What Is Car Insurance?
Car insurance is a legal requirement for any drivers on the road in the United Kingdom. Third-party car insurance protection is the minimum level of insurance cover required by law.
Car insurance provides financial protection for motorists, protecting you, your vehicle, and others in the event of an accident. The amount of protection varies depending on the level of insurance you purchase.
If you’re caught driving without car insurance, you can get a £300 fine and six penalty points. You may even eventually be disqualified from driving if your case goes to court and you rack up enough penalty points. To avoid getting into trouble with the law, use Quote Goat to compare insurance quotes and find car insurance that suits your budget.
How much does car insurance cost?
Car insurance prices are based on the level of risk involved with insuring a driver, as determined by each car insurance provider. So, the best way to find out how much it will cost you is to use a comparison service, like the one we use, to view live car insurance quotes – it takes less than five minutes & it’s free.
Whilst some places do provide average figures for the cost of car insurance, we don’t believe it’s useful because everybody is unique. There are so many factors to take into account when calculating the price of an individual’s car insurance policy. Instead, why not remove the guess work and compare car insurance today?
Cover That Suits your needs
Fleet Insurance
Insurance for multiple family vehicles under one policy. Benefits include easier manageability and potentially cheaper cover. This is a great option for families and businesses who own multiple vehicles. It works like standard car insurance with 3 different types of cover available.
Drivers with Convictions
We have a dedicated panel of insurance providers who specialise in policies for drivers with convictions. These quotes cater to drivers with driving and non-driving convictions who may face high-cost options. Using a comparison platform is a great option for finding the an affordable deal.
Car Insurance For Young Drivers
Young drivers are hit the hardest when it comes to car insurance costs. Unfortunately however it is a fact that 1 in 4 young drivers will make a claim in their first year on the road. Visit our young driver page to see if you can find a cheaper car insurance deal.
Car Insurance Without A Black Box
Black boxes aren’t for everyone, which is fair enough, but you should know that they will often help lower your car insurance significantly. If you’re not interested in black box insurance, visit our dedicated insurance without a black box page.
Learner Driver Insurance
If you are learning to drive, you can find insurance for either your own vehicle or you can be insured on someone else’s vehicle while you learn. You have the option for short-term, full-term and named driver cover.
Adapted and Disability Car Insurance
If you drive a vehicle that is adapted compare insurance quotes from both specialist and mainstream cover providers with just one quote form.
How can I get cheaper cover?
The easiest way to save money is to use a car insurance comparison site to compare multiple quotes at the same time and choose the best car insurance for your needs. As well as this, there are a number of other tips that we can share with you to help keep car insurance costs to a minimum:
1) Keep your license clean
Speeding and other driving convictions indicate to insurance providers that a driver is riskier to insure. This added risk means your car insurance premium will be higher.
2) Build up a no claims discounts
Similar to the above, insurance providers can offer better car insurance rates to drivers with longer no claims periods. Data shows that you are more likely to make a claim on your insurance if you have already done so. Therefore, building up a long no claims bonus demonstrates that you are a safer driver. In light of this, you should think carefully before making a claim, particularly if the claim is not for a huge amount of money. Equally, once you have built up a long no claims period, you may want to consider protecting your no claims bonus.
3) Opt for a telematics (black box) policy
Black boxes are a fairly new but rapidly adopted piece of technology that gives your insurance providers access to information about you and your driving ability that was previously unavailable. With telematics insurance, car insurance providers can see how fast and how often you drive, your braking severity, the time of day you are driving, and the location of your vehicle. All of this data can demonstrate that you are less likely to make a claim on your policy which may lead to paying less on your insurance policy. The opposite is also true, and bad drivers can see their car insurance policy premiums increase.
4) Get a quote before you buy a car
Car insurance policy costs vary significantly depending on the type of car you drive. If you are in the market to purchase a car, it pays to check how much the car insurance premium will be prior to buying to avoid any nasty surprises.
5) Pay yearly, not monthly
In an ideal world, everyone would be able to afford to pay for their insurance cost in one upfront payment. Clearly, that is not the case for many of us, but if there is a way you can pay your insurance policy annually, it could save you as much as 20% compared to paying monthly. This is because the monthly premium on your insurance policy comes with interest added.
