before paying twice for a similar benefit.
Key replacement and other smaller add-ons
Modern car keys, especially for higher-end or electric vehicles, can be expensive to replace, and a lost or damaged key is not always treated as vehicle damage under a base policy. A key replacement add-on covers this specifically. Some insurers also offer add-ons for things like loan or lease shortfall cover, medical expenses cover for the driver and passengers beyond the personal accident benefit, and cover for accessories or in-car electronics fitted after purchase — none of these are universal, so the product summary, not the marketing page, is where to check what is actually included.
How to think about which ones are worth buying
The general pattern across these add-ons is the same: they trade a small, certain extra premium for protection against a cost that is likely to happen at some point (a windscreen crack, a flat battery) but too small individually to justify using your main claim and risking your no-claim discount. That trade-off tends to make sense for windscreen cover and roadside assistance for most drivers. Personal accident, key replacement and the more niche add-ons are worth pricing against what you would actually pay out of pocket for the same event, and against cover you may already hold under a different policy, before assuming they are needed.
Questions worth asking when comparing quotes
- Does the base comprehensive policy already include any of these, or are they all separate add-ons?
- For windscreen cover, is there a separate excess, and does a claim under it affect my NCD?
- For roadside assistance, what is the call-out limit per year, and does it cover EV-specific scenarios if relevant?
- Does the personal accident add-on duplicate cover I already have through a standalone PA plan?
- What exactly does "accessories cover" include, and is there a value cap?
Our motor plan comparison lets you see which insurers bundle which add-ons into their standard comprehensive tiers, rather than pricing everything separately.
Talk to an advisor
Add-ons are cheap individually but can add up, and which ones are worth it depends on your car, how you use it, and what cover you already hold elsewhere. An advisor can help you build a motor policy that covers real gaps rather than duplicating existing cover. Use the portal's advisor matching to find one, or ask our assistant about a specific add-on you have seen quoted.
Sources
This content is educational information from a licensed advisor, not financial advice. Product details vary by insurer — verify specifics with an advisor.
