In short
It pays only for death and injury you cause to others, up to ₱200,000 per accident since IMC 2024-01 (official source). Comprehensive car insurance is voluntary and adds your own car, theft and damage to other people's property.
It is priced on your car's value: the IC motor tariff (official source) sets own damage and theft at 1.25% to 3.75%, as of 1 January 2015.
- CTPL
- Compulsory; Sections I and II of the standard policy
- CTPL price
- ₱560 a year, private car (IC Memorandum Circular 4-2006, since 1 January 2007)
- CTPL limit
- ₱200,000 per accident for death and injury to third parties (IC Memorandum Circular 2024-01)
- Comprehensive cover
- Voluntary; adds Sections III and IV
- Own damage and theft rate
- 1.25% to 3.75% of value (IC tariff, as of 1 January 2015)
- Acts of nature
- Optional add-on, IC tariff minimum 0.50%
CTPL vs comprehensive insurance, side by side
The two are not rival products. CTPL is a part of the standard motor policy, and a comprehensive policy is the full form with more sections.
Since 1 July 2023, every non-life insurer issues the same IC standard Private Car Policy (official source). The sections below mean the same thing at any insurer.
| Cover | CTPL only | Comprehensive policy |
|---|---|---|
| Required by law | Yes, for LTO registration | No; banks make it a loan condition |
| Death and injury to others | Up to ₱200,000 | CTPL plus excess bodily injury above it |
| Damage to other people's property | No | Yes, third-party property damage (Section IV-2, voluntary) |
| Damage to your own car | No | Yes, own damage (Section III) |
| Theft and carnapping | No | Yes (Section III) |
| Flood, typhoon, earthquake | No | Only with the acts of nature add-on |
| Riot, strike, civil commotion | No | Only with the RSCC add-on |
| Price basis | Fixed IC tariff premium, plus any fees | Per car: rate times insured value, plus add-ons and taxes |
| Deductible | – | 0.50% of insured value, minimum ₱2,000 |
| Driver with an expired licence | Sections I and II still pay | Sections III and IV do not pay |
How to read a car insurance policy: the four sections
Your policy schedule lists a premium line for each section you bought. If a line is blank, that cover is not in your policy.
Insurance Commission Circular Letter 2021-54 (official source) of 16 September 2021 names the sections and optional covers.
- Section I, Liability to the Public
- Death and injury to third parties (CTPL)
- Section II, No Fault Indemnity
- ₱30,000 per person without proof of fault (CTPL)
- Section III, Loss or Damage
- Your car: collision, overturning, fire, theft, malicious acts
- Section IV, Excess Liability
- Bodily injury above CTPL, and third-party property damage
- Optional covers
- Acts of nature; riots, strikes and civil commotion; unnamed personal accident
- Also on the schedule
- Deductible, towing limit, Authorized Repair Limit, DST, VAT, local government tax
What each insurer covers
| Coverage |  Alliedbankers Insurance |  Alpha Insurance |  Asia Insurance Philippines |  Asia United Insurance |  AXA Philippines |  Bethel Insurance |  BPI MS |  Cibeles Insurance |  Cocogen Insurance |  Commonwealth Insurance |  Corporate Guarantee Insurance |  Country Bankers Insurance |  FGen Insurance (Fortune General) |  FPG Mercantile |  Liberty Insurance |  Malayan Insurance |  Oona Insurance |  Pacific Union Insurance |  Paramount Insurance |  Petrogen Insurance |  PGA Sompo |  PhilFirst Insurance |  Pioneer Insurance |  Prudential Guarantee |  SGI Philippines |  Standard Insurance |  Sterling Insurance |  Stronghold Insurance |  Travellers Insurance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Own damage and theft | Included | Included | Not listed | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Not listed | Included | Included | Included | Included | Not listed | Not listed | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Excess bodily injury | Included | Not listed | Not listed | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Not listed | Included | Included | Included | Included | Not listed | Not listed | Optional | Included | Included | Included | Included | Not listed | Optional | Included |
| Third-party property damage | Included | Not listed | Not listed | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Not listed | Not listed | Optional | Included | Included | Included | Included | Not listed | Optional | Included |
| Auto personal accident | Included | Included | Not listed | Not listed | Included | Optional | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Optional | Included | Not listed | Included | Included | Not listed | Included | Not listed | Not listed | Included | Included | Not listed | Included | Included | Included | Not listed | Optional |
| Acts of nature | Optional | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Optional | Optional | Optional | Not listed | Optional | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Optional | Included | Not listed | Not listed | Optional | Optional | Optional | Not listed | Not listed | Included | Optional | Not listed | Included | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Optional |
| Riot, strike and civil commotion | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Included | Not listed | Included | Optional | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed |
| Roadside assistance | Included | Included | Not listed | Not listed | Optional | Not listed | Included | Not listed | Included | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Included | Not listed | Included | Included | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Included | Included | Included | Included | Not listed | Included | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed |
| Loss of use | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Optional | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Optional | Optional | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Optional | Not listed | Not listed | Included | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed |
How the price of each is set
CTPL has one price per vehicle class, set by the Insurance Commission in 2006 and kept in force in 2024. A comprehensive insurance premium is built for your car.
A rate is applied to the insured value, then add-ons and three taxes: documentary stamp tax, VAT and local government tax. The rates below are the IC motor tariff for private cars.
Your insurer quotes its own rate within this frame, so put your quote into the premium calculator to see the full working.
| Cover | Rate on insured value |
|---|---|
| Own damage and theft | 1.25% to 3.75% |
| Theft only | 1.00% |
| Fire only | 0.50% |
| Acts of nature add-on | 0.50% minimum |
| Racing or speed testing | 20% surcharge on the rate |
Worked example, IC tariff band only: a car insured for ₱1,000,000 at 1.25% to 3.75% gives ₱12,500 to ₱37,500 for own damage and theft. Add-ons and taxes come on top, and your insurer's quote sets the real figure. CTPL for a private car is ₱560 for 1 year or ₱1,610 for 3 years, taxes included. Full prices by vehicle class are in the CTPL guide.
Is CTPL enough, or do you need comprehensive car insurance?
CTPL is enough for the law, and nothing more. It never pays for your car, for theft or for another car you hit.
Choose comprehensive cover if losing the car or paying for a crash would hurt your finances. A car under a loan needs it anyway: the bank sets it as a condition, as the car loan insurance requirements show.
CTPL alone fits a car whose value you could lose without real harm. Even then, it leaves you paying for damage you cause to other cars.
For the IC rules on each optional cover, start from the car insurance hub.