Types of Car Insurance

Choosing which type of car insurance to opt for is an important decision to make to ensure you're not overpaying for the type of cover you actually need. Let's explore the types of car insurance and see which is the best option for you.

Fully Comprehensive Car Insurance

Fully comprehensive car insurance covers you for almost all road incidents. This is the type of car insurance that will provide you with the most protection and is one of our most popular policies.

Fully comprehensive means that you’re covered for the cost of the damage to other people and their vehicle or property, but also the cost of repairs that need to be made to your own car (even if it’s written off). It will also protect you if your vehicle is stolen or damaged by fire (including arson).

Insurance coverage	Covered with Fully Comp?
The cost of damage to other people and their property	Yes
A stolen vehicle	Yes
A vehicle damaged by fire	Yes
The cost of repairs to your car	Yes
The cost if your car is written off	Yes
No-claims bonus protection	Add-On
Windscreen Cover	Add-On
Breakdown cover	Add-On

Pros & Cons of Fully Comprehensive

The mains pros of fully comprehensive cover are:

• You can claim for accidents that weren’t caused by you or when it’s not clear who was at fault
• You are sometimes covered as third-party only to drive other vehicles
• You will be protected against accidents like fire and theft

The con of this type of policy is that it is usually the most expensive type of car insurance. But when you consider what it includes compared to more basic policies, the extra cost is usually worth it.

You should also consider that this type of insurance doesn’t cover things like general wear and tear, driving without a licence, or stolen items that were taken while the car was unlocked

Ideal for commuters and regular drivers

This type of car insurance is ideal for most drivers. If you regularly drive your own vehicle, commute to and from work, travel to social events and more, comprehensive insurance is going to be the best one for you. It may also be beneficial if you need to drive someone else’s vehicle, as you’ll be covered third-party.

Chill can compare fully comprehensive car insurance quotes to find you the best deal. Get a quote today to see if you can save yourself some money.

Third Party, Fire & Theft

Third party, fire and theft insurance covers you for slightly less than a fully comprehensive policy. It will still cover other drivers and the cost associated with fixing their vehicle in the case of an accident. It will also cover your own vehicle should it be stolen or damaged by fire. However, should you get in an accident that wasn’t your fault, the cost of repairing your own vehicle won’t be covered.

Insurance coverage	Covered with Third Party, Fire and Theft?
The cost of damage to other people and their property	Yes
A stolen vehicle	Yes
A vehicle damaged by fire	Yes
The cost of repairs to your car	No
The cost if your car is written off	No
No-claims bonus protection	Add-On
Windscreen cover	Add-On
Breakdown cover	Add-On

Pros & Cons of Third Party, Fire and Theft

Although third party, fire, and theft insurance covers you for less than a fully comprehensive policy, there are still some pros to this kind of protection.

Firstly, this type of policy is usually cheaper than fully comprehensive car insurance. However, you must consider that this is because you aren’t covered for as much. Should you get into an accident, you may end up spending money out of your pocket to repair any damage done to your own car. This may not be a problem if you have a very low-budget vehicle that won’t cost much to repair, but for some vehicles, this could become very pricey.

Ideal for sporadic drivers or second vehicles

This type of policy might be best for drivers that typically have a very low mileage or rarely drive their vehicle. It might be that you have a second car that isn’t driven very often, or that you do less than the average number of kilometres (17,500) per year. In this case, third-party, fire and theft insurance could be the right one for you. You feel safe in the knowledge that when your car is parked, it’s covered against theft and fire damage, and when you do drive it, you know that other drivers will be covered should an accident occur.

You can get in touch with Chill today to get a quote for a third party, fire and theft policy.

Third Party Only

Third-party only insurance policy is the legal minimum level of insurance you can have. It doesn’t cover the cost of repairs to your own vehicle and won’t protect you if your car is stolen or damaged by fire. It only covers injuries of the driver and the vehicle you crashed into, their policy excess and damage to third-party property. This means this type of policy only covers other people and doesn’t actually protect yourself or your vehicle.

Insurance coverage	Covered with Third Party?
The cost of damage to other people and their property	Yes
A stolen vehicle	No
A vehicle damaged by fire	No
The cost of repairs to your car	No
The cost if your car is written off	No
No-claims bonus protection	Add-On
Windscreen cover	Add-On
Breakdown cover	Add-On

Pros & Cons of Third Party Only

This type of insurance is often the cheapest, which is a great advantage. However, this is because it doesn’t cover very much. You won’t be covered for:

• The cost of damage to your own car
• Medical costs for any injuries you sustain in an accident
• Items that were stolen from the vehicle
• The cost of the vehicle if it’s stolen
• A vehicle that has been damaged by fire

Ideal for drivers with budget vehicles

This type of policy may be ideal should you have a budget vehicle or you have a car that you very rarely drive. With a fully comprehensive policy, you might have to fork out an excess that is quite expensive, but with a third-party policy, this money could instead be used to repair a budget vehicle. However, it’s worth considering that, in a bad accident, the repairs might cost more than the car, which is known as a ‘write off’. At this point, you can make the decision as to whether you go ahead with the repairs or scrap the car.

To get a quote for a third-party only insurance policy, get in touch with Chill. We can compare policies from 14 insurers to find the best deal for you.