Kenya · private motor · editorial comparison
Insure the car you drive, for the use it really has.
Compare 10 supplied recordsSee what the evidence proves
A valid third-party certificate and protection for your own car answer different questions. Set the real use, insured value and excess beside the event you need covered before comparing quotes.
Owner-approved editorial edition · no quote, application, payment, insurer contact or personal-data collection.
- Legal issuer Check the purchase-date IRA class.
- Car and use Confirm who drives and why.
- Issued terms Read the event, value and excess.
Team-supplied car comparison
Ten supplied cover-level candidates, not ten verified contracts
The comparison above uses the latest team submission: ten records across Britam, CIC, Madison and First Assurance. Every premium remains quote required. The older research examples below provide context only; they are not extra products in this panel or independent contractual verification.
Separate proofs · source checks 10–15 October 2026
A matching insurer name does not settle the car's cover.
The dated IRA notice, an insurer's product description, its claim instructions, an AKI certificate check and an issued schedule answer separate questions. Keep them together for the same car. No source here is an AfriPolicyCover endorsement, quote or provider handoff.
| Record | Useful evidence | Still unresolved |
|---|---|---|
| IRA's 30 March notice | All ten selected legal insurers are listed for Motor Private class 07 on that date. | A purchase-date licence, accepted car, policy terms or partner relationship. |
| Britam's three cover levels | Britam's Britam company homepage separates liability-only TPO from TPFT with insured-car fire/theft; its Britam company homepage adds own-car accident/overturning and malicious loss. | Current selected wording, fire/theft and collision excesses, loss limits, car and driver acceptance and a comparable KSh quote. The third-party page's later generic no-own-car sentence conflicts with its TPFT description; ask Britam to reconcile it in writing. |
| MUA and Mayfair's three levels | MUA company homepage and Mayfair company homepage describe TPO liability, TPFT with insured-car fire/theft but no own collision, and comprehensive with own accident/fire/theft. MUA describes its TPFT level as appropriate for vehicles not used on the road. | Whether MUA's TPFT suits a road-used car, and each insurer's actual car/use acceptance, event limits, excess and matched price. Mayfair's broad statutory-property statement is not adopted as law. |
| Cannon's two columns | Cannon company homepage separates TPO from comprehensive own-car benefits and marks several liability, glass and additional benefits as limited or chargeable. | The exact liability limit, glass/entertainment inclusion, selected chargeable extras, excess and car-specific schedule. A table tick is not a claim promise. |
| Insurer product and proposal | MUA company homepage describes owner's business or profession. Kenya Orient's Kenya Orient company homepage excludes PSV/hire, while its Kenya Orient company homepage permits own or employer business use but excludes fare-paying passengers and goods carried for a fee. | Whether the actual trip, driver, paid activity or modification is accepted on an issued schedule. A proposal is not acceptance. |
| Selected extensions | Mayfair company homepage presents weather, glass and towing as optional; ICEA LION company homepage describes windscreen and towing benefits of up to KSh 50,000 each. | Whether a particular extension was selected, its conditions, excess and actual vehicle-specific limit. |
| Electric car and charging risk | Britam company homepage describes battery/motor and charging-related features; its Britam company homepage calls Battery Protect an extension. GA Kenya company homepage lists battery and cable sections, but home charging-station and cyber cover as extensions. | Whether the battery is owned or leased, which charger and cable are scheduled, an approved repair route, selected extensions, limit, excess and quote. EV descriptions from existing insurers do not add legal issuers. |
| Pioneer's EV Care | Pioneer Assurance company homepage names electric-car, battery and charging-accessory protection and an up-to-KSh-50,000 summary for towing, recovery and emergency medical expense. | The accepted private-car class, battery ownership, individual support limits, eligible repair route, event excess and full-period KSh price. The charging-session promotion is not policy cover. |
