What does Tower car insurance cover in New Zealand?
General information, not advice on your situation. Buying through Tower's online quote is direct, without advice. QuoteHub is a Tower partner and Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver may receive a commission from Tower.
Tower's car insurance comes at three levels, and the one that matters most is comprehensive, because it is the only level that repairs your own car after a crash you cause (Tower). Third party, fire and theft adds fire, theft and glass, and third party only pays for damage you do to other people's cars and property. Roadside assistance is a separate optional extra on all three, since Tower's policies exclude mechanical failure.
Car insurance is not a legal requirement in New Zealand (Drive.govt.nz), so the level you pick is a choice about who pays when something goes wrong. QuoteHub's guide to whether car insurance is compulsory covers what happens without it.
The three levels of Tower car cover
Liability cover is the same at every level in Tower's current wordings (code 09-24): up to $25,000,000 in total during the period of insurance, including up to $1,000,000 for bodily injury to a person (Tower's comprehensive wording). It excludes injury to you or the driver and personal injury where ACC provides cover, which QuoteHub's guide to ACC and private insurance explains.
| What happens | Comprehensive | Third party, fire and theft | Third party only |
|---|---|---|---|
| You damage someone else's car or property | Covered | Covered | Covered |
| You crash and your own car is damaged | Covered | Not covered | Not covered |
| Your car is stolen or burnt | Covered | Covered | Not covered |
| A windscreen or window breaks | Covered | Covered | Not covered |
| A storm or flood damages your car | Covered, with a 72-hour stand-down (wording) | Fire and glass damage only | Not covered |
| An uninsured driver damages your car | Covered | Up to $4,000 (wording) | Up to $4,000 (wording) |
The $4,000 benefit applies only if the other driver's vehicle was uninsured, you identified that driver and Tower is satisfied they were more than 50% at fault (Tower's third party only wording). That matters in New Zealand because the other driver may have no cover at all. QuoteHub's guides to comprehensive and third party car insurance explain how to weigh the levels.
How the levels play out in real situations
- You reverse into a parked car. All three levels pay the other owner's repair as your legal liability. Only comprehensive repairs your own bumper, and you pay your excess.
- Your car is stolen from the street. Comprehensive and third party, fire and theft both respond, but under third party, fire and theft Tower waits at least 14 days after the police report before settling a total loss (wording). Third party only pays nothing for the car.
- Someone else is at fault and you have their details. If you identified that driver and Tower is satisfied they were more than 50% at fault, there is no excess (wording). Without the name, phone number and registration, you may pay it.
- A storm hits in your first week. A storm, flood, wildfire, tsunami, volcanic activity or landslide within 72 hours of the start date is excluded, unless the policy follows straight on from another covering those risks or was bought with the car (wording). Arrange cover before bad weather is forecast, not during it.
- Your car is stolen from a locked garage. Tower waives the excess when it is taken from a locked garage or secure parking building (wording).
What comprehensive adds, and the optional extras
These benefits differ by level, and third party only has none of them.
| Benefit | Comprehensive | Third party, fire and theft |
|---|---|---|
| Child car seats, per seat | $750 (wording) | $500 (wording) |
| Keys and locks lost or stolen | Up to $1,000 (wording) | Not included |
| Rental vehicle hire (optional) | Up to $1,000 (wording) | Up to $750 (wording) |
Only comprehensive includes new vehicle replacement: if you owned and insured the car with Tower from new and it is written off within two years, Tower replaces it subject to availability or pays the last listed retail price (wording). A replacement or additional car is covered for 14 days from purchase if you paid $125,000 or less, and above that price the benefit does not apply, so you arrange cover before buying (wording; Tower).
Optional extras change what a claim pays:
- Windscreen excess buyout makes windscreen-only claims excess free, but sunroofs, panoramic roofs, mirrors and lights are not covered (wording).
- No cover for drivers under 25 (comprehensive only) means nothing is paid while anyone under 25 drives the car, unless they stole it (wording).
- Accessories and modifications are covered only if listed on your certificate, with $2,000 or $5,000 options shown, and a trailer option pays up to $3,000 (wording).
If your car is modified, read QuoteHub's guide to insuring a modified car before you rely on any of these.
RoadWise roadside assistance
Tower's policies exclude mechanical failure, so RoadWise, its optional 24-hour breakdown service, is how breakdown help is added (Tower). Under Tower's June 2023 RoadWise brochure the vehicle is covered, not the driver, with up to three call-outs a year and extra call-outs at your cost.
- It can jump-start a battery, bring up to five litres of fuel, fit a usable spare tyre, help with lock-outs and tow the car to the nearest repairer or a safe place. You pay for parts, repairs, a new battery or tyre, locksmith work and extra towing.
- There is a 48-hour wait, the vehicle needs a current WoF and no known defects when you join, and it does not apply to hire or racing use, a neglected or recalled fault, a vehicle you are not with, off-road bogging, floods, snow or breakdowns outside New Zealand.
- It is not available for vehicles over 3.5 tonnes or longer than five metres, or five and a half in the third party, fire and theft wording, so check a long ute or van (comprehensive wording; third party, fire and theft wording).
