Car insurance explained

It is illegal in the UK to drive a vehicle without insurance. Insurance is required to protect you from incurring huge costs should you be involved in a road accident.

Thousands of people every year are fined for driving without insurance. The penalties can include between 6 and 8 points on your driving licence and a fine of up to £5000, depending on the circumstances. These days it is even more foolish to drive without insurance since the widespread use of Automatic Number Plate Recognition systems by the police which can automatically check your number plate in seconds against a database and find out whether you are insured or not.

Types of insurance

There are three basic types of car insurance available to drivers they are third party, third party fire and theft, and fully comprehensive. The minimum insurance cover any driver needs to drive legally on the road is third party.

The various insurance companies often offer various extra benefits to the different types of cover that you can 'bolt-on' to your policy which can include breakdown cover, windscreen replacement cover etc. The three basic types of insurance are described below:-

Third party insurance

If you are involved in an accident that was not your fault then you are legally termed as a 'third party'. The person responsible will have to pay any costs you incur as a result of the accident from their own insurance. If you are responsible for an accident and you only have third party insurance you will not be able to claim for any injury costs you may have with this type of insurance.

Third party fire and theft insurance

In addition to covering you if you are the innocent 'third party', this type of insurance adds the extra benefit of covering you if your vehicle is damaged by fire or is stolen. This will be slightly more expensive but gives you the extra peace of mind that you are covered for these potential situations.

Fully comprehensive insurance

Comprehensive insurance is exactly what it says. It not only covers you for claims made by the non-fault driver, but it also covers you for the cost of repairs and parts for your car should it be damaged in an accident, including the replacement cost of the entire vehicle should it be written off in an accident. You are also covered if you damage the car yourself - for example if you drive into a gate post etc.

Making a claim

If you are involved in a car accident that was not your fault you would normally contact your insurer who would arrange for your car to be repaired and recover the costs from the at fault party's insurer. The only drawback with this is that because you have made a claim, your insurance premiums will go up the next time you renew it.

Can I make a claim without my insurance premiums going up?

Yes you can. At Accident Repair Finder we can help you do this because we deal with the at-fault party's insurer on your behalf, arrange for your car to be repaired, and provide you with a comparable replacement hire car while yours is being repaired.

We will still contact your insurance company, but this is just a formality to notify them of the accident. Your insurer will make a note in your file that says 'for information only' which means that the accident will not be treated as a claim.

Just give us a call on 0845 6768898 or start your claim enquiry using our online claim form.