Purchasing car insurance depends on factors far beyond just the age or the depreciation of the vehicle. Non-GCC car insurance or comprehensive insurance for non-GCC cars, amongst the other influencing factors. Understanding the difference between these two plays a big role in choosing a more suitable insurance plan. As a driver in the UAE, you probably have so much love for cars. Therefore, it is crucial to know the things that affect your lifestyle as a driver.
Non-GCC car insurance can be a bit tricky to understand and a bit difficult to obtain, due to its higher risks for insurers. In this article from Lookinsure mag, we will take a look at why non-GCC cars affect your premium price, how they make a difference, and what they mean for insurance purposes.
Frequently Answered Questions
1: What is the difference between GCC and non-GCC cars?
There are many important differences. However, the most important one is concerning their country of origin. GCC cars are manufactured in the Gold Cooperation Council Countries, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and Oman. While non-GCC cars have been manufactured outside of this region and imported to a GCC country.
2: What are the two types of car insurance in UAE?
Comprehensive car insurance and third-party car insurance are the two main types of car insurance in the UAE. These two provide the highest and lowest levels of protection in the UAE.
3: How to identify GCC spec car UAE?
The side mirror writings of GCC cars are always in Arabic. Also, the text on the driver’s door that showcases the chassis number must be in Arabic. You can also check the owner’s manual for GCC features.
4: What is GCC cover in insurance?
GCC cover is an essential car insurance for people who wish to travel to a GCC country (the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Oman)
5: What does non-GCC mean?
A non-GCC vehicle has not been manufactured in any GCC country and has been imported. GCC countries include the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Oman.
6: What is GCC in insurance?
GCC car insurance is a type of car insurance dedicated to cars manufactured in the six countries of the GCC including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and Oman.
What is a Non-GCC Spec Car?
Due to the popularity of cars in the UAE, the variety of vehicles has increased so much in the past few years. The car market in the UAE is one of, if not THE best and most exciting car market in the world.
Therefore, the market is divided into two categories: GCC and non-GCC vehicles. This distinction is about many different factors, the boldest one being geographical origin.
Non-GCC vehicles, also known as GREY imports are vehicles that have been manufactured outside of the boundaries of the ‘Six-member Gulf Cooperation Council’, containing the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, and Bahrain.
These cars are not made with the consideration of the Middle East’s climate, and either have a wider range of audience or are built for their own country of origin, considering their climate and terrain. All that said, car insurance for non-GCC cars has been an important topic of discussion lately.
Key Features of Non-GCC Cars
| Climate Compatibility | Typically designed for milder climates, may require modifications for extreme heat and dust. |
| Cooling Systems | Often lack upgraded or enhanced cooling systems to handle high temperatures. |
| Corrosion Protection | May require additional corrosion protection due to harsh environmental conditions in the Gulf. |
| Air Conditioning | Upgraded air conditioning systems are often necessary for optimal performance in hot climates. |
| Parts and Service | Limited availability of spare parts and specialized service centers in the Gulf region. |
| Warranty Coverage | Manufacturer warranties may not be valid or are limited in the GCC region. |
| Resale Value | Generally lower resale value compared to GCC-spec vehicles due to perceived higher maintenance risks. |
| Fuel Type and Efficiency | Fuel types and efficiency may vary, potentially impacting performance and cost in the Gulf region. |
| Preferred Vehicles | GCC-spec vehicles are preferred for better adaptation to local conditions. |
| Legal and Regulatory | May face stricter import regulations and compliance requirements in GCC countries. |
How Non-Gcc Vehicles Affect Car Insurance Premium In Dubai
Vehicles that go under the non-GCC category usually have a couple of factors that are different from GCC cars. These factors go hand in hand to determine the cost of insurance for non-GCC cars.
These factors always affect GCC car insurance Dubai or non-GCC car insurance Sharjah. If you are someone who has only driven GCC cars in the past and by any chance, you are looking at the non-GCC market, these are a few things that you should know:
Less Climate Compatibility
Non-GCC cars have not been designed for the climate requirements of the UAE. As we all know, the region’s extreme heat and sandy conditions sometimes require a vehicle that is specialized for those matters.
Therefore, a car made somewhere outside of the region is probably more likely to face breakdowns. This might also lead to a lower lifespan depending on how much the vehicle goes under pressure.
Repairs And Services
Due to the limited availability of their parts and the lack of their services, non-GCC cars are usually much more challenging to repair. Plus, some mechanics might not be familiar with those certain models, resulting in errors or taking much longer to repair.