Value, excess and claims
Comprehensive can insure the car for market value or agreed value, and third party, fire and theft settles at market value. Market value is the retail cost of a car of the same make, model, kilometres, year and condition just before the loss, as assessed by a valuer Tower approves, and agreed value is the figure on your certificate, set when cover starts, changes or renews (wording).
An excess is the part of each claim you pay, shown on your certificate. Tower adds an excess for an inexperienced driver, some international licence holders and where it applies an underwriting excess (wording). There is no excess when another driver is identified and more than 50% at fault, on a keys-only claim, when the car is stolen from a locked garage or secure parking building, or on a windscreen-only claim with the buyout. One event that also leads to a claim on another Tower-insured vehicle, boat, house or contents costs one excess, the highest.
Tower may arrange the repair or pay the cost it assesses, and a repairer outside its network can mean the cash option, while repairs by a Tower Repair Partner are backed for as long as you own the car. At a total loss it pays the agreed or market value, takes the car and any unused rego, road user charges and WoF, and ends the policy. If you pay by instalments, the rest of the annual premium is due before it settles (wording). For a theft under the third party, fire and theft wording, Tower waits at least 14 days after the police report before settling (wording).
Claims are made online in My Tower, with an online form if you cannot log in, and windscreen claims go to its repair partner NOVUS (Tower claims). Tower says over 87% of online car claims sent to a Tower trusted repair partner were approved instantly, a monthly average for 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026, so the figure does not describe every claim (Tower). QuoteHub's guide to making a Tower claim has the steps, and its car insurance claims guide covers what to do at the scene.
What Tower's car wordings leave out
The main exclusions and conditions are below, not the full list (comprehensive, third party, fire and theft, third party only).
- Mechanical failure of any part, wear and tear, depreciation and defects, unless they result from a loss Tower has accepted.
- Modifications not agreed and listed, tyres unless damage is malicious or part of other covered loss, and belongings or business tools left in the car, which need a contents policy such as Tower contents insurance.
- Business use, including carrying goods or samples, hire and fare-paying passengers.
- Off-road use, including beaches and riverbeds, racing and unsafe driving such as texting. The car must be kept in a condition that would pass a WoF test.
- Drivers over the alcohol limit, impaired by drugs, unlicensed or outside their licence conditions, unless the car was stolen.
- Storm, flood, wildfire, tsunami, volcanic activity or landslide within 72 hours of the start date, and cyclones named before it, unless the policy follows straight on from another covering those risks or was bought with the car.
- Any loss another insurer's policy covers.
- Failing to tell Tower about changes: you must tell it immediately about new regular drivers, modifications, business use and driving offences (comprehensive wording), and Tower asks you to list everyone who drives the car at least once a month (Tower).
Getting a quote from Tower online
Have the car's registration number, your licence type and claims history, where it is parked, the people who drive it regularly and any modifications ready. QuoteHub's link opens Tower's online quote, Tower's own tool, where you see Tower's terms and price. Other insurers sell car cover too, so read the wording of any quote you compare. QuoteHub's guide to getting a Tower quote has the steps.
Questions people ask
What does Tower comprehensive insurance cover?
Sudden and accidental loss or damage to your car in New Zealand, plus your liability for damage to other people's property, within the limits above (Tower's comprehensive wording). It excludes mechanical failure, wear and tear and business use.
Is Tower car insurance good?
That depends on your car, drivers and cover level, and QuoteHub is a Tower partner, so check the wording yourself. Tower belongs to the Insurance and Financial Services Ombudsman Scheme (Tower), and QuoteHub's Tower Insurance overview covers its financial strength rating.
Does Tower cover Uber or delivery driving?
No. Tower says neither its private nor commercial policies cover rideshare or carshare services such as Uber, and private cover includes driving to work but not using the car for work (Tower). See QuoteHub's gig economy insurance guide.
Can I cancel Tower car insurance if I change my mind?
Yes. Within 15 days of the start date, if you have not claimed, Tower refunds your premiums and treats the policy as never started. Later you can cancel online, by phone or by email for a refund of the unused premium (Tower's comprehensive wording).
Adviser's view
QuoteHub's read: in Tower's wordings only comprehensive cover repairs your own car after a crash you cause, and breakdown help is a separate optional extra, so the cover level matters most.
Get a Tower quote online
Tower’s own quote opens in a new tab. House, contents, landlord, car and boat cover can be quoted together in one go.
Tower Easy Save: save $400*
- $200 off house or landlord
- $100 off comprehensive car
- $100 off contents
*$400 is made up of individual policy discounts, each available separately. New, eligible policies only with promo code EASYSAVE. Excl. contract works. Ends 30 Jan 2027. Ts&Cs apply. Tower’s Easy Save terms, checked 6 October 2026.
QuoteHub is a Tower partner. If you buy through this link, Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver may receive a commission from Tower. Buying online is not financial advice.
Cite this page QuoteHub NZ (2026). Tower Car Insurance NZ: Covers, Excess and RoadWise. www.quotehub.co.nz/tower-insurance/tower-car-insurance. Updated 2026-10-07.
References
- Tower, car insurance
- Tower, comprehensive cover wording (09-24)
- Tower, third party, fire and theft wording (09-24)
- Tower, third party only wording (09-24)
- Tower, RoadWise brochure (06-23)
- Tower, claims
- Tower, what you need before insuring your car
- Tower, publicly available disclosure
- Drive.govt.nz, car ownership and insurance
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