6) Keep your car secure
If you are considering changing cars, bear in mind that a car with good security often benefits from cheaper car insurance costs. This is because alarms, immobilisers and tracking technology can all reduce the risk of insuring a vehicle.
What details do I need to get a quote?
1
Car Information
You’ll need either your car registration or the make and model of your car if you do not know it. If you have not purchased the vehicle yet, that is fine too.
2
Driving History
You’ll need to say how long you have been driving, disclose any details of any convictions, and any no-claims discount.
3
Personal Details
You’ll need to provide your name, contact details, address and job.
4
Car Usage
You’ll need to disclose what the car will be or is being used for, e.g. social, commuting or business, as well as your estimated annual mileage.
What Are The Three Types Of Cover?
There are three choices when it comes to the level of car insurance cover you can choose from. The different types of car insurance policies are:
Third-party cover only,
Third-party, fire and theft insurance
Fully comprehensive car insurance policy
It is a common misconception that opting for third-party-only cover is the cheapest option, but this is not necessarily always the case. If in doubt, compare quotes for all three types.
Third Party Only
Third-party cover provides cover for damage or injury to a 3rd party or 3rd party property as a result of an incident where you are deemed to be at fault. A third-party-only policy provides the least amount of legal cover permitted by the UK government.
Third Party, Fire and Theft
Third-party, fire and theft includes third-party car insurance with added fire and theft insurance. This type of car insurance policy protects against loss and damage in the event of fire damage or theft of your vehicle.
Fully Comprehensive Car Insurance
The fully comprehensive policy offers the most complete level of cover available. Fully comprehensive car insurance will usually cover you for damage/injury to your vehicle or yourself, as well as damage/injury to 3rd parties and their property. Although the comprehensive policy is the highest level of cover, make sure that you read the fine print to understand what exactly is covered, as it varies between each car insurance policy option.
Car Insurance Groups
Every car belongs to an insurance group from 1–50. The car insurance group that your car belongs to can play a big part when it comes to determining how much your car insurance costs. Generally speaking, cars in lower insurance groups will have a lower car insurance cost, so you can save money on your insurance by keeping this in mind when it comes to buying your next car.
Here’s a short list of examples to give you an idea of which car models are in which groups:
Groups 1-5 include the Citroen C1, Toyota Aygo & Ford Ka.
Groups 20-30 include the Audi A3, BMW 1 Series, Land Rover Defender & VW Golfs.
Groups 40-50 include the Porsche Boxster, Ford Mustang and Subaru Impreza.
Breakdown cover: Covers you if your car breaks down. In the event of a breakdown, it gets you and your car to the nearest garage or to your home. However, it can often be cheaper to purchase breakdown cover separately.
Courtesy car: If you could not do without a car whilst it is being fixed, you may wish to find a policy that offers a courtesy car as standard or take out this cover as an optional extra. Some car insurance policies include a courtesy car as part of the standard car insurance while others charge extra.
Personal accident cover: This cover will provide compensation should you be injured in a car accident. A lot of fully comprehensive car insurance policies will include personal accident cover. However you need to check this as not all car insurance providers include it.
Motor legal protection: If you are at fault for a car accident, legal cover will help cover the legal expenses involved in defending a claim against you. If you are not at fault, it will help you claim from the person who is.
Lost keys cover: This optional add-on to your car insurance covers you for the cost of replacing your keys if your keys are lost or stolen. This may seem unnecessary but the cost of replacing keys on newer cars can run in the hundreds of pounds.
Windscreen repair and protection: Windscreen cover offers an extra that covers the cost of fixing chips or cracks in your windscreen as well as sometimes covering the cost of replacing your windscreen. However, even with the windscreen cover, you may have to pay a small excess for the replacement.
No claims discount protection: Having a no-claims discount can significantly reduce your car insurance quotes. A car insurance quote comparison will show that it is a valuable bonus. You can buy discount protection to keep your no-claims bonus intact should you need to make a claim. Protection does vary between providers. Some will leave your no-claims bonus exactly as it is, whereas others will knock a year or two off your accrued years of bonus.
Personal belongings cover:
With personal belongings cover, you’re protected in the event that your possessions are stolen from your vehicle or damaged during a car accident. A comprehensive car insurance policy will typically include some form of cover for personal belongings, but it’s not usually offered with third-party, fire and theft car insurance options.