Manufacturer’s Warranty
When buying a new vehicle, the manufacturer’s warranty is one of the important aspects. However, non-GCC cars usually do not contain warranty from the manufacturer, or even if they do it is probably not valid in the UAE since it is considered to be imported. In the best case, even if the warranty is supported, it still faces many more limitations.
Market / Resale Value
Non-GCC cars usually have a much lower resale value due to maintenance and warranty. Therefore, they’re not much of a great statement if I’m being honest. However, everyone has different reasons for their purchases.
Why Are Non-GCC Cars More Challenging To Maintain?
Considering all the factors mentioned above, non-GCC vehicles tend to be more challenging to maintain. Therefore, comprehensive insurance for imported cars is usually higher than for GCC vehicles.
Even though the initial price of non-GCC cars may be lower, owning one in the UAE is more costly due to maintenance. Let’s take a more detailed look!
These factors can lead to a higher maintenance cost for non-GCC cars:
Limited Availability Of Non-GCC Parts
These vehicles are not compatible with GCC parts. Therefore, fixing and repairing them is a bit challenging. Also, all of their parts need to be imported. Therefore, other than higher costs, the process also takes much longer.
Scarcity of Car Service and Repair Providers
Servicing imported cars requires particular skills and knowledge that not all mechanics have in the UAE. The lack of expertise can lead to higher prices in specialized services as well as being a time-consuming process.
Basic Instruments Calibration
Depending on the vehicle’s country of origin, a non-GCC car might have different instrument calibration settings. This means that the speedometer might be in mph instead of kph, or the temperature might be in Fahrenheit instead of Celsius. These can lead to confusion for UAE drivers. Touching upon these settings is also a costly matter if possible.
Navigation Systems
The navigation system might not be compatible with the environment in a non-GCC car. This usually leads to inconvenience and sometimes upgrading or replacing these systems is not even possible, but even if possible, each of these factors adds up to the car’s maintenance costs.
Insurance
As we already know by now, the premium of a car insurance policy depends on all the things it covers. Non-GCC cars tend to have higher maintenance costs, higher repair prices, and more expensive parts. Therefore, it is obvious for insurance providers to ask for a higher premium when it comes to a non-GCC vehicle.
How To Get Insurance For Imported Vehicles?
Many insurance companies offer services to imported vehicles. You can double-check by looking through their website or contacting them. However, other than the costs, insuring a non-GCC vehicle is not that different.
Comprehensive insurance for imported cars is the full coverage insurance plan that you can go for. Let’s take a look at what you need to get car insurance for non-GCC cars and how to find the best non-GCC car insurance UAE:
Provide the necessary documents. To start an insurance process, you will need particular documents including:
- Vehicle inspection record
- Driver’s license
- Passport and/or Emirates ID
- Proof of identity
- Proof of address
- Proof of insurance in the vehicle’s country of origin
- Vehicle identification number
- Vehicle registration number
- Evidence of modifications
After gathering all these documents, you can submit them to the insurer you have in mind and they will start your process. Make sure to compare quotes and choose a suitable policy.
Best Non-GCC Car Insurance UAE
Comprehensive insurance for non-GCC cars is a specialized service and not everyone is capable of performing the tasks perfectly. That is why it is very important to choose a professional insurer.
This helps guarantee high-quality services as well as expertise. Here at Lookinsure, we have many different insurance providers for non-GCC cars and by comparing quotes regarding your personal needs and concerns, we can offer you the best services at the most reasonable prices nationwide.
Find Non-GCC Car Insurance Quotes on Lookinsure
Lookinsure’s online insurance platform is the perfect spot for finding affordable non-GCC insurance plans. Since the UAE market for such insurance is limited, finding the cheapest insurance for non-GCC cars will require a lot of research. Instead, you can easily input your car’s detail on our website and find a variety of available plans in under 2 minutes.
Conclusion
Non-GCC car insurance is amongst the more costly and yet difficult insurance policies due to all the challenging aspects of repairing an imported car. Many factors play a role in affecting the insurance premium of a non-GCC vehicle, leading to higher maintenance and time-consuming services. If you are someone who drives, owns, or is planning to buy an imported car, you need to know these influencing factors and what you can do to have the best experience with your insurance. Make sure to look into the insurer you are planning to choose carefully. That is due to the lack of expertise of some insurance providers when it comes to non-GCC automobiles. Good luck!
