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Car insurance is a legal requirement in the UK as stipulated in the Road Traffic Act 1988. Having car insurance provides the registered keeper and other driver’s financial protection in the event of an accident.
Car insurance is there to safeguard you, taking care of a number of things including; the cost of vehicle damage, repair costs and the costs associated with injuries caused by a road traffic accident. Your car insurance also protects you if your car is stolen or vandalised.
In the UK there are 50 different car insurance groups with 50 being the highest and 1 being the lowest. The lowest car insurance group generally offers the cheapest car insurance premiums.
When a new passenger car is built in the UK it is reviewed and classified by the Group Rating Panel who meet on a monthly basis. The panel is made up of members from the Association of British Insurers (ABI) and Lloyds Market Association (LMA). When the group meet then review certain aspects of the car and then give an indication of risk to insurance companies, they take into account such aspects as:
It is worth noting that the proposed groupings aren’t binding, but are merely recommendations. Basically, in a nut shell it means that the higher the insurance group, the more risk you pose to an insurance provider and so, in most cases, the more likely your insurance premium is to be higher.
It’s easy to get confused when trying to understand what level of cover is better for you, so make sure you do your research carefully. This way you can be confident that you purchase the right policy for your particular circumstances.
There are three types of car insurance available within the UK:
This is the legal minimum level of insurance available within the UK. Third party insurance provides cover if you have an accident causing damage or injury to another person, animal, vehicle or property but this does not cover damage to the driver’s own vehicle.
This covers the fire and theft of your vehicle in addition to the third party cover.
This is the highest level of insurance available within the UK. Comprehensive insurance provides cover if your car is stolen, damaged by fire or accidentally damaged. You are covered if you are involved in a road traffic accident and you’re also covered for claims made against you by other people for bodily injury or damage, made by your vehicle to their property.
Dial Direct Insurance offers all three levels of cover with the option to add some great additional products to your car insurance package. Different levels of cover allow you to select a product that best suits your insurance needs.
Dial Direct Car Insurance offers you simple, flexible car insurance at whatever level of cover you’re looking for. Dial Direct Insurance allows you to decide whether you want to pay for your insurance in a one-off annual payment, or spread the cost across monthly payments (subject to status).
As well as offering great Car Insurance, we also understand how important it is to provide you with the highest level of support possible. That’s why we offer a 24/7 UK claims helpline should you need us. Our UK based Customer Service Team are also on hand if you have any questions about your car insurance quote or your existing policy.
To make life even easier for you, we also have an online My Account available 24 hours a day, seven days a week where you can make payments, amend your policies and view and print all of your insurance documents.
To get a car insurance quote you’ll need to complete a quote form online and enter the following details:
You may be asked for additional information or specific proof dependent upon what the insurance provider is requesting.
The online quote process with Dial Direct Insurance is really easy, we’ve worked hard to ensure that our journeys are as customer friendly as possibly so we hope that getting a quote is an easy task for you. You can start a new quote here. Please be advised that, if you choose to cancel your policy it is up to you to get alternative cover.
Where it used to be the case, with most insurance providers, that if you have comprehensive car insurance, you could drive any car with third party cover, this is now not a common feature with each insurance provider setting their own terms on this.
Some insurance policies do not cover you for driving other vehicles at all, some allow this at an additional cost and some offer this benefit on an ‘emergency’ basis only. The answer to this question is that, unfortunately, there isn’t a clear answer. You will need to refer to your insurance providers terms and conditions for their specific stipulations on driving other cars.
An excess is the sum of money that you will be required to pay should you make a claim against your insurance. A compulsory excess is the sum that your insurance provider sets and is non-negotiable. This amount depends upon different factors including your age, the type of claim and your car type.
The compulsory excess amount is added to the voluntary excess amount to make your total excess should you make a claim. This amount will be outlined within your policy documents. Learn more about excess.
If you have been unlucky enough to damage your car by hitting a pothole, to make a claim you will, firstly, need to get as much information as possible about the pothole, this is to include:
Where the pothole is (road name, town, postcode etc.), the measurements of the pothole (include pictures if it is safe to take them), the contact details of anyone who witnessed the damage and the time and date you hit the pothole
Once you have pulled together all of the relevant information you will need to contact both the council and your insurance company. It is advisable to contact your insurance company first, as their terms regarding pothole claims may differ.
The AA advises that you then ‘Write to the council responsible for the road with all the details you’ve collected, including copies of your quotes, invoices and receipts’. This may not be an easy claims process, unfortunately, and your third step might be to appeal dependent upon the council’s decision.
For more information on how to make a claim for pothole damage, contact your insurance provider in the first instance. For more information click here.
To transfer your insurance from one car to another you will need to contact your insurance provider in the first instance to advise them as to your new vehicle details. Your insure will then recalculate your price and offer you the option to either insurance provider your new vehicle or cancel your policy. You will have to pay either a mid-term-adjustment or cancellation fee to cover the administration involved in changing your insured car.
Please be advised that, if you choose to cancel your policy it is up to you to get alternative cover. Please be aware that it is against the law to drive a vehicle on a public road without insurance.
Please log in to your My Account in the first instance if you need to view or manage your policy. Our webchat team will also be available to help once you have logged in.
You can still contact us by phone, but there may be slightly longer waiting times than usual.
If you need to send us proof of No Claims Discount, you can do so by logging into your My Account.
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