Comprehensive car insurance
- Buy comprehensive car insurance for less than £776/year[1]
- Compare prices from 175 provider products[2] to find the right cover for you
- Enjoy fantastic rewards, on us*
[1] 51% of our customers were quoted less than £775.48 for their comprehensive car insurance in September 2024. [2] Correct as of September 2024.
What is comprehensive insurance?
A comprehensive car insurance policy offers both you and your car the highest level of protection. It’s sometimes known as fully comprehensive car insurance or fully comp insurance.
The minimum level of insurance you need by law for your car covers you for third-party damage to another vehicle or person only. At the other end of the scale, comprehensive car insurance cover also includes fire, theft and damage to your car, no matter who’s at fault.
How does comprehensive car insurance work?
Comprehensive car insurance can pay out if you damage or write off your car, regardless of whose fault it is. It can also cover compensation costs if someone else is injured.
What’s the difference between comprehensive and fully comprehensive car insurance?
There’s no difference between comprehensive and fully comprehensive car insurance – they’re different names for the same thing. This is the highest level of cover, protecting you and your vehicle, as well as other drivers and passengers.
But comprehensive doesn’t mean you’ll be covered for everything. Policies vary widely and you still need to check the details to see exactly what is and isn’t included.
What’s the difference between comprehensive insurance and third party?
Third-party insurance won’t cover damage to your car if you’re in an accident. It only covers the cost of repairing the other vehicle. Comprehensive insurance, on the other hand, can cover damage to your car as well as third-party damage.
What is covered by comprehensive car insurance?
Comprehensive insurance is designed to provide you with full car insurance coverage. But exactly what’s covered by comprehensive car insurance will depend on the policy and provider you choose.
Here’s what comprehensive car insurance coverage typically includes and excludes:
Typically covered:
- Third-party damage to other cars
- Fire damage to your car
- Theft of your car
- The full cost of repairing your car after an accident
- Injury to other people
- Damage caused by flooding.
Typically not covered:
- Theft caused by carelessness
- Damage or injuries caused when driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs
- Driving with an invalid driving licence
- General wear or tear
- Driving someone else’s car.
What add-ons can I get with comprehensive car insurance?
Comprehensive car insurance policies vary and can often be tailored to provide the cover level you want for your car.
Some comprehensive policies may include additional cover features as standard. On other policies they could be offered as an optional extra. As you might expect, the more optional extras you add to the policy, the more you can expect it to cost.
Extra cover could include:
Windscreen cover
Windscreen insurance could cover repairing or replacing a broken windscreen, as well as the side and rear windows. It typically also includes the recalibration of cameras and sensors that are fitted to the windscreens of newer cars to make driving and parking safer.
Breakdown cover
Breakdown cover includes roadside assistance if your car breaks down and recovery to a garage for repairs if the problem can’t be fixed right there and then.
Courtesy car cover
Offers a courtesy car to drive while yours is being repaired after an accident. This could be worth considering if you depend on your car to get around.
Motor legal expenses
Motor legal protection could cover expensive legal fees if an accident you’re involved in ends up in court and your case has a ‘reasonable prospect of success’. It could also help you recoup losses, such as lost earnings or medical costs.
No claims bonus protection
Building up your no claims discount is one way to get a cheaper quote on your car insurance. You can protect it by adding this cover to your insurance.
Driving in Europe
All car insurance policies in the UK must include at least the minimum third-party cover that you need to drive in Europe, but cover is normally for a limited number of days. You may be able to top up your cover for an extra cost.
Personal accident cover
Personal accident insurance could provide compensation if you or your passengers suffer a life-altering injury or are killed in a car accident.
Key cover
If you lose your car keys or they’re stolen, key cover could cover the cost of replacing them and reprogramming your alarm and immobiliser.
Why do I need comprehensive car insurance?
Comprehensive insurance is the highest level of protection you can get. If you want the reassurance that comes with a high level of cover, comprehensive is the way to go.
How is comprehensive insurance different to other types of cover?
Here are the other types of car insurance cover and how they differ:
Third-party car insurance
Could cover you if you damage another car or injure someone while driving. It doesn’t cover your own vehicle if it’s damaged in an accident.
Third-party, fire and theft
Offers the same cover as third-party but could also cover you if your vehicle is stolen or damaged by fire.
Telematics
Popular among young drivers, black box insurance is based on data collected about your driving via a device installed in your car or a smart phone app. The more responsible a driver you are, the cheaper your car insurance could be.
How much does comprehensive car insurance cost?
You might assume comprehensive car insurance is more expensive than third-party or third-party, fire and theft, but this isn’t always true. Sometimes comprehensive car insurance is the cheapest option.
This is because drivers who take out third-party only cover are considered a higher risk by insurance providers. As a result, third-party policies are often more expensive than comprehensive insurance, even though they only offer the most basic cover.
