MAS Car Insurance NZ 2026: Review, Quotes, & Claim Process

What sits inside a MAS motor policy

MAS offers three main levels of motor vehicle cover, all underwritten by Medical Insurance Society Limited, a business division of Medical Assurance Society New Zealand Limited. Here is what each tier includes.

MAS also offers a fourth tier, Fire and Theft Only, for vehicles in storage or restoration that are not being driven on the road.

Optional Extras

Hire car cover: Available as an optional extra on Comprehensive cover. If you make a claim and your car is being repaired or replaced, MAS will contribute up to $100 per day towards a hire vehicle for up to 30 days.

Key Policy Detail: Agreed Value vs Market Value

On Comprehensive cover, MAS lets you choose between Agreed Value (the sum insured shown on your schedule, which is what MAS pays if your car is written off or stolen) or Market Value (what MAS assesses the car to be worth at the date of loss). Agreed Value gives you certainty about the maximum payout. Market Value can work out cheaper on premium but means the payout reflects depreciation. On Third Party Fire and Theft, any fire or theft claim is paid at the market value of the car at the date of loss, not agreed value.

MAS car insurance prices in 2026

To give you a realistic picture of MAS pricing, we obtained a quote directly from the Quashed Market Scan in April 2026 for the following profile:

• Vehicle: Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV (petrol/hybrid)

• Driver: 30-year-old, Auckland

• Licence: NZ Full, 5+ years driving experience

• Accident history: None

• Cover: Comprehensive

• Preferred sum insured: $55,990

• Preferred excess: $500

How MAS compares to other insurers

Here is how the Auckland comparison looked on the Market Scan, with each insurer's S&P Global Ratings financial strength score shown alongside:

Quotes obtained April 2026 via the Quashed Market Scan. Your premium will vary based on your vehicle, location, driving history, and excess level.

What the comparison tells us

At $200 per month for this Auckland Outlander PHEV profile, MAS delivers genuinely competitive pricing for the level of cover it includes. MAS came in well below Tower ($247.27), Trade Me Insurance ($266.94), and AMP ($310.05) for essentially equivalent comprehensive cover, while Autosure declined to quote this profile entirely.

The headline number only tells part of the story though. MAS Comprehensive includes MAS Roadside Assistance (via AA) and excess-free glass cover as standard, both of which are typically paid extras with other insurers. Factor those in, plus MAS's A (Strong) S&P Global Ratings financial strength score and decade-long Consumer People's Choice track record, and the total value proposition sits at the top of this comparison.

Getting a MAS quote via Quashed

The quickest way to price a MAS car insurance policy, and see how it compares to the rest of the market at the same time, is through the free Quashed Market Scan. You answer a handful of questions about your vehicle, driving history, and cover preferences, and the Market Scan returns live quotes from NZ insurers side by side, including MAS where eligible.

Claiming on your MAS policy

MAS handles claims directly rather than outsourcing to a separate underwriter, so you deal with one team start to finish. Here is what to do if you have an incident.

Step 1: Make sure everyone is safe

If you suspect a crime such as theft has occurred, or if there has been bodily injury, contact the police. Exchange details with any other drivers involved (name, address, vehicle make, model and registration, and their insurer if known). Take photos of the scene and damage if it is safe to do so.

Step 2: Contact MAS

Lodge your claim by calling 0800 800 627 (option 1) or emailing claims@mas.co.nz. You can also start the process via the MAS claims page. You will need your policy number, details of what happened, information about any other parties involved, and any supporting photos or documents.

Step 3: Assessment

Once MAS has the information it needs, a claims adviser will be assigned to your claim. Depending on the type of loss, MAS may appoint an assessor who has local knowledge of repairers best suited to helping with your specific vehicle. Your adviser will confirm what is needed to progress your claim, such as a repair quote or damage report.

Step 4: Repair or payout

If your car is repairable, you can choose one of MAS's preferred repairers (where MAS guarantees the quality of repairs) or select your own repairer. If the car is uneconomical to repair or has been stolen and not recovered, MAS pays either the sum insured (if you are on Agreed Value) or the current value (if you are on Market Value). You pay your excess either directly to the repairer, to MAS, or MAS deducts it from the claim payout.

What Not to Do After an Incident

Do not admit fault or liability to the other party or their insurer. Do not offer to pay for repairs or negotiate a settlement yourself. Do not authorise non-emergency repairs without MAS's approval. Do not dispose of damaged property without MAS's permission, and do not start repairs without MAS's approval unless needed to limit further loss.

Managing Your Policy

MAS Members can log in to the MAS member portal for policy details. For policy changes or questions, call 0800 800 627 or email info@mas.co.nz. MAS also offers three free Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) counselling sessions per year to members, which can be a genuine help if a claim event has been stressful.

