UK car cover is compulsory, meaning that it is an offence to drive a motor vehicle on UK roads without having an insured vehicle. Saying that, there are a number of options available as to what insurance you actually buy. The following should give you an idea as to what to do. Bear in mind also, that when going to buy insurance from a provider that, while most policies are the same, the terms are not. So this means that when you buy some insurance for yourself and your vehicle, it is worthwhile having a clear discussion with the broker and finding out just what you will get for your money.
Insurance for you and your car covers, to varying degrees, liability that you may incur if you injure somebody or, damage other people's property while driving. It simply means that if the worst happens and an accident occurs, then you can be covered for a large amount of the costs needed to put things right.
Cover comes in a variety of forms, but the basic idea is that you can cover yourself to a minimum amount or to a fully comprehensive amount, which will take care of almost all eventualities while you are out on the road. Fully comprehensive cover can also cover the inconvenience of having a damaged car, with many insurers often offering replacement (courtesy) cars as part of a fully comprehensive service package.
The first type of insurance cover you can take out when it comes to motoring is third party insurance. This is the basic kind of UK car cover you can buy, and covers the impact of damage and injuries caused by you against someone else and/or their car. You and your vehicle are not covered by this type of policy. In this sense it may seem a little risky to most people, but for obvious reasons the cost of it is low.
Third party fire and theft takes the level of cover one step higher, and is designed to protect you as well as anyone involved in some unfortunate incident with you. This level of cover insures against replacement or repair of your car if it stolen or destroyed or damaged by fire.
Then, as explained earlier, the fullest level of cover comes under the name of fully comprehensive. This cover protects you for most eventualities. For example, it covers you if your car is damaged by an accident caused by yourself. Windscreen damage may also be covered by such a policy, for example.
Fully comprehensive insurance protects your car for all manner of uses, often including travel to work, and for pleasure. There are even some fully comprehensive policies that cover you when you wish to drive someone else's car (with their permission). This last type of cover often only covers you for any third party damage, so be wary of this.
Make sure you know exactly what type of UK car cover you are paying for when you take out a policy. This means asking what the cover entails and whether there are any extras that would make the cover more competitive.
