CAR INSURANCE

There are three different types of car insurance cover available on the market:

• Third party insurance – covers damage to a third party, whether that’s another vehicle, a building or person - but not the cost of repairing or replacing your car.
• Third party, fire and theft – third party, plus cover for your vehicle following fire or theft.
• Comprehensive – covers damage to your car and its occupants, someone else’s car and its occupants, belongings inside your car, vandalism, and may give you a courtesy car if yours can’t be used due to an accident.

Third party insurance is the legal minimum you need to drive your car in the UK, but many people find that Comprehensive cover will give them the most peace of mind. Saga does not offer cover on a third party, or third party fire and theft basis.

The ins and outs of what is and isn’t covered will depend on the car insurance policy you choose, so you should always read your policy documentation carefully. However, there are a few things that are generally excluded. These include:

• Your car being stolen when you’ve left it unlocked
• Loss or damage due to war, terrorism, earthquake or radioactivity
• Damage you or anyone named on your certificate of insurance has done deliberately
• Your excess – the first amount of any claim that you have to pay

You cannot drive a car without insurance, so if you own a car in the UK, at minimum you need to have third party insurance. You must also insure your car if you don’t drive it, but keep it parked on the street, in a driveway or in a garage.

There are very few instances where you don’t need car insurance, which include:

• You hold a valid Statutory Off Road Notice (SORN)
• Your car has been kept off-road since before 1 February 1998
• Your car has been scrapped, stolen or exported and you have given notice of this
• Your car is between dealers or is being held in stock by an authorised dealer.

The police are able to check on the spot if your vehicle is insured. If it isn’t it can be seized and then disposed of unless you get valid insurance and pay charges for its return.

When you take out car insurance, an underwriter will work out how much of a risk there is of you making a claim. They take into consideration a wide range of risk factors, such as:

• What car you drive
• How many miles you drive each year
• Where you live
• Your occupation
• Your age
• Your claims history
• Whether your car has an alarm or immobiliser
• Where you keep your car at night

How much of a risk these are is down to historical statistics. A combination of these factors determines whether the underwriter will be prepared to cover you and at what cost. The more of a risk you’re thought to be, the more expensive your car insurance price will be.

Yes, you and any drivers named on the policy are. Saga Plus includes cover to drive abroad for an unlimited amount of time. Saga Select includes cover for up to 180 days and Saga Standard includes cover for up to 90 days in any policy year. Check which countries are covered.

For most countries we cover, you don’t need a green card anymore.

Find out more about driving in Europe.

Please check your Statement of Fact for any endorsements, as exclusions may apply due to certain occupations.

If no exclusions apply, you (the policyholder) can drive a car that you don’t own or that isn’t insured by you or your spouse or partner, but only on a third-party basis.

Third-party is the most basic level of car insurance, and means that if you have an accident that’s your fault, your insurance will only cover the cost of repairing the other person’s car and their medical expenses. Damage to the car you’re driving or any injuries to you won’t be covered.

You’ll also need to have the permission of the car’s owner to drive it, and it must be insured in its own right.

Yes, we offer insurance cover for a wide variety of electric cars.

To find out if we can cover your electric vehicle and how much it will cost, get a quote online.

Yes, we include cover for damage to windscreens and windows. And if you claim for this it won’t affect your no claims discount.

With Saga Plus and Saga Select, as long as you use one of our approved repairers and they don’t need to replace your windscreen, you won’t even have to pay for it (Saga Standard has a £25 excess for repairs).

If your windscreen does needs replacing, you’ll have to pay a £75 excess (£100 excess with Saga Standard).

A cover limit of £150 (Saga Standard), £250 (Saga Select) or £500 (Saga Plus) applies if you use a repairer we have not approved.