Article
What is comprehensive car insurance?
A simple guide about the basics of comprehensive car insurance
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Comprehensive car insurance provides the most complete insurance cover you can get for you and your car. So, if you have an accident, you and your car are insured even if the accident was your fault.
- Comprehensive cover pays out if you injure another person or damage your car or another car in an accident, regardless of who is at fault
- It's different to third party insurance, which only covers the damage you do to other vehicles and people
- The cost of comprehensive cover can vary from one person to another depending on their age, driving ability, the type of car they drive, or where they live
What is comprehensive car insurance?
In a nutshell, comprehensive car insurance cover – sometimes known as fully comprehensive cover, pays out if you damage your car, someone else's car or injure someone in an accident, regardless of who is at fault.
Comprehensive car insurance also covers you against fire and theft. It's different to third party insurance, which only covers the damage you do to other vehicles and people.
Third party, fire and theft insurance covers you for damage to other vehicles and people, plus it covers your own vehicle if it gets damaged in a fire or gets stolen. But it won't cover the damage you do to yourself or your own vehicle.
So, many drivers take out comprehensive cover to make sure they and their vehicle are fully insured.
LV='s Motor Underwriter, Murad Rangoon, summarised Comprehensive cover for us... "With Third Party cover, you’re legally allowed on the road but you'll have to foot the bill for any damage to your own car if you cause an accident.
Comprehensive gives you peace of mind that your car is covered. Some finance/lease agreements require you to have it, and most insurers only offer it on newer cars."
What type of cover is included in comprehensive insurance?
Generally speaking you can expect most comprehensive car insurance policies to include:
- Accidental damage to your car or another's car
- Personal injury to you or injury to other people involved in an accident
- Damage to other people’s property as a result of an accident
- Cover for personal belongings that are damaged or stolen
- Repairs to your windscreen
LV= also offer a range of other benefits with their comprehensive cover, so:
- You won't lose your no claim discount or have to pay an excess if you're hit by an uninsured driver- as long as you have the details of the other vehicle and driver
- If your car is damaged in an accident, we'll replace your child car seats
- If you put the wrong fuel in your tank, we'll cover the cost of cleaning it up
- You'll get new for old car replacement if yours is written off and it's less than 12 months old*
*If you or your partner are the first and only registered keeper and the estimated cost of repairing the damage is more than 50% of the manufacturer’s list price (including taxes and accessories) when the damage or loss happened; or it’s stolen and not recovered.
With Third Party cover, you’re legally allowed on the road but you'll have to foot the bill for any damage to your own car if you cause an accident.
How does comprehensive insurance work?
When you approach an insurance company about taking out comprehensive cover, you'll be asked a series of questions about yourself, your car and any other drivers that you want to add to the insurance. The insurer will use this information to provide you with a price for your insurance for the year.
Insurance companies like to reward careful drivers, so if you don't claim on your insurance from one year to the next, you can build up a no claim discount. This discount is applied to the usual price of your insurance and can reduce the overall cost.
You can usually add someone, like your partner, to your comprehensive car insurance, so they can drive the car and be fully covered as well. However, don't be tempted to put yourself down as the main driver of a car if you won't actually be the main driver, this will be the person driving most often.
For example, if your teenage son has just passed his test and wants to insure his first car and he'll be driving every day, he must be listed as the main driver. If you claim that you are the main driver, but you rarely drive the car, this is known as fronting and is not allowed.
If you're looking for complete peace of mind on the road, comprehensive cover is the insurance type to go for
Is comprehensive car insurance expensive?
So this means the cost can vary from one person to another depending on their age, driving ability, the type of car they drive, where they live etc.
You can keep the cost of your car insurance down by doing some simple things like:
- Increasing your voluntary excess
- Improving your car's security
- Buying a car with a lower insurance group
You may think that as third party insurance provides less cover that it may be cheaper than comprehensive insurance, but this isn't always the case. Drivers who take out third party insurance are often greater risk takers, so that's reflected in the price of the cover.
See how comprehensive car insurance from LV= compares to other well-known insurance companies.