Levels of Car Insurance Cover
There are three levels of car insurance cover available to drivers: comprehensive, third-party, fire and theft, and third-party. We've outlined the different types and their benefits.
Comprehensive Car Insurance
Comprehensive insurance gives you the most cover for your vehicle, so it's the level of cover most drivers prefer.
What is comprehensive car insurance?
Comprehensive car insurance is the most wide-ranging level of cover, covering:
- damage to your vehicle in the event of an accident
- vandalism, fire and theft
- your liability to third parties should you cause damage or injury to another driver or their property
What comprehensive car insurance cover?
| Cover Type | Included? |
| Third party damages | Yes (damage to other people's cars and property) |
| Theft | Yes |
| Fire | Yes |
| Accidental damage | Yes |
| Malicious damage | Yes |
| Windscreen cover | Yes |
| Protected NCB | Yes (optional, at an extra cost) |
Every insurer has different restrictions and every policy has different features so make sure you are familiar with the features, benefits, restrictions and exclusions of your insurance by reading the policy wording.
Comprehensive insurance doesn't necessarily mean that you are covered for everything, so check with your insurer if you have any special requirements.
Protected No Claims Bonus
Generally, protected No Claims Bonus is only available if you have over 4 years of NCB. It is an optional benefit that you can choose to add to your insurance - most commonly at the inception or renewal of your policy. There is usually an extra charge to add No Claims Bonus Protection to your car insurance.
Protecting your no claims bonus doesn't mean you can have as many accidents as you like. Generally you are restricted to one claim and then your no claims bonus will be affected.
Third Party Fire & Theft Car Insurance
Third Party, Fire & Theft is a popular level of cover among young drivers. It can be cheaper than Comprehensive (though not always - do get a quote for both, as you might be surprised how little difference there is!).
Third Party, Fire & Theft is often a good option for older, low value cars that wouldn't be worth repairing if they had anything other than very minor damage in an accident.
We do not recommend this level of cover for a high value, new car, but it might be suitable for older cars and cars that are not in good condition.
What Third Party Fire & Theft car insurance covers
| Cover Type | Included? |
| Third party damages | Yes |
| Theft | Yes |
| Fire | Yes |
| Accidental damage | No |
| Malicious damage | No |
| Windscreen cover | No |
| Protected NCB | Not standard - optional extra cost |
Third Party Car Insurance for Young Drivers
Third Party Car Insurance is the lowest level of insurance, providing the minimum legal cover to protect other drivers and road users. It doesn't cover damage to or theft of your car.
There are still some circumstances where the option of Third Party car insurance might be suitable for young drivers, though.
- If your car is very old and of low value, Third Party cover might be a suitable alternative to Third Party, Fire and Theft or Comprehensive insurance. Be aware though, that in the event of any accident or damage at all, a car like this is more likely to be a write-off and you'll have no car and no reimbursement to help you buy another
- Third Party insurance could also be an option for you if you drive very few miles or very infrequently
- Car insurance for young drivers is often a big expense, so if you are absolutely desperate to keep costs down as low as possible, Third Party insurance could be the answer until you can afford a better level of cover.
You can upgrade your insurance to Third Party, Fire and Theft or Comprehensive insurance as soon as you can afford to.
What Third Party car insurance covers
| Cover Type | Included? |
| Third party damages | Yes |
| Theft | No |
| Fire | No |
| Accidental damage | No |
| Malicious damage | No |
| Windscreen cover | No |
| Protected No Claims? | Yes (optional for an extra cost) |
How Third Party insurance works after a car accident
Third party, or third party fire and theft insurance policies don't cover the cost of repairs on your own vehicle if you're involved in a car accident, however they will cover the cost of any damage caused to other vehicles or property if you are at fault.
First of all, it's very important that you notify your insurance company of any car accident you're involved in as soon as possible, even if you have only third party cover. If you were responsible for the accident (or the other driver believes you were responsible), it's almost certain that a claim will be made against you, which your insurance company will be expected to pay, so they need to know about any accident you're involved in straight away.
Information to gather after an accident
Gather as much information as you can at the scene of the accident. We covered this when we listed the actions to take immediately following an accident, but here's a brief summary:
- Date and time of the accident and the weather/visibility conditions at the time
- Details of any other drivers, vehicles (and the registered keeper, if not the driver) and their insurance information
- A description of any injuries to drivers or passengers, and the damage to other vehicles or property
- A brief description of how the accident happened, together with any sketches or photographic evidence you collected at the scene
- Contact details of any independent witnesses
- If the police attended the accident, give your insurer their contact details and a Crime Reference Number, if relevant
- Make a note of any other relevant information, such as whether headlights or indicators were used.
Recovering expenses if you weren't at fault
If you don't believe you were responsible for the accident it might still be possible to cover your out of pocket expenses (such as the cost of car repairs, care hire, loss of earnings, injury compensation etc) by making a claim against the other driver. Your claim will be dealt with by their insurance company.
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