What is Car Insurance?

Quite simply, car insurance is essential protection against the risks associated with motoring and a vital safeguard for car drivers, passengers, pedestrians, property owners – in fact, everyone.

Car insurance is also a legal requirement. You must have adequate insurance before you can drive or operate any vehicle in the UK, and failure to do so is a serious offence which can result in penalty points on your driving licence, a driving ban, a fine or even imprisonment.

How Long Does Car Insurance Last?

Insurance cover lasts for 12 months and must be renewed annually. Your insurer can also provide insurance protection for driving other cars, owned by other people (DOC cover) although young people and certain drivers are excluded from this type of car insurance.

Once insured, if there are changes in your details or the circumstances under which you were originally insured, you must not wait for the renewal date to inform your insurer, but do so immediately. This is a legal requirement and not doing so could affect the validity of the policy and even invalidate any claim that you might make.

The level of insurance cover you have depends upon the type of policy you choose. The low cost option, Third Party Only, covers liability for personal injury to other people and the vehicles and property of others, but does not cover injury to you or damage to your own car and property. Fully Comprehensive car insurance cover, on the other hand, provides just that – comprehensive protection against all eventualities.

Optional Extras and Car Insurance

Some insurance companies also include extras in their cover and it’s well worth comparing the advantages and value of these features to you. For example, if an insurance policy offers the free benefit of child seats being automatic replaced following an accident, it’s a great bonus for drivers with young families. It’s a matter of finding the package most appropriate to you and how you use your car.

If you already have some other form of cover with an insurer, such as home insurance, there are those that will offer you a cheap car insurance quote thanks to a loyalty discount.

See how easy it is to compare car insurance prices online with The Comparisons.