CTP insurance in South Australia: insurers, premiums and cover

Who provides CTP in South Australia

To sell CTP in South Australia, an insurer applies to the CTP Insurance Regulator and must be approved by the Minister. Five have been approved: AAMI, Allianz, NRMA, QBE and Youi. Other insurers can apply, so the list can grow. Each one provides exactly the same Policy of Insurance, which the Regulator sets and insurers cannot change.

If you remember SGIC as an SA CTP insurer, it became NRMA Insurance in South Australia on 1 July 2022. Both brands belong to Insurance Australia Group, and SGIC claims are now managed by NRMA with nothing changing for the claimant.

How SA CTP premiums are set

South Australia uses community rating: owners of the same class of vehicle pay the same premium, based on the claims experience of that class, regardless of their individual driving history. Under the Compulsory Third Party Insurance Regulation Act 2016, premiums can be based on four things only: vehicle type, vehicle use, where the vehicle is garaged, and whether you are entitled to claim an input tax credit for the GST.

At least once a year the Regulator sets an upper and lower limit for each premium class, using independent actuarial advice on how many injury claims each class causes, what those claims cost, and economic factors such as wage inflation. Each insurer then chooses where to price within that band, and the Regulator only approves premiums inside it. Insurers can move their price within the band at any time, but a new premium only takes effect two months after approval, so the figure on your renewal notice holds. If you renew at a different time of year, your premium may be different for that reason.

The total CTP amount on your notice has four parts: the CTP Insurer Premium, the CTP Scheme Services fee (which funds government services such as road safety and hospital and emergency costs), stamp duty and GST. Stamp duty and GST are percentages, so an insurer with a higher premium also costs more in duty and GST.

Choosing and switching insurer

You choose an insurer every time you renew. To help, your renewal notice compares each insurer's premium for your vehicle and shows its claimant service rating: a score out of 100 built from surveys of people who have made CTP claims with that insurer. It is one of the few places in Australia where you can see claims service next to the price at the moment you buy.

• Paying by direct debit: log in to mySAGOV, select the vehicle and choose 'Update/Cancel direct debit'. The change applies from the next scheduled payment.
• Brand new vehicles: the vehicle is automatically allocated to the insurer with the lowest premium for that type of vehicle. If the first registration is for more than three months, you can change insurer from five days after registration starts, for up to three months, through mySAGOV or Service SA, with no extra charge.
• Second-hand vehicles: you take over the remaining registration and CTP, and choose an insurer at the next renewal.
• Proof of cover: CTP certificates of currency are not issued. Proof of registration is proof of CTP.

Incentives insurers are allowed to offer

SA insurers can offer incentives, but only classes of incentive approved by the Minister, and only where they give the policyholder a direct benefit and real value without pushing premiums up. The approved types are:

• discounts on other insurance products
• reward programs and gifts
• roadside services
• crash and injury reduction products
• at-fault driver protection insurance.

What SA CTP covers, and what it does not

CTP protects you from the financial impact of causing injury or death in a motor vehicle accident anywhere in Australia. People injured by an SA vehicle can generally claim if someone other than themselves was at least partly responsible and the accident happened less than three years ago.

It does not cover damage to vehicles or property, a driver who was entirely responsible for the accident, or accidents not caused by anyone's fault. The exception is children: anyone under 16 at the time is covered even if they caused the accident or no one did. That gap for adult at-fault drivers is why at-fault driver protection insurance appears on the list of approved incentives.

Bicycles, e-scooters and e-bikes are not motor vehicles, so an accident they cause is not covered by CTP. A cyclist or scooter rider hit by a car can still claim against the car's CTP insurer. See what CTP covers in each state.

The Regulator puts the difference from other car insurance plainly: CTP covers personal injuries, while comprehensive or third party property insurance covers damage to vehicles. For the optional cover that pays for damage you cause to other people's cars, see third party car insurance.

When your insurer can recover the cost from you

CTP protects you only while you comply with the Policy of Insurance. If you breach it and cause an accident in which someone is injured or killed, your CTP insurer may recover the cost of the resulting claims from you personally. The Regulator's examples of breaches are:

• driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or driving dangerously
• intentionally causing injury
• driving a vehicle without the owner's permission, or without a current driver's licence
• driving an unroadworthy or overloaded vehicle
• failing to stop after an accident where someone was injured or killed.

The most serious injuries: the Lifetime Support Scheme

People who suffer a moderate to severe brain injury, a spinal cord injury, severe burns, blindness or an amputation in a motor vehicle accident may be supported by the Lifetime Support Scheme, run by the Lifetime Support Authority. You may be eligible even if your CTP claim is not accepted, which matters in a fault-based state.

Making a claim in South Australia

If anyone is injured or killed, report the accident to South Australia Police. If you caused it, complete an Accident Report Form and send it to your own CTP insurer. If you were injured, lodge an Injury Claim Form (online or on paper) with the at-fault vehicle's insurer, with a Medical Certificate from your doctor and the police report number. Claims involving an unregistered or unidentified vehicle go to the CTP Regulator.

Lodge as soon as you can. After six months you will need to explain the delay, and after three years a claim will generally not be accepted. The insurer contacts you within seven business days of receiving it. Our guide to CTP claims by state compares the steps.

CTP in other states and territories

Every state runs CTP differently. If you are moving or registering a car interstate, check the scheme you are moving into, or see how CTP works in every state.