| First Assurance's portal | Its First Assurance company homepage says a comprehensive car must be under 15 years old, lists KSh 50,000 glass, entertainment, towing and emergency-medical figures, and places courtesy car and excess protector among extra-cost options. | Whether these channel-specific signals apply to the chosen buying route and car, the exact benefit schedule, other level availability, driver/use, excess and total KSh price. |
| Mileage-bundle cover state | GA Kenya company homepage describes comprehensive cover while the purchased kilometre balance stays positive; its FAQ says depletion changes cover to third-party, fire and theft. | The vehicle's eligibility, mileage record at the loss, top-up effective time, actual fallback terms, excess and total-period KSh cost. This is not just an instalment option. |
| Insurer claim instructions | CIC company homepage names insurer and police notice, a police abstract, a motor form and a driver's-licence copy. GA Kenya company homepage describes claim documents, an approved repairer and written repair authority. Kenya Orient company homepage asks for third-party details and scene photos where possible. | Each issued policy's notice period, authorised garage and repair steps, and the decision on a particular loss. |
| Certificate and issued schedule | Check AKI's *352# or Bima Yangu status, then match registration, dates, legal issuer, use, value, events and excess to the actual schedule. | A claim outcome until the insurer applies the wording to a reported loss. |
Excluded from this shortlist: the formerly listed Jubilee and Trident general-insurer names did not match the dated March IRA notice, while the Kenyan Alliance motor product URL returned direct HTTP 403. PACIS's motor product page was removed on 14 October after an unrelated external gambling link appeared in its live HTML footer; GA's directly checked motor and claims pages replaced it in this research panel. This is a source-integrity decision, not a finding about any insurer's licence or solvency. Mayfair's product page also makes a statutory third-party-property claim that this page does not adopt. Sections 4–5 of Kenya Law's dated Cap. 405 Act frame the qualifying road-use policy and death-or-bodily-injury liability; third-party property and own-car repair remain policy questions. Check the current legal position for a transaction or dispute.
First decide which bill matters
One crash can leave two very different bills
The statutory question and the repair-budget question are related, but they are not the same cover decision.
Third-party injury liability
Sections 4–5 of Kenya's Insurance (Motor Vehicle Third Party Risks) Act require a qualifying policy or security for road use and frame the required liability around death or bodily injury, subject to the Act's exceptions. The Kenya Law consolidation checked here is dated 31 December 2022, so verify the current legal text for a real transaction. A product may also cover third-party property damage, but read its limit and excess.
Own-car collision repair is a separate question. Do not infer it from a valid third-party certificate.
Repair, fire or theft
Third-party, fire and theft can add defined fire and theft events while leaving your own collision damage outside the selected cover. Comprehensive descriptions generally add own-vehicle accident damage, but the contract still decides the accepted value, exclusions, excess and add-ons.
Ask about the event and the amount: a covered label does not tell you how much will be paid after limits and deductions.
| Choice | What to confirm | Possible gap left with you |
|---|---|---|
| Third-party only | Who counts as an insured driver, which third-party liabilities are covered and what limits apply? | Damage to your own car from collision, fire or theft unless separately insured. |
| Third-party, fire and theft | Which fire and theft triggers, security conditions and excesses apply? | Your own collision repair is usually outside this narrower choice; verify the exact wording. |
| Comprehensive | Which own-car events, accessories, windscreen, towing and third-party limits are included or optional? | Excesses, excluded causes, depreciation or valuation rules, sub-limits and use outside acceptance. |
A Kenya-specific underwriting question
Write down what the car does in an ordinary month
“Private car” can sound obvious until the pattern changes. Describe the routine plainly, then ask the underwriter to confirm which class and premium basis it accepts.
