What is Comprehensive Car Insurance?

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Comprehensive Car Insurance

Comprehensive cover gives you full risks cover for your car. In simple terms, it means that you can claim for any damage caused to your vehicle by any means, apart from exclusions that can be found in the small print.

In addition to allowing you to claim for the damage caused to your car in an accident, with comprehensive car insurance cover, you can also claim for acts of vandalism, theft, or any other accidental damage to your car which does not involve a crash.

Also included in comprehensive insurance is glass cover or windscreen cover. The insurance company will probably have an arrangement with a specialist glass firm. If you go to their specialist you will probably only pay the excess, which is usually around £50.00. If you only have a small crack or chip in the windscreen, you can normally get it repaired for free and there should be no excess. Should you need to make a claim on your windscreen cover, this will have no effect on your 'no claims bonus'.

Always remember that no policy will cover you for every single thing. Comprehensive insurance  ('fully comp' or 'all risks') is at times a bit misleading and can give a false impression that you are covered for every possibility. On every policy, you will find exclusions in the small print relating to your excess, such as electrical and mechanical breakdowns.

The excess on your insurance policy must be paid no matter whom is at fault, whether your car is totally written off, or just mildly scratched. You will have to pay it because you entered into a contract. If you are not at fault, you will be able to claim your excess back from the other person's insurance company.

If you are comprehensively insured and you cannot use your car, then most insurance companies will provide you with a temporary hire car whilst you car is being repaired.

Some comprehensive car insurance policies will also allow you to driver other people's cars, although there may be severe limitations to this.

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