How do you get car insurance online in New Zealand?

In more detail, from Tower's checklist:

• The car: its type and make, plus any modifications, customisations or accessories.
• A New Zealand driver's licence. Learner, restricted and full licences all count.
• Claims or accidents in the last three years.
• Your address and where the car will be parked: a garage, off-street parking or on the street.
• Regular drivers. The same guide says to list everyone who drives the car at least once a month, and you can add up to five.
• Modifications such as suspension changes, internal engine modifications or gearbox upgrades. The guide warns that an undisclosed one could lead to a claim being declined.

Answer honestly and completely. Tower's wording requires every statement in your application to be honest, correct and complete, and says you must tell Tower straight away if a new regular driver starts or if you modify the car. QuoteHub's guide to modified car insurance covers what counts as a modification.

If you drive for work, say so. Tower's car page mentions separate commercial vehicle cover for business use, and the wording above asks you to report any business or commercial use, such as delivering food or packages.

Agreed value means you and the insurer settle on a figure that is set at the start of the period of insurance and shown on your certificate (wording). Market value means a total loss is settled at what the car was worth just before the accident. Tower says agreed value has higher premiums than market value. QuoteHub's guide to car valuation for insurance explains how to judge the figure.

The excess is the amount you pay towards an accepted claim. A higher excess generally lowers the price, though ICNZ points out it only pays off if you don't claim.

Car insurance isn't a legal requirement in New Zealand, but the cover level decides what you'd be paying for yourself. Drive sets out the three levels, and QuoteHub has a side-by-side guide to comprehensive versus third party and a page on whether car insurance is compulsory.

In practice the steps run like this:

1. Enter the car, licence, driver and parking details from the checklist above.
2. Choose the cover level, value type and excess, and any optional extras.
3. Check the price against what you entered. If a detail was wrong, fix it now, because the price is built from it.
4. Pay annually or by instalments, then keep the wording and certificate.

The certificate is the document to check. It shows what is covered, the level of cover, your excess and any special terms. Read it against what you meant to buy.

Payment method changes the cost. Tower's cost guide says paying annually may qualify for a discount of up to 10%. If you pay by instalments and later claim, the wording says the rest of the annual premium must be paid before the claim is settled.

If you're buying a car, there's a short built-in window. Tower says it automatically covers a replacement or additional car for 14 days, but not if you paid more than $125,000, in which case arrange cover before you buy.

The Insurance Council of New Zealand says vehicle rates factor in the motorist's age, previous claims and the make and model of the car. Tower's cost guide says premiums are highest for drivers under 25, which QuoteHub's guide to car insurance for young drivers covers.

QuoteHub doesn't print an average premium, because we haven't found one published by an insurer or a regulator that we can link to. The full list of price drivers is in how much car insurance costs in NZ, and what a car insurance estimate can and can't show explains why a calculator can only guess.

Other insurers sell car cover online too, and Tower's cost guide says it is a good idea to get a couple of quotes. Whatever you compare, line up the same cover level, value type and excess, or the prices won't be like for like.

QuoteHub's guides to getting a Tower quote online and Tower car insurance cover what each Tower policy pays for.