DirectAsia Car Insurance Singapore Review 2021

DirectAsia is among the younger entrants  in Singapore’s car insurance scene. While it is not a household name like NTUC or AXA, it has been gaining market share because of cheap premiums.

What makes DirectAsia car insurance stand out from the other insurers is that it has a full range of plans (even for specific Driver plans) catering to all ages, which you can choose to customise.

Also, unlike other insurers who only offer up to 12 months repair guarantee or until your car turns 10 years old, DirectAsia will let you worry less about car repairs as all plans come with a Lifetime Repair Warranty at its authorised workshops. To “upgrade” to your preferred workshop, it’ll just cost a little more.

We’ll take a closer look at DirectAsia’s car insurance plans in the next section:

DirectAsia car insurance plans at a glance

You may want to start by picking one of 4 core plans, ranked here from cheapest to most expensive:

Car insurance plan	Key features	Recommended for
Third Party Only (TPO)	Covers third party damage only	Very old cars at the end of their COE lives
Third Party, Fire & Theft (TPFT)	Covers third party damage, fire and theft only	Cars above 8 years old
Comprehensive	Comprehensive coverage including damage to your own car	Any car under 6 years old Young & inexperienced drivers (regardless of car age)
SOS Car Insurance	“Second chance” comprehensive coverage for drivers with history of accidents	Drivers who can’t get insured elsewhere

 Then, customise it with one of 3 Driver plans, depending on the driver’s profile, again ranked here from cheapest to priciest:

Driver plan	Key features	Recommended for
Value	Main driver + up to 4 additional drivers 2 (out of the 4) can be young or inexperienced drivers All drivers must be named (unnamed drivers are not covered)	Sole driver of the car Nuclear families
Value Plus	Main driver + unlimited experienced drivers Unnamed drivers are covered as long as they are experienced Young or inexperienced drivers must be named (max. 2)	Drivers >30 years old who take turns to drive (e.g. among friends) Large families sharing the same car
Flexible	All unnamed drivers with valid licence are covered	Car-sharers Families with kids who plan to get driver’s licence in the coming year

So if you’re a young parent who just got a new car to ferry your spouse and baby around, you’d want to go for a combo like Comprehensive car insurance with Value driver plan.

DirectAsia car insurance add-ons

As for all the nitty-gritty details (e.g. which workshop you can go to) usually found pre-packaged into plans by other insurers, DirectAsia lets you customise them by adding on the items you want.

Note that there are some that you can’t add to TPO or TPFT plans.

Here’s the list of DirectAsia’s optional benefits:

Car insurance add-on	Description
My Workshop	Get the  flexibility to choose a non-authorised workshop
24 Months Replacement Car	Receive a payout equivalent to the market value of cars up to 2 years old
NCD Protector	Protect your No Claim Discount (good for one claim only)
Car Accessories	Cover the cost of replacing or repairing declared car accessories
Loss of Use Compensation	Receive transport allowance of $50 a day (up to 10 days) when your car is undergoing repair due to an accident
24hr Breakdown Assistance	Covers roadside assistance and towing costs
Medical & Dental Expenses	Receive up to $3,000 per person (driver & passengers)
Personal Accident for Driver	Choose your coverage of up to $500,000
Repatriation Costs	Get up to $200 per person and $3,500 for car towing if you get into an accident overseas

How to get cheaper premiums with DirectAsia car insurance?

As DirectAsia car insurance is flexible and customisable, you can save on premiums by selecting the right type of car and driver plans — don’t over-insure yourself with too many bells and whistles.

Apart from the plan’s features, here are other ways you can get discounts on DirectAsia car insurance premiums.

Type of discount	Description	Amount
NCD (No Claim Discount)	Given in increments of 10% for each year you don’t file a claim	10% to 50%
NCD60	If you had 50% NCD for the past 5 years (i.e. 10 years without a claim) you get a 60% discount with DirectAsia	60%
NCD Protector Plus	Be able to get to the next NCD level even with 1 at-fault claim.	Varies
Offence Free Discount	Present Certificate of Merit from Traffic Police to get discount on top of NCD	Varies
Flexible excess	The higher your excess, the lower your premium	Varies
Low Mileage	Opt for a low mileage plan for cheaper premium	Varies
In-car Camera	Get a discount if you have a front car camera installed (for accident footage)	4%
Go Green	Opt for paperless documentation	Save $15 surcharge

DirectAsia is also known for their NCD60 discount, which is unique as No Claim Discount is typically capped at 50% elsewhere. But this only applies if you maintain your no-claim record for 10 years.

Besides the whole list of ways to get discounts on your premiums, DirectAsia has one-off promotions such as the ongoing free 1 month car insurance and up to $100 worth of Shell fuel vouchers + free 24-Hour Breakdown Assistance. Stay up-to-date and find out more at DirectAsia’s promotions page.

Why (or why not) choose DirectAsia car insurance?

There are many reasons to choose DirectAsia and its biggest strength is probably its customisability – so you can get cheaper premiums by only opting-in for the features you want.

To be clear, DirectAsia isn’t the only insurer offering options. Even stalwarts like AXA are now making their plans very flexible and customisable, which is a great thing. However, DirectAsia doesn’t overdo it to the point of overwhelming consumers with too many choices.

DirectAsia also sweetens things up with their NCD60 so you can get 60% off your premium, which makes it even more affordable. Just note that it takes a 10-year track record to get the NCD60 status, so it’s pretty obvious that this is really for more seasoned drivers.

Love customisable car insurance plans? Get personalised car insurance quotes through MoneySmart’s easy-to-use wizard.