What car insurers ask, and your duty to disclose the facts

When you ask for car insurance, the questions fall into three groups: the car, the driver, and where and how the car is kept. Answer each one truthfully and completely. Under the Policyholder Protection Rules, the insurer must tell you what you are obliged to disclose and what follows if you do not.

What do car insurers ask?

A request for car insurance starts with the facts that decide how likely a claim is and how big it could be. Insurers price on the car, the driver and the postal code where the car sleeps. In practice that means the form asks for:

• The car. Make, model, year and whether it is financed. These tell the insurer what the car is worth and how costly it is to repair or replace.
• The driver. Your age, how long you have held a licence and your claims history. If another person will drive the car, the form asks for their details too.
• Where the car sleeps. The postal code, and whether the car is kept behind a locked gate, in a garage or on the street. Area is the strongest location factor in motor pricing, because theft and accident claims differ from suburb to suburb.
• How it is used. Private use, business use, or driving for an e-hailing service. Most personal policies are written for private use, so a different use must be declared.
• Protection. Whether an alarm, immobiliser or tracker is fitted. Some insurers ask for a tracker on certain cars; see our guide on what a tracking condition on a policy means.
• The cover you want. Comprehensive, third party, fire and theft, or third party only. If you are not sure, you can say so. The licensed provider who calls you is allowed to advise you; Olvian is not.

Not every provider asks every question. The list on a request form is built so that your request reaches providers who accept the kind of car and driver you describe.

Why do these questions matter?

Each answer feeds a decision about whether to cover you and on what terms. If an answer is wrong, the insurer has priced a risk that is not the real one. That is why a wrong answer can matter at claim time.

Two facts tend to cause trouble: where the car is kept at night, and who drives it. They are easy to bend without meaning to, for example by giving a work address, or by leaving off a young family member who drives now and then. Give the true position even if it feels inconvenient.

What is my duty to disclose?

The insurer can only decide on the facts it is given, so the safe course is to give it every fact it asks for, and any other fact you can see would matter to it.

The Rules do not turn that into a checklist for you. They put the burden on the insurer to explain it. Rule 11.5.1(k) of the Policyholder Protection Rules (Short-term Insurance), 2017, says that after the policy begins the insurer must give you, in writing, information on "any obligation to disclose material facts, including information to ensure that a policyholder knows what must be disclosed as well as the consequences of non-compliance with the obligations". That must reach you at the earliest reasonable opportunity and no later than 30 days after the policy begins.

So there are two practical points. First, read that part of the policy documents when they arrive. Second, if anything you told the insurer was incomplete or has changed, say so in writing and keep proof that you did.

Does the insurer have to check the answers?

Checks can happen when you claim. The Rules do not stop an insurer from looking into your claim, but they set limits on how it does so:

• Rule 17.11.1(b) says an insurer may not deny a claim "without performing a reasonable investigation".
• Rule 17.8.5 says the insurer may only require information or documents from you that are essential to assessing the claim.
• Rule 7.1(a) makes a policy provision void if it obliges a claimant to undergo a polygraph, lie detector or truth verification test, and Rule 17.11.1(c) says a claim may not be denied solely because of the result of one.

None of these rules say that a wrong answer cannot affect a claim. They say that the insurer must investigate reasonably, ask for what it needs and explain its decision. The reasons given must be in plain language and in enough detail for you to dispute them (Rule 17.6.3(a)).

Do I need a particular licence?

You must hold a valid driving licence for the vehicle you drive. The National Road Traffic Act licence categories published on gov.za say that Code B covers motor vehicles up to a gross vehicle mass of 3 500 kg, and that you must hold a learner's licence before you can apply for any driving licence. Cars in the ordinary range are driven on Code B.

Beyond the law, each insurer sets its own rules about licence history and the age of drivers. Those are set out in the policy wording and quotation. Ask the licensed provider who calls you to point to them.

What should I have ready before I answer?

It helps to have the following to hand:

1. The vehicle registration certificate, for the make, model, year and registration details.
2. Your driving licence and the licence dates of anyone else who will drive.
3. The postal code and a clear picture of where the car is parked overnight, including whether it is secured.
4. Any documents from the finance provider, if the car is financed.
5. Details of fitted security, such as an alarm or tracker, and the paperwork that shows it is installed.
6. Your claims history, if you have one, with approximate dates.

Having these to hand makes it easier to give exact answers instead of guesses.

What happens after I answer?

Your answers go to licensed providers who pay Olvian a fee and call you back. Olvian is a lead-referral service. It is not an insurer, broker, financial services provider or adviser, and it does not decide whether you are covered, on what terms or at what price. The provider that calls you does that and is the one allowed to explain the policy.

Before you accept anything, the Rules say the quotation or the information given to you before the policy begins must set out, among other things, the nature and extent of the benefits, any significant exclusions or limitations, and any excesses (Rule 11.4.2). If a quotation does not show something that matters to you, ask for it in writing before you accept.

What if my situation changes later?

Tell the insurer. A new driver in the household, a move to a different suburb, a change in how the car is used or a new security feature can all matter. Rule 11.5.1(e) says the insurer must also explain any obligation you have to monitor your cover and to review and update it periodically, so that it remains adequate. The policy documents will say what has to be reported and how.

If the insurer changes the terms, Rule 11.6.1 requires it to disclose contractual changes to you in writing during the policy. Read those notices when they arrive.

What if I disagree with a decision about a claim?

First ask the insurer to explain in writing. Insurers must keep an internal escalation and review process for claims decisions (Rule 17.5). If a claim is repudiated or disputed, the notice must tell you that you can make representations within a period of not less than 90 days, how to use the internal review, and that you can lodge a complaint with the relevant ombud (Rule 17.6.3). You can then approach the National Financial Ombud Scheme, which says it resolves disputes at no charge to the complainant after you have first complained to your insurer, or lodge a conduct complaint with the Financial Sector Conduct Authority. Our guide to claims and how insurers decide them sets out the steps.

Sources

Checked on 31 October 2026. Olvian is not a financial services provider and this guide is information, not advice.

• Policyholder Protection Rules (Short-term Insurance), 2017, Government Notice 1433, Government Gazette 41329 of 15 December 2017: Rules 7.1, 11.4, 11.5.1, 11.6.1, 17.5, 17.6, 17.8.5 and 17.11.1.
• Apply for a driving licence, gov.za: licence codes and the learner's licence requirement.
• National Financial Ombud Scheme
• Financial Sector Conduct Authority