Car Insurance Gives You Extra

There are many additional features available with your car insurance policy; some you'll need, others you won't. This brief guide outlines the most common ones offered by insurers, and anything to be aware of.

Courtesy car
Usually, to get a courtesy car, you have to take out a fully comprehensive policy. It gives you the use of a car temporarily while yours is being repaired after an accident. This feature isn't usually free with a policy, and you may be hit with a one-off fee on top of your monthly premium if you need a courtesy car. In addition, some insurers only offer the car for a limited amount of time, which may not be as long as your car takes to fix.
Driving other cars (DOC)
This, again, is a feature only on fully comp policies. It gives you third party cover on another car which you don't own, but some insurers stipulate that the other car must be driven only in an emergency. Check your policy if you aren't sure.

Windscreen/window cover
Another fully comp feature, this will cover part of the cost of repairing or replacing windows, windscreens and in some cases, sunroofs. When obtaining your car insurance quote, check if this option is included, as not all policies offer it. Claiming on this wouldn't normally affect your NCD, but you may find that, once the excess has been paid, the amount left for the insurer to pay doesn't warrant making a claim anyway.

Legal protection
If you're in an accident that wasn't your fault, this feature will cover your solicitors fees if you need to claim expenses such as injury treatment, car hire, travel expenses and the like. The downside is that insurers will only offer this legal service if there is a reasonable chance you'll be successful in your claim.

Breakdown and roadside repair
Some insurers offer this option with their policies, but don't take it out without checking if you can get it cheaper direct from a roadside recovery firm. Insurers are likely to bump the price up for this service. Some car insurance policies do have it as standard, or free, so check with your insurer.

Monthly payments
As a way of getting cheap car insurance, many drivers prefer to take out a monthly payment option instead of one lump sum at the beginning of the year. While this can work out cheaper per month, overall you end up paying more. Additionally, the monthly payment option won't be available to everyone, particularly if your credit rating is poor.

No Claims Discount (NCD)
NCD is a great way of reducing your premium, often by up to 70%. It depends on how long you've gone without making a claim on your insurance. Generally speaking, it's 10% discount for every year without a claim, whether your fault or not. For a small extra fee you can get Protected No Claims, which means you have a set number of times you can claim before your discount is affected.

Other Drivers
Anyone else who is likely to drive your can should be declared to your insurer. While adding a young driver to an existing policy may drive the premium up, adding a more experienced, older driver to a young persons policy will bring the cost down. But make sure that the older person is a named driver only, and not the main driver, or you run the risk of 'fronting up', which is the practice of an older person declaring themselves as the main driver on a young persons car to avoid high premiums.

By: J Tillotson