Why does insurance have to be so complicated? 🥴 Third party cover, third party fire and theft, comprehensive cover, fully comprehensive cover… there are so many types of car insurance. But what do they all cover?

This blog is here to put an end to your confusion.

What is third party cover? ‍

Third party car insurance is the minimum level of cover you can get. Third party insurance only protects the other driver in an accident, not you or your car.

So, if you bump another driver’s car, third party insurance will cover the cost of the damage to their car and any injuries they might have. But you won’t get any money towards your own injuries, or any bumps and scrapes on your car.  

Usually, third party cover will pay out if you damage someone’s property too, like that brand new fence around your neighbour’s driveway 😳

What is third party fire and theft?

This type of cover is the same as above. But it also protects you if:

• your car is damaged by a fire
• your car is damaged by someone trying to steal it
• your car is stolen

Here at Marshmallow, we don’t offer third party cover or third party fire and theft. That’s because we want our customers to be as protected as possible.

What is fully comprehensive insurance?

Fully comprehensive cover (sometimes called fully comp) gives you and your car the highest level of protection.

Put simply, fully comprehensive protects you and the other person in an accident. Third-party cover only covers them. So your insurer will pay out if:

• you damage your car or someone else's car
• you injure yourself or someone else
• you damage someone's property
• your car is damaged by fire
• your car is stolen

Fully comprehensive can sometimes cover your personal belongings if they’re damaged or stolen, though not always.

Is third party cover cheaper than fully comprehensive cover?

People tend to think that third party cover is always the cheapest option. But that’s not true! Fully comprehensive cover can often be as cheap as third party cover. But you get a lot more protection for your money with fully comprehensive cover.

Here at Marshmallow, we want to make fully comprehensive cover as affordable as possible for everyone. In fact, it’s our company mission. We save our customers an average of £156 a year on their car insurance* 🥳

See how much we can save you by getting a quote here.

*Based on research that showed last year we saved customers £156 on average on their car insurance policy where Marshmallow appeared as the cheapest option on a price comparison website. ‍

Does fully comprehensive cover driving other people’s cars?

Well, that depends on what’s included in your fully comprehensive cover plan. Your insurer should detail exactly what’s covered by your fully comprehensive cover and what’s not covered. Check you’ve got all the cover you need before you buy your policy. ‍

Here at Marshmallow, our Essential and Original car insurance plans provide fully comprehensive cover without cover to drive other people’s cars. However, Marshmallow Plus includes cover to drive other people’s cars with third party cover.

Find out more about Marshmallow Plus here.

We’ll be launching our Driving Other Cars (third party only) add on soon so that customers can add it to their policy when they sign up, no matter which plan they choose.** Keep watching this space 👀

**There are certain exceptions that mean Driving Other Cars won’t always be offered to customers.

What does Marshmallow car insurance cover?

‍All of our car insurance plans are fully comprehensive. With a Marshmallow car insurance policy, you’re covered if:

• your car is damaged in an accident  
• you damage someone else’s car in an accident
• your car is vandalised
• your car is damaged by a fire, by lightning or by an explosion
• your car is damaged by an attempted theft, or is stolen altogether
• you’re injured in an accident, or you cause an injury to someone else
• you damage someone else’s property by mistake
• your windscreen is damaged (only included with our Original and Plus plans)

We also make sure you get a courtesy car if yours is in one of our approved repairers (though getting a courtesy car depends on your type of claim and availability).

Still confused about what you get with fully comprehensive cover? Head to our FAQs page here.

If you're looking for affordable fully comprehensive cover, get a quote from us today. It takes less than five minutes!

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