MAS car insurance strengths and trade-offs

Pros

• Member-owned mutual: no external shareholders; profits are reinvested into member value and the MAS Foundation

• Consumer NZ People's Choice winner for House, Contents, and Car insurance ten consecutive years (latest survey: 84% satisfaction for car insurance, with 96% of respondents "very satisfied")

• Canstar 2025 Most Satisfied Customers Awards: triple winner across Home & Contents, Car, and Seniors Insurance

• A (Strong) financial strength rating from S&P Global Ratings

• Excess-free glass breakage (windscreen, window glass, sunroof) with no NCB impact on Comprehensive

• First locks and keys claim excess-free, no NCB impact, up to $1,000 per event

• MAS Roadside Assistance included in Comprehensive cover (provided by AA Roadservice), linked to the vehicle rather than the driver

• Multi-product and Goldshield discounts still available, making MAS one of the few NZ insurers offering genuine bundling in 2026

• Generous new vehicle replacement: if written off and under 1 year old, or under 2 years old with less than 40,000km

• You choose your repairer (with MAS guarantee on preferred repairers)

• Secured No Claims Bonus after 5 consecutive claim-free years

• Three free EAP counselling sessions per year for members (Employee Assistance Programme), a welfare benefit few commercial NZ car insurers offer and a genuine point of difference for the mutual model

Trade-offs

• Excess applied may be higher than requested: in our quote, MAS applied a $600 minimum excess, above the $500 we requested and above the $500 minimum offered by some competitors on the same profile

• No formal low-mileage rating input on MAS quotes: Some NZ insurers factor weekly car usage into their pricing. MAS's motor vehicle quote form does not include a usage or mileage question, so low-kilometre drivers won't see their reduced risk reflected in a tailored discount the way they might elsewhere.

The bottom line on MAS car insurance

MAS is one of the strongest car insurance options in the New Zealand market on both customer satisfaction and cover quality. A decade of Consumer People's Choice wins, three Canstar Most Satisfied Customers awards in 2025, and a mutual structure that puts members ahead of shareholders are hard to argue with. Add in the excess-free glass and first-claim locks benefit, included roadside assistance on Comprehensive, and one of the few remaining genuine multi-policy discounts in the country, and the package looks genuinely competitive. On our April 2026 Auckland comparison, MAS also came in at a price that puts it ahead of several bigger-name insurers on the market, which punctures the assumption that member-owned insurers are automatically more expensive.

That said, price always comes down to your specific profile. MAS applied a $600 minimum excess on our sample quote, which is worth factoring into your total cost at claim time. The only way to know whether MAS is the right fit for you is to compare it directly against the rest of the market.

A free Quashed Market Scan checks your profile across NZ insurers in under two minutes. Based on our latest Q1 2026 data, Kiwis who compared their comprehensive car insurance through the Quashed Market Scan found a cheaper policy 81% of the time, with average savings of $377 per year.

Related Reading

Average Cost of Car, House, and Contents Insurance in New Zealand. The latest Quashed Index data on what Kiwis are paying across all three policy types.

Comprehensive vs Third Party Fire & Theft vs Third Party (Full NZ Breakdown). A clear breakdown of the three cover tiers and when each makes sense.

How to Find the Cheapest and Best Car Insurance in NZ 2026. Data-backed strategies for balancing price and cover quality.

The End of Multi-Policy Discounts in NZ? Why You Must Shop Around in 2026. Which insurers still offer bundling (including MAS) and why the loyalty discount is disappearing elsewhere.

Cheap Car Insurance NZ 2026: Proven Ways to Lower Your Premium. Practical tips to reduce your car insurance costs without cutting essential cover.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who underwrites MAS car insurance?

MAS car insurance is underwritten by Medical Insurance Society Limited, a business division of Medical Assurance Society New Zealand Limited. MAS handles all policy administration and claims directly rather than outsourcing to a separate underwriter. Medical Insurance Society Limited holds an A (Strong) financial strength rating from S&P Global Ratings.

Does MAS car insurance include roadside assistance?

Yes, MAS Roadside Assistance (provided by AA Roadservice) is built into Comprehensive motor vehicle cover at no extra cost. It is linked to the insured vehicle by registration, so it applies to anyone driving your vehicle with your permission. Terms, conditions, and eligibility criteria apply.

How do I make a claim on MAS car insurance?

Call MAS on 0800 800 627 (option 1) or email claims@mas.co.nz. You can also start the process via the MAS claims page. Have your policy number, incident details, any other parties' information, and any supporting photos or documents ready.

Does MAS still offer multi-policy discounts?

Yes. MAS is one of the few NZ insurers still offering bundling discounts in 2026. Members with any two of car, house, or contents policies may be eligible for a multi-product discount. Members with all three may qualify for the higher-tier Goldshield discount.

What does MAS Comprehensive car insurance cover that Third Party does not?

Comprehensive covers sudden accidental loss to your own vehicle (including from accidents, collisions, and weather events), plus legal liability, fire, and theft. Third Party Fire and Theft adds fire and theft cover to legal liability but does not cover at-fault accidents. Third Party Only covers legal liability only, with no cover for damage to your own vehicle except under specific automatic benefits like Protection Against Uninsured Drivers (up to $3,000).

How much does MAS car insurance cost in NZ?

Premiums vary by vehicle, location, driver profile, and excess. As a benchmark, a Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV in Auckland for a 30-year-old driver with a $600 excess was quoted $200 per month for Comprehensive cover via the Quashed Market Scan in April 2026, which placed MAS ahead of several larger insurers on price for this profile. Your premium will differ based on your specific circumstances. The Quashed Market Scan is the quickest way to compare this against other insurers.

What is the MAS Goldshield discount?

Goldshield is MAS's highest-tier multi-policy discount. Members who hold house, contents, and motor vehicle insurance with MAS at the same time may be eligible for this discount, which is larger than the standard two-policy multi-product discount. This makes MAS one of the few remaining NZ insurers where bundling three policies can genuinely lower your overall premium.