Scenario: After a long day on a worksite, your delivery van starts smoking and catches fire in the engine bay. The fire brigade puts it out, but the front end is badly damaged and the van cannot be driven away. A tow is needed.

Is this Covered?: If fire damage is covered, the policy can pay to repair your van or settle it as a total lossand may cover towing, subject to terms.

Scenario: A stone flicks up on the Hume Highway and chips your windscreen. By the next morning, the chip has spread across the driver’s view. You cannot safely drive it, so you book a repair or replacement to keep working.

Is this Covered?: If glass damage is covered, the policy can pay to repair or replace your windscreen. Some options remove the basic excess for glass.

Scenario: You park your ute at home in Perth after a job. Overnight it is stolen. Police recover it a few days later, but the ignition is smashed and panels are damaged. Your tools are gone and you have to reschedule work.

Is this Covered?: If theft is covered, the policy can pay to repair the vehicle or settle the loss. Towing or recovery may be included, subject to terms.

Scenario: Your work van stops at the lights. You roll forward and bump the car ahead. Their bumper cracks and your grille is bent. The other driver wants you to pay for repairsand your van needs fixing before the next job.

Is this Covered?: If you have vehicle damage cover and third party property damage, the policy is designed to help pay repairs, subject to terms and excess.

Scenario: During a heated argument, a driver intentionally rams your truck into a bollard to teach someone a lesson. The front end is crushed. You submit a claim saying it was an accident and ask for the repairs to be paid.

Why it’s excluded: Intentional or deliberate damage is excluded. Cover is for accidents, not loss caused on purpose by you or someone with permission.

Scenario: After a client dinner, a driver has a few drinks and heads home in the company car. They clip a parked car and leave the scene. Police later ask for a breath test, but the driver refuses. You try to claim for the damage.

Why it’s excluded: Claims can be excluded if the driver is over the legal alcohol or drug limit, or refuses a test. Sometimes you are covered, not them.

Scenario: Your employee offers to drop off stock in your van. After a minor crash in a Woolworths car park, you find out their licence was suspended. You lodge a claim for repairs to your van and the other driver’s bumper.

Why it’s excluded: Policies can exclude claims when the driver is unlicensed. Some may still cover you if you could not reasonably know at the time.

Scenario: Your work ute starts making a loud knocking noise. A week later the engine fails on the highway near Newcastle and the vehicle needs a tow. You claim for a new engine and downtime costs because the failure stopped you doing jobs.

Why it’s excluded: Mechanical breakdown and wear and tear are usually excluded. Insurance is for accidents, not maintenance, servicing or failed parts.