Get your car insurance sorted

Yes, you can. You’ll also enjoy these benefits:

• Battery cover - whether your battery is leased or owned, we’ll cover accidental damage, fire and theft.
  
• Cable cover - your charging cable is covered for accidental damage, fire and theft.

You can also choose between a range of optional extras, including RAC breakdown cover in case you ever run out of charge.

Some manufacturers may require you to have separate battery insurance.

Car insurance excess is the amount you'll need to pay towards a claim against your policy. Your insurer will cover what’s left, which could be significantly higher, depending on the scale of the damage.

Here’s a really simple example – imagine you’ve had an accident, causing £2,500 worth of damage to your vehicle. Your car insurance policy requires you to pay an excess of £250, which means your insurer will cover the remaining amount of £2,250.

There are a few types of excess, and more than one could apply to each claim, depending on the terms of your car insurance policy. The most common are:

• standard or compulsory excess – as the name suggests, this is the standard amount you’ll need to pay towards any car insurance claim
• voluntary excess – many insurers will allow you to set a higher excess amount. Although this could reduce your annual car insurance premium, you’ll need to pay more if you need to make a claim, so make sure you’re realistic about what you could afford in the event of an accident
• age excess – younger drivers might be offered car insurance with a higher excess amount, based on their level of driving experience and insurer insight about accident statistics
• glass or windscreen excess – some policies include a separate excess amount to cover vehicle glass claims

Excess costs may vary, depending on the policy features you choose. As a general rule:

• increasing your excess amount will reduce your annual premium
• reducing your excess will increase your car insurance premium

Check the terms of your car insurance policy carefully, so you understand any excess costs associated with making a claim.

In addition to the level of cover you choose whether that’s comprehensive, third-party fire and theft, or just third party, there are a number of things which can affect the cost of your car insurance premium:

• your estimated annual mileage
• any existing no-claims discount
• the group, age and value of your vehicle
• security features or vehicle modifications
• any amount of voluntary excess you choose
• whether you live near a crime or accident hot spot
• any named drivers who will also be using your vehicle
• what you typically use your car for, e.g. travelling for work
• where you typically park overnight, e.g. off-road or in a garage
• policy extras, such as enhanced legal assistance, courtesy cars, breakdown cover etc

When shopping around for car insurance, make sure you check the terms and conditions carefully. Price is an important factor, but also make sure you’re getting the level of cover you’re most comfortable with.

One factor which can affect your annual car insurance premium, is the insurance group for your vehicle. There are 50 insurance groups, 1 being the least expensive, and 50 being the priciest.

Insurance groups are defined based on a range of things, including:

• known model faults
• the market value for your car
• security features or modifications
• repair cost, ease and availability of parts
• vehicle engine size, age, mileage and condition
   

The policyholder is the person who took out a car insurance policy, and would be covered in the event of a claim.

Cover can be extended to include named drivers, who will also be using the vehicle. For example, if your partner uses your car occasionally, or one of your children is learning to drive.

Adding named drivers can increase your premium costs, especially if you’re adding a less experienced and higher risk driver to your policy.

Make sure you check the policy terms and conditions to understand what’s covered, both for yourself, and any named drivers.

It’s important to check the details of your car insurance policy before you drive outside of the UK.

In terms of Halifax car insurance, whether you choose comprehensive, third-party fire and theft, or just third party, you’re covered when driving in:

• Great Britain, including Northern Ireland
• Throughout the European Union and European Economic Area
• The Channel Islands
• The Isle of Man
• Switzerland

If you’re planning to drive further afield, you’ll need to arrange additional cover.