Car owners in Queensland have the most affordable compulsory third party (CTP) insurance scheme in Australia. According to the MAIC CTP Scheme Insights Report, premiums averaged across the year dropped from $356 during 2017 to $347 during 2019. Meanwhile, insurer profits are also starting to fall.
Affordable
While nobody wants to pay for CTP, it is more affordable in Queensland. Class 1 car owners spent only 23% of average weekly earnings on the $359.20 premium in the last quarter of 2019.
- During 2019, 61% of premiums were spent on claimant benefits, 5% higher than the 5-year average
- The average payout after an accident was over $100,000.
There are four CTP insurers in Qld – Allianz, QBE, RACQ Insurance and Suncorp. All four offer some form of free at-fault driver cover with their CTP. In 2018-19, insurer profits averaged 25% over the previous 5 years. This was 6% less than the previous 5-year average in 2017-18.
Fair
While most claimants in Qld choose to have a lawyer to help them manage their claim, most resolve without litigation.
- The most common time for a road crash and subsequent CTP claim is 3pm on a Friday
- Driver minor injury is the most common type of claim, in a crash where both vehicles are going in the same direction.
Qld has taken other steps to keep the CTP scheme affordable and fair.
During November 2019, Qld passed new legislation to put an end to claim farming. This is when phone callers actively try to promote fraudulent claims from people who have been in a crash. These rules should ensure that fewer people can burden the scheme by making fake claims.
Qld recently introduced one-month payments for vehicle registration and CTP, to make it more affordable. Vehicle owners who want this option need to be registered for direct debit online.