Four steps to the right car insurance policy
All UK motorists are legally required to insure their vehicles according to the terms of The Road Traffic Act. It is your minimum legal requirement to take out a motor insurance policy to cover the costs of repairs to other drivers' vehicles and medical costs in the event of personal injury.
This is called Third Party insurance. It covers the costs of the other driver in the event that an accident is your fault.
Once your basic liability to others is met, it's then your decision as to whether you want to take out additional cover against other risks for which you would also have to foot the bill if uninsured.
So ask yourself the question: at what point do you want your costs to end and the payment from your car insurance company to begin?
Step 1: How much cover?
- Do you drive long distances and rely on your car for getting to work?
- Do you frequently drive in remote or rural areas?
- Do you live in a place where crime rates are higher than average? If you don't know the answer to this question you can find out via the Home Office's crime statistics website here: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/ia/atlas.html. (There are a number of steps you can take to lessen the likelihood that your car will get stolen or damaged even if crime is relatively high in your area on the Vehicle Crime Reduction website: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/crime-victims/how-you-can-prevent-crime/stop-vehicle-crime/ )
- Are you planning to allow other people – your partner or family members under the age of 24 to drive your vehicle?
- And when it comes to replacement value, is your car still in its prime or past its best?
Ask yourself these questions and make a decision about each of them to help decide the best car insurance quote for you. They all influence the kind of cover you will need and the cost of your policy.
Step 2: Which policy?
Zurich Connect offers a Comprehensive motor insurance policy. Consider the premium you are prepared to pay and amend this by altering your quote by increasing the voluntary excess, adding or removing NCD protection and Roadside Assistance. Remember that the cheapest car insurance quotes are not always the best car insurance quotes for you.
Step 3: What additional services and support?
Insurance companies offer a whole range of added extras to their insurance cover, so you can create the best car insurance quote for you. They aren't always things that you want or need – and they all influence the final price of your policy.
At Zurich Connect to give our customers the best service at the most affordable price, our Standard Cover gives you Third Party liability plus cover for damage to your vehicle (sustained in an accident, by malicious damage, fire, theft or attempted theft), Uninsured Loss Recovery and Legal Expenses.
You’ll also get:
- A replacement car: In the event repair costs exceed 60% of the manufacturers list price during the first year of registration as new.
- Cover for electronic audio-visual equipment: if fitted by the vehicle manufacturer as standard for the insured car.
- Replacement vehicle locks following loss or theft of keys or any other removable ignition device.
- Cover for personal belongings in the insured car.
Also included at no extra cost
- Driver's and Passenger's Accident and Health Assistance.
- Windscreen/sunroof repair or replacement.
- Free foreign use up to 60 days on any one trip.
- Courtesy car repairer if insured car being repaired following an accident, fire or theft.
- Uninsured Loss Recovery & Legal Expenses (up to £100,000).
Step 4: What about breakdowns?
As fees charged by independent garages for car breakdown and towing services can be notoriously hefty, it’s worth considering investing in additional breakdown cover to protect you and your vehicle as it is not usually included in the cheapest car insurance quotes. In the event that you break down far from home, or in a rural area, you’ll not only need emergency road-side repairs and support but also transport home if your car needs to be towed. If you don't already have membership of a breakdown and recovery scheme, you may want to add this on to your insurance policy.
Zurich Connect offers a comprehensive package of breakdown and home call services – from as little as 77p per week.
