What car insurance do I need?

The kind of car insurance you get depends on things like why you drive, how often you drive and how risk-averse you are.

Here’s what you need to ask yourself when deciding what car insurance you need:

What type of cover do I want?

There are different types of car insurance that you can choose from.

Third-Party only

To legally drive in the UK, you need a Third-party Only policy as a minimum. These policies cover injury to the other person and damage to their car in an accident caused by you. But you and your car will not be covered, even if it’s stolen.

You could also get a Third-Party, Fire and Theft policy. This kind of insurance offers the same cover as Third-party Only, but it also protects your car if it’s damaged by fire or attempted theft, or if it’s stolen.

Fully Comprehensive

A Fully Comprehensive car insurance policy gives you the highest level of protection.

These policies provide protection for you, your car, and the other person and their car in the event of an accident. It also covers damage to their property. And you’re covered if your car is damaged by a fire, or is stolen or vandalised.

Do I want to add extra protection?

Don’t like to leave things to chance? Having extra cover for things like breakdowns and windscreen damages can make you feel less at risk on the road.

You might want to add the following extras to your policy:

• Breakdown cover in case you end up in a lay-by with your hazards flashing. Here at Marshmallow, we offer breakdown cover provided by the AA. Find out more here.
• Drive Other People’s Cars temporarily, without needing extra cover. Usually, this will be Third-party Only cover.
• Motor Legal Protection means you can claim money back if you’ve had to take legal action against another driver. In a non-fault claim, it typically covers legal fees for damaged or stolen belongings. It can also cover any lost income if you are unable to work after a non-fault accident.
• Windscreen Protection allows you to claim for damage to your windscreen, like chips or cracks.
• Courtesy Car cover gives you a car to drive while yours is being fixed at a garage approved by your insurer. This cover depends on things like type of claim, and availability. It does not include cover in the case of theft or if your car is damaged beyond repair.
• Courtesy Car for theft and total loss is the same as above. But, unlike standard courtesy cover, this add-on provides a replacement car in two other situations. The first is if your car is stolen. The second is if the cost of repairing your car is more than its value.

What do I use my car for?

Insurance companies break insurance into different categories depending on what you use your car to do, also known as your usage type.

There are a few different usage types, including:

Social journeys (SDP)

SDP stands for Social, Domestic and Pleasure journeys. Think day-to-day driving to the shops, to see friends or to that weekend away in Cornwall. This does not include travelling to and from work.

Driving to and from work (SDPC)

SDPC stands for Social, Domestic, Pleasure and Commuting. This means you use your car to do the social journeys mentioned above. But you also use it to commute to and from a fixed place of work, like an office.

Business Class 1 or car insurance for business use

You'll fall into this category if you’re driving all day long to and from lots of work locations. This does not cover courier or delivery drivers, or drivers carrying any work-related tools, goods, or people. ‍ For cars, Business Class 1 car insurance covers you (the policyholder) and a spouse, as long as they're listed on your policy as a named driver. All other named drivers will be covered for SDPC only.

Commercial use (sometimes called commercial car insurance)

This means you’re driving a vehicle carrying goods for hire or reward. If you work as a courier, delivery driver, private hire taxi driver, or driving instructor, you belong to this group. Commercial use also protects you if you carry work-related tools, goods, or people in your vehicle. If you need car insurance for food delivery, you should get commercial use cover.

How Marshmallow can help

At Marshmallow, we cover all these types of usage, except commercial use. Get a low-cost car insurance quote today and see how much you could save.