Usually belongs in the conversation
- Daily commuting and school or household trips
- Whether another named driver regularly uses the car
- Business errands using a privately owned car
- Cross-border trips and any requested territorial extension
- Any passenger or goods transport for payment
Get written acceptance before relying on it
- Ride-hailing, taxi, PSV or hire-and-reward work
- Paid delivery or courier work
- Regular carriage of stock, tools or customers
- Use by a business or a driver not shown on the schedule
- Vehicle modifications, accessories or a changed declared value
The IRA regulations separate private and commercial motor classes. MUA company homepage mentions the owner's business or profession; Kenya Orient company homepage permits own or employer business use but excludes passengers or goods carried for a fee. A proposal is not an issued policy, and these insurer descriptions do not determine another insurer's class. Give the underwriter the actual trips, drivers and payment pattern; keep its vehicle-specific answer with the issued schedule.
A worked decision · hypothetical figures
Test a KSh 420,000 repair before choosing the cover
Imagine a privately used car needs KSh 420,000 of assessed repairs after a collision. In the same incident, another person's wall has KSh 90,000 damage. These are illustrative numbers, not an insurer quote or a claim outcome.
| Loss | Illustration | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Your car | KSh 420,000 assessed repair | Does the selected cover include this kind of own-car collision? What excess, approved repair process and valuation basis apply? |
| Other person's wall | KSh 90,000 property damage | Does the policy include third-party property damage, what is its limit and excess, and how must the incident be reported? |
| Use at the time | For example, a paid delivery trip | Was that use disclosed and expressly accepted? A private-use schedule can leave a serious coverage dispute if actual use differs. |
The amounts do not predict what any insurer would pay. They help identify the questions to put beside the quote: which event, which insured party, what limit, what excess and what declared use. Repeat the exercise for theft or a total loss if replacing the vehicle would be financially difficult.
Value is a claim input, not just a price input
Agree the vehicle figure before comparing premiums
Comprehensive motor quotations commonly need a value for the insured car. Ask how the insurer establishes that figure, whether a valuation is required, and how it handles a partial loss, a total loss and an underinsured vehicle. A low declared value can reduce the premium while also changing the maximum available for your own-car loss.
List non-standard accessories separately and ask whether they need to be named. Check whether windscreen, audio equipment, towing, emergency medical expense, courtesy car, excess protector or political-violence cover is included, optional or absent. Compare the actual limits; “free benefit” can still have a cap.
After purchase · before you rely on the cover
Verify the certificate record, then verify the schedule
Use the industry verification route
The Association of Kenya Insurers says motorists can check motor-insurance certificate status using *352# or the Bima Yangu app. Read the returned status and dates carefully; resolve “invalid”, “expired” or a future start date with the insurer before driving.
A match is only one check
Confirm that the policyholder, registration, period, driver class and use match your records. Then retain the policy schedule and wording. A genuine certificate record does not by itself prove that collision damage is covered, that a delivery trip is accepted or that a particular add-on has been included.
Check the legal name and Motor Private class with IRA at purchase time too. The dated March notice matched the ten research entities; it does not replace a current licence or vehicle-specific acceptance.
If there is an incident
Make a clean record before approving repairs
- Look after people first.
Move to safety and arrange emergency help. Record essential incident details only when safe; avoid guessing about fault.
- Notify the insurer promptly.
Use the verified contact on the policy. Ask for a claim reference, the required police report or abstract, photographs and driver/vehicle documents.
- Get repair instructions in writing.
Ask where an assessment should happen, which repairers are accepted and what authority is needed before work starts. Keep estimates and receipts. GA Kenya company homepage, for example, puts repair authority after its review and possible assessment; do not transfer GA's procedure to another insurer.
- Read the settlement line by line.
Ask the insurer to show the assessed damage, applicable excess, limit and any valuation or exclusion adjustment. Keep the decision and your response together.
- Use the formal complaint path.
If a dispute remains, request the insurer's written response. IRA's complaint route is the regulator starting point; it does not pause any applicable deadline or submit a complaint through this page.
Questions Kenyan drivers ask before buying
Is third-party insurance enough for my own car?
It addresses specified third-party liability; it does not automatically pay for damage to your own car. Compare own-car collision, fire and theft risks separately and confirm exactly what the selected policy includes.
Does comprehensive cover every kind of damage?