Misfuelling motor insurance:This type of motor insurance covers you if the wrong fuel is used to fill your vehicle, and you need to have the tank drained and cleaned. It’s usually found under the ‘accidental damage’ part of your standard car insurance policy. Always ensure you check with car insurance providers to confirm what exactly is covered and what isn’t.
Do I actually need insurance?
Yes. Car insurance is a legal requirement when driving on roads in the UK. If caught driving uninsured, you can receive a fine and penalty points.
Do I need to buy car insurance if my car is off the road? If you’re not driving your vehicle or keeping it in a garage, most common for classic car owners, you’ll need to apply for a ‘Statutory Off Road Notification’ to exempt you from the mandatory UK insurance requirements. In this case, you’ll get a refund on any full months of remaining tax. However, you’re not allowed to drive the vehicle on the road until you tax it again.
Additionally, you can still choose to cover your vehicle in case of fire and theft. It’s always best to be prepared.
Who provides the cheapest car insurance in the UK?The best way to find the cheapest insurance policies is to use comparison sites for car insurance quotes. These services are helpful as they pull data from several providers. They allow you to compare various car insurance companies and match up their offerings with your budget and cover requirements.
How do I check if my car is insured?
It’s illegal being an uninsured driver, even if it’s just temporarily. Once you’ve selected your preferred provider and purchased the insurance, you can use your registration number and check it on the Motor Insurance Database (MID). The MID is a national register of every insured car in the UK.
The search is free and will disclose if the vehicle has a valid insurance policy. However, it will not disclose insurance details.
Should I pay car insurance premiums monthly or annually?
If you can afford it, your policy will be cheaper if you pay your insurance price annually. Your monthly car insurance cost includes the cost of borrowing, which can be as much as 20% APR..
Will buying car insurance affect my credit report?
If you pay monthly when you buy car insurance, then you will be credit-checked. Monthly premium payments to car insurance companies are effectively a form of credit, as you are borrowing money over a 12-month period.
How do I know how many miles I drive each year?
Most people follow a fairly set weekly routine, so think about your commute, school runs and your usage on the weekends and evenings to arrive at an approximate figure.
You’ll most probably need this figure when entering your information into comparison websites for an accurate car insurance quotes comparison.
How much is my car worth?
There are a number of websites that can give you an accurate estimate of the current value of your car.
How are quotes calculated? Insurance providers work out the cost of a policy based on the level of risk presented by a driver. This takes into account a whole array of factors including job, driving history, address, mileage, vehicle and much more.
Car insurance comparison websites combine these results to give you a snapshot of the best car insurance options for your requirements.
Will I be charged if I cancel my insurance policy?
Some providers may charge you an admin fee for cancelling your policy or even missing a payment. Certain providers may even issue a refund if you’ve cancelled your policy within the cool-down period. However, it may not be a full refund as they may still deduct a fee for when your policy was active. That’s why it is always important to thoroughly review your policy documents so you’re fully aware of all fees and costs involved.
How does the excess work on an insurance policy?
An excess consists of two amounts: a mandatory amount and a voluntary amount. The mandatory amount is set by the insurance provider, and the voluntary amount is set by the policyholder. Setting a higher voluntary excess can help you find cheap car insurance quotes. However, when it comes to making a claim, you will need to pay that excess amount towards any cost. Make sure you can afford to pay that amount should the unexpected happen.
How long is my quote valid for?
Quotes are valid for 30 days but are subject to change.
I claimed on my policy last year, will my renewal price be a lot higher?
It is highly likely that you will be quoted higher prices after making a claim due to you being deemed a higher-risk driver. However, it pays to check this by getting a quote from a trustworthy car insurance comparison service.
When might an insurance claim be rejected?
When you buy car insurance, you need to read the fine print and ensure you understand exactly what you’re paying for. A claim might be rejected if you’re claiming for something your chosen insurance package doesn’t cover. You might also not receive compensation from your provider if you’ve somehow invalidated your policy agreement by providing incorrect information and failing to pay your premiums.
Does a comprehensive policy cover me driving someone else’s car?
You need to check your policy documentation in detail to verify if your comprehensive cover extends to driving someone else’s vehicle. It can be a feature of comprehensive cover offerings, but it’s very rarely covered by third-party or third-party, fire and theft policies.
