The difference between comprehensive car insurance and that which is just a third-party or third-party fire and theft cover, can be likened to the difference between having accidental damage cover with a household insurance policy or not. Comprehensive insurance will cover what you damage because it was deemed your fault. Instead of it being a carpet that is replaced by insurance because you have dropped an iron onto it and burnt it, perhaps, we are talking damage to your vehicle. This is opposed to that of the other person you hit, which is already covered by law under third-party insurance that you must purchase.
The best way to obtain a competitive insurance quotation is to look at car insurance quote comparisons. This is as easy as looking online to find them. You can compare like-for-like, as long as you enter the same information and check that the excesses are the same on both quotations. These are things that makes insurance cheaper. Your no-claims bonus, that you have hopefully built up over many years, will be transferrable. Five years or more without a claim and you can look forward to a discount of either 60 or 65% off what would have been the premium to pay.
Comprehensive
As mentioned, having comprehensive insurance cover or fully comprehensive cover will mean that your vehicle is covered for damage as well as that of the third party in the event of an accident. Also, a windscreen cover will usually be included as well. Some chips can be too big or in the wrong place on the windscreen to be legally allowed. They can sometimes be repaired, rather than the whole windscreen needing replacing. A smaller excess will be payable than with vehicle damage claims, where there is nobody to claim off.
The beauty of comprehensive insurance cover is that it will cover an insured person for damage to their vehicle regardless of fault. You still, of course, have cover for third-party fire and theft too. The cover is extended and so nothing is taken away, just added.
Generally, cars of greater value will be insured comprehensively for the insured party’s protection. It is a decision to make – a risk whether to hope that you do not make a mistake that causes an accident and end of paying dearly for it.
Third-Party Only or Third-Party Fire and Theft
With third-party only cover, the minimum legal requirement, you can opt to have fire and theft cover on your vehicle, as well as legally covering any damage to the other driver’s vehicle and covering their passengers if injured.
It is important to have cover for fire, as well as theft, because many a car is burnt out to destroy police evidence. Cars that are stolen are very often stolen to order and certainly highly prized luxury or high-performance vehicles will be at risk from this. It is a lucrative business and insurance companies are well aware of the risks.
Vehicles that are garaged can result in lower premiums on insurance policies, which will help with obtaining a competitive premium. It is one of the situations that can attract discounts, depending on the insurer.
There are five parts to any insurance policy. Whether it is third party fire and theft or comprehensive cover, an insurance policy will include conditions, declarations, definitions, exclusions, and insuring agreements.
Pros and Cons of Either
It is much more expensive to have comprehensive insurance cover on your car but essential if on a finance agreement. Both parties will then need to be protected in the event of a loss. Comprehensive cover is also protection for valuable vehicles. These will depend on where they are from, the luxury range in terms of their makes and model or rated in a category that is considered sporty or high performance.
The car insurance decision will be based on what you can afford, and it can only be cost-effective to choose the lower cover where there are no accidents likely. The only thing is, we cannot predict this. Weather conditions can play their part and it can depend on the actions of other drivers that may still result in a fault claim on our part, or a 50/50 scenario where no claims bonuses might be lost.
It is important to understand the differences with cover, so that you always have the right insurance protection relative to how much you can afford. The idea, though, is that it will provide us with financial security and peace of mind. This means that the more insurance cover we can purchase, the more peace of mind we can have.