No. Check the insured events, exclusions, excesses, valuation basis, accessory limits, territory and accepted vehicle use in the current wording and schedule.
Can I use private motor cover for paid deliveries or ride-hailing?
Do not assume so. Kenya's regulatory classes distinguish private and commercial vehicle use, and some public product pages expressly exclude hire or PSV use from private cover. Disclose the activity and obtain written insurer acceptance or the appropriate commercial cover.
Which provider has the cheapest car insurance in Kenya?
This page cannot establish a market-wide cheapest provider. Vehicle value, use, driver, selected cover, excess and optional benefits change the quote. No comparable current public premium was verified for the twenty-one researched cover descriptions.
Does *352# tell me whether my car has comprehensive cover?
AKI describes the service as a certificate-status verification route. Check your insurer-issued schedule and wording separately to confirm the selected cover, vehicle, use, limits and excess.
Does the 2026 IRA notice mean all twenty-one descriptions are approved for me?
No. IRA's notice dated 30 March 2026 matches the ten legal entities to Motor Private class 07 on that date. It does not establish purchase-date authorisation, an accepted car or an issued schedule. Check IRA again and get vehicle-specific terms before paying.
Are these twenty-one accepted Kenyan car-insurance policies?
No. They are twenty-one insurer-owned cover descriptions from ten legal insurers. None supplies an accepted quote, car-specific schedule or comparable public premium for your driver and vehicle. The separately described cover levels and EV products address materially different risks, not extra legal issuers. Payment plans, mere category names and cosmetic tiers are excluded.
Is an EV battery automatically insured with the whole car?
Not on this evidence. Britam's EV launch calls Battery Protect an extension; GA's EV page lists battery and cable but puts the private charging station among extensions. Ask each insurer to name the owned or leased battery, charger, limit, excess and selected wording for your exact vehicle.
Does MUA's TPFT level suit a car I drive daily?
Its public page says TPFT excludes own accident damage and describes that level as appropriate for vehicles not used on the road. Do not infer that your road-used car is eligible or ineligible from a short summary: ask MUA for its current written classification and selected terms.
Can First Assurance insure a car aged 15 years under comprehensive?
Its intermediary-facing motor portal says a comprehensive car must be less than 15 years old. That is a channel-specific public signal, not a universal acceptance decision. Ask whether your car's exact manufacture year, condition, valuation and buying route qualify; request a written answer.
Does GA DriveFlex still cover my own collision if the kilometre bundle runs out?
Its public page says own-vehicle damage is excluded without a positive bundle balance, and its FAQ says cover then changes to third-party, fire and theft. Ask GA for the balance record, fallback wording and exact effective time of a top-up; do not treat a payment receipt alone as proof of comprehensive cover.
Why did Jubilee, Trident and Kenyan Alliance leave the shortlist?
The formerly listed Jubilee and Trident general-insurer names did not match the dated March IRA notice, while the Kenyan Alliance product page returned direct HTTP 403. Those evidence gaps are not a statement that any insurer lost a licence or ceased trading.
Is flood or windscreen automatically part of comprehensive cover?
No. MUA and Mayfair describe some weather, glass and accessory benefits as add-cost extensions; ICEA LION's public motor summary says up to KSh 50,000 for windscreen and towing. Ask for the selected extension, excess and actual limit on your current schedule.
Does ICEA LION's KSh 50,000 figure guarantee a windscreen claim?
No. The public figure is an upper summary limit, not a fixed amount for every car or a promised payout. Check the selected glass benefit, your vehicle's actual limit, conditions and excess on the current schedule before relying on it.
What if the insurer rejects my motor claim?
Ask for the written decision, cited wording and calculation, then use the insurer's complaint process. Keep the claim file and response; IRA's official complaint route can confirm the next escalation step. Check current policy and legal deadlines.
Can I buy one of these motor policies here?
No. These are supplied or researched descriptions, not accepted policies. You can compare up to three records. Buy opens an on-site availability notice only; it does not request a quote, contact an insurer, collect personal details or sell a policy.