Fully comprehensive car insurance

While there are ways you can reduce the cost of your car insurance, unfortunately there are some factors insurers consider that you won’t have much control over:

• Your age: You’ll generally pay more for car insurance if you’re a young driver, owing to a lack of experience on the road that makes you a higher claim risk

• Your driving history: If you’re got a history of accidents, claims or convictions, this also gives you a higher risk profile – so your insurance costs will likely be higher than average

• Your location: Some areas in the UK are more prone to car theft or vandalism, or have a higher rate of road accidents – the increased risk means higher premiums for those who live or work in these areas 

• Your occupation: Some jobs also carry different risks to others, whether it’s because of equipment, location or commuting, so insurers also take this into account when setting premiums

Your fully comprehensive car insurance policy won’t automatically cover you to drive other cars unless you’ve added them to your policy as an extra car with multi-car insurance – useful for households or individuals with two or more vehicles.

If you want to drive another car you don’t own, you could also ask the owner to add you to their existing policy as a named driver – this will likely increase their premiums, however.

Likewise fully comprehensive car insurance policies also won’t automatically cover other people to drive your car – they’ll have to be added to your policy as a named driver, or take out their own cover.

Fully comprehensive car insurance can sometimes come with extras already included, but if not you’ll usually be able to add the following protection to your policy:

• Windscreen cover: This covers claims for damage done to your windscreen, such as a chip or crack – and sometimes it won’t even affect your no-claims bonus

• Wrong fuel cover: Using the wrong fuel can be calamitous, but this extra covers you for the cost of draining the incorrect fuel and refilling with the right stuff

• Car keys cover: Car keys can have a habit of getting lost – with car key cover you’ll be able to claim for a set of replacement keys to get you back on the road 

• Personal belongings: If you keep items like sunglasses, a sat nav or a stereo in your car, it can be useful to ensure your possessions are protected against things like theft or damage

Almost exclusively yes, it’s worth taking out fully comprehensive car insurance compared to the alternatives, as it’s usually cheaper and always offers the most cover.

Fully comprehensive car insurance does offer the most coverage of all your options, but it still comes with its fair share of exclusions: 

• Driving under influence: No matter what kind of cover you have, driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol is illegal, and will invalidate your cover

• Invalid licence: Driving without a valid licence will also invalidate your car insurance policy

• Wear and tear: Damage caused by general wear and tear won’t be covered 

• Carelessness in security: If you leave your doors unlocked or items in clear view, this carelessness will likely mean you won’t be covered if your possessions are stolen

• Uninsured cars or drivers: If you drive a car you aren’t insured on, or if someone else drives your car without being insured on it, this will void your policy

• Violation of terms or guidelines: Breaking any other guidelines or terms outlined in your policy documents will also leave you without valid cover

You work hard to earn your money, and we don’t think you should waste a penny of it paying over the odds on your household bills. That’s why at MoneySuperMarket, we’re on a mission to save Britain money.

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