Our quick guide to the different types of car insurance cover

Insurance can be a bit of a tricky service to navigate at the best of times, and there are a range of options out there for you to choose from when it comes to how to insure your car. There are all sorts of coverage options, add-ons and legal requirements which can make the process of selecting the right cover for you a lot more hassle than it sounds.

Here at Intack Self Drive, we know how much of a challenge it can be to organise the right insurance on an annual basis for your vehicle. We have to do it for all of the vehicles available in our reliable daily hire and Flexi hire rental services. So to help you out, we’ve put together a simple guide to the different kinds of insurance you’ll be offered by the various companies out there.

Third Party Cover

This is the minimum insurance type required by UK law. It only really offers the basic essential cover policies for drivers - covering someone else’s car, and compensation for any injuries they sustain in the collision. Due to the limited nature of the coverage, it doesn’t offer you any kind of protection for you or your vehicle, meaning any damage your vehicle sustains will have to be paid for out of your own pocket! It’s a popular policy for younger drivers because it’s cheap, and also for those in possession of older vehicles that aren’t worth making a claim for due to their age.

However, we’d always recommend a more thorough policy for younger drivers - Brake UK says that drivers aged 17-19 hold 1.5% of UK licenses but are involved in 12% of all serious and fatal crashes. The road safety charity also says that 16-19 year-old drivers are twice as likely to die in a crash as drivers aged 40-49.

Third Party Fire and Theft

The next level up from Third Party Cover, Third Party Fire and Theft adds another level of protection for drivers, in the form of protection against fire damage if a vehicle is burnt when stolen. Premiums for this kind of cover will vary depending on a few different factors, including the age and make of your vehicle. This is a fairly middle-of-the-road cover option, so it doesn’t tend to be as popular as the other options because it’s not the cheapest one, or the most comprehensive.

Fully Comprehensive Cover

Does exactly what it says on the tin. Fully Comprehensive Cover ensures that you’re covered against all eventualities, generally speaking. However, the level of cover you receive - along with any excess fees - will vary depending on the insurer, so be sure to read through your policy thoroughly before committing to this kind of cover.

So, that’s our general outline of the three main car insurance types you can purchase for your vehicle. We know how much of a hassle it can be to try and make an insurance claim if the worst happens, which is why we’ve tailored our rental services to be as hassle free as possible so you can have peace of mind that we’re here with reliable temporary transport options if you need them.

All of our rental vehicles here at Intack Self Drive come with the option to rent through daily hire, or our versatile Flexi hire service, so wherever your intended destination, we’ll have a vehicle that suits your requirements. We’ve got almost half a century of car hire, minibus hire, and van hire experience under our belt here at Intack, and we’re always here to help. Ready to get started? You can browse the best hire deals right here on our site, or give us a call on 0125457811!