However, the cost of your car insurance premium will depend on various factors. These include your age, driving history, the type of car you drive, and even where you live.
Here’s what our customers have been quoted for their car insurance:
£776
Comprehensive cover[3]
£1,359
Third-party fire and theft[4]
£1,861
Third-party only[5]
[3] 51% of our customers were quoted less than £775.48 for their comprehensive car insurance in September 2024.
[4] 51% of our customers were quoted less than £1,358.71 for their third party fire and theft car insurance in September 2024.
[5] 51% of our customers were quoted less than £1,860.68 per year for their third party car insurance in September 2024.
How can I get cheap comprehensive car insurance?
Here’s how you can help to reduce the price of your cover when taking out comprehensive car insurance.
- Reduce the number of miles you drive.
- Add a responsible driver to your policy – this needs to be someone who drives your car. Don’t add someone as the main driver if they’re not – this is called fronting and is a type of insurance fraud.
- Pay for your policy upfront, rather than in instalments – that way you’ll avoid paying interest on your monthly payments.
- Consider a telematics policy.
One of the best ways to find cheap comprehensive car insurance is to compare quotes.
What do I need to get a quote?
To start comparing comprehensive car insurance quotes, you’ll need to tell us about:
1.
Your car and how you use it
We need to know your vehicle’s registration number, make, model and age. We’ll also ask for your annual mileage and where you keep your car at night.
2.
Personal details
We’ll need some details about you, including your name, age, address and what job you do. We’ll also need details of any additional drivers you want to include on the policy.
3.
Your claims history
We’ll ask about your no claims discount (NCD), along with any insurance claims or convictions. Providing false information could invalidate your car insurance policy.
What our expert says...
"Because people are trying to save money during the cost-of-living crisis, many car insurance providers now offer different levels of comprehensive cover. For example, ‘essential’ policies may not offer windscreen cover, personal belongings cover or car key cover.
We understand that the price of ‘essential’ policies may be attractive right now, but it’s important to understand that this type of policy may offer you less protection. What might seem a cheaper option could end up costing you more if you need to claim.
Ultimately, it’s up to you to weigh up the cost versus cover level, based on your needs. If you need more information about what cover you need, it’s worth checking with your insurance provider.”
- Julie Daniels, Motor insurance expert
What do we have to offer?
From excellent customer reviews and huge market coverage, to an impartial and rewarding service, we represent a great choice for car insurance price comparison.
Compare cheap car insurance quotes from 175 trusted provider products[2], including:
[6] As of October 1st 2024, Compare the Market had an average rating of 4.8 out of 5 from 52,401 people who left a review on Trustpilot. The score 4.8 corresponds to the Star Label ‘Excellent’.
[2] Correct as of September 2024.
What do our customers say about our car insurance comparison service?
Based on 93,685 reviews, customers who bought car insurance rated our comparison service 4.6 out of 5.
Quick, easy and found a good, cheap car insuranceJosephine • 20/07/2024
Good choice of insurers and gives prices for extrasJoanne • 22/06/2024
Obtained good insurance for car which was better than other comparison sitesColin • 18/06/2024
Easy to use this siteSandra • 08/06/2024
Frequently asked questions
Can I drive any car if I have comprehensive cover?
You can’t drive any car with comprehensive cover.
If driving other cars is included with your comprehensive cover, it’s normally designed for emergency situations and will likely only cover third-party damage. Check your policy wording so you know what cover you have – speak to your insurance provider if you’re unsure.
If you want to drive someone else’s car, ask whether you can be added as a named driver to their car insurance policy. If you only need to drive someone else’s car for a short time, consider temporary car insurance.
What affects the price of comprehensive car insurance?
The cost of your premium depends on several factors, including your age, driving history, address and where you keep your car at night.
Insurance providers will consider all the above to determine how likely you are to make a claim. The level of risk will be reflected in the price of your policy.
Does comprehensive insurance cover other people to drive my car?
Comprehensive car insurance does not insure other people to drive your car. You’ll need to add them as a named driver to your car insurance.
Is it worth getting comprehensive car insurance?
It could be worth getting comprehensive car insurance because, as well as providing the most extensive cover, comprehensive car insurance is often cheaper than other types of car insurance.
When you get a quote with us, you can compare different cover levels from a range of providers to see which could be the right option for your needs, situation and budget.
What does fully comp mean?
Fully comp is just another name for comprehensive car insurance. It’s short for fully comprehensive, but we don’t use that term because it could be misleading.
Although comprehensive car insurance offers the most extensive level of protection for your car, it doesn’t cover absolutely everything. And comprehensive policies do vary. That’s why we advise reading the terms and conditions of any policy carefully before you buy, so you can understand exactly what’s included and what’s not.
