Does car insurance cover off-road driving? 

Whether you’re a seasoned off-roader, or someone who occasionally goes off the asphalt on a road trip, you should know the facts on insurance coverage for off-road driving.  

GIO Car Insurance generally covers off-road driving without you having to purchase add ons — but a few factors do come into play.

When is your vehicle covered for off-road driving?

Road trips or recreation

You’ll be covered if you’re off-road driving for private or recreational purposes — say you’re driving down a designated off-road trail for leisure, or you’re in the countryside and you go down a dirt road.

Get a Car Insurance quote

Optional covers apply

Any optional covers you take out with Comprehensive Car Insurance will still apply when you’re off-road driving. So, if a flying pebble cracks your windscreen while you’re driving down a dirt road, you’ll be covered if you have windscreen and window glass replacement cover. In fact, if you do have that cover, you won’t even need to pay an excess for your first claim if the only damage is to the glass sections of your car!

If you add GIO Roadside Assist to your GIO Platinum or Comprehensive Car Insurance policy, we’ll provide you with 24/7 roadside assistance if you break down off the highway. We’ll be there to help with flat tyres and batteries, emergency fuel and more. Terms, limits and exclusions apply.

Explore Roadside Assist 

Though, this may not apply to restricted access areas, so always remember to pack spare tyres and emergency supplies if you’re heading somewhere extremely remote.

Mods and accessories are covered too

We also generally cover 4WD add-ons and other accessories related to off-roading, such as:

• specialised tyres
• LED headlights
• bull bars, and
• roof racks.

Just keep in mind that you need to inform us before making any changes, as well as maintain a roadworthy vehicle.

These add-ons can add up to a hefty price, so it’s important to make sure that you have an adequate sum insured to avoid being underinsured.

When isn’t your vehicle covered?

Motor sports or competitions

Remember, you’re only covered for private and recreational off-road driving. Motor sports and competitions don’t count.

Reckless driving and mechanical faults

You’re not covered in the case of mechanical faults — for example, if your engine has a mechanical failure, or you get into an accident because your clutch, fly wheel or transmission is damaged.

The same goes for reckless driving, which includes racing and driving through flood waters.

When in doubt, always refer to your PDS to be aware of all the relevant exclusions.

What about animal collisions?

Animal collisions are sometimes hard to avoid when you’re driving out in nature or the countryside. Luckily, these incidents are generally covered by GIO Car Insurance. However, it all depends on your level of coverage, and in some cases, an excess may apply.

Read more:

• Car insurance excess explained 
• What to do if you've had a car accident 
• What is the future of electric cars in Australia?

Insurance issued by AAI Limited ABN 48 005 297 807 trading as GIO. Consider the Product Disclosure Statement before buying this insurance. The Target Market Determination is also available.

Go to gio.com.au for a copy. This advice has been prepared without taking into account your particular objectives, financial situation or needs, so you should consider whether it is appropriate for you before acting on it.

* GIO Roadside Assist is an optional extra only available in conjunction with GIO Platinum or Comprehensive car insurance. Terms and conditions for coverage apply. There is no cover for GIO Roadside Assist during the first 24 hours of adding the cover.