Car Insurance Quote Process

Getting a car insurance quote can be a very daunting process. Follow this easy guide to the questions an insurance company is likely to ask you and find out how best to answer them.

How do I get a car insurance quote?

You can usually obtain an on-line car insurance quote by completing an application form. Alternatively you can call an insurance company or broker and provide the information over the phone. This process normally takes about 15 minutes. Free car insurance quotes are the norm but not all companies have a freephone number you can call.

What information does the insurance company need to know?

You must tell your insurer everything that is relevant to your insurance. If you do not, you risk having your policy cancelled and being left without any cover. Insurance companies need to know all your details, your driving history (any claims or motoring offences for you and any other drivers), who will be using the car, information about the car and where it is kept. Medical information will also have to be supplied if you have a medical condition that must be reported to the DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency) and that may affect the conditions under which you are granted your driving licence.

Part 1 - Your details

You will be asked to provide the following information about yourself as a minimum when you apply for a car insurance quote:

  • your name
  • address (you may also be asked whether or not you own your own home)
  • telephone number
  • date of birth
  • sex (some policies offer a discount to female drivers)
  • marital status
  • occupation
  • the length of time you have held a full driving licence
  • the length of time you have lived in the UK.

Some car insurance companies may need more information from you if you haven't been living in the UK since birth. For example, they will need to know how long you have been in this country, whether you are a permanent resident and whether you have been a previous UK resident.

Part 2 - Details about your car

When getting a quote for car insurance, you will usually be asked:

  • your car registration number and the year it was first registered (this information is given on your Registration Document)
  • the make, model and engine size
  • the body type (e.g. hatchback) and number of seats
  • the date you bought the car
  • approximately how much you think it is worth
  • whether it is a standard right-hand drive car
  • whether the car has been modified in any way (e.g. have you had alloy wheels or spoilers fitted?)
  • if the car has ABS fitted (an Antilock Braking System works with the regular brakes on your car to keep them from locking up)
  • where the car is kept overnight
  • how many cars there are in total in your household and are you a named driver for any of them.

These days many insurance companies have a database that can automatically tell the make and model of your car from the registration number, but they will always confirm the details with you.

You will be asked if your car is fitted with an alarm/immobiliser/tracker. Most newer cars come with some sort of alarm and/or immobiliser fitted as standard. Older cars may also have them but they would usually have been added on afterwards. An immobiliser is an electronic device that stops the car from being started if it is broken into. Although this won't stop your car from being broken into, it may well stop it from being driven away. A tracker is an electronic device (normally fitted as an accessory after purchase of the car) that emits a signal enabling the police to locate the car anywhere in the UK if it has been stolen.

The insurance company will ask you if you are the owner of the car and also if you are the registered keeper. So, what's the difference? There may be a reason for the owner and registered keeper to be different individuals. For example, you may use a car that is owned by someone else in which case you would be the registered keeper. Or you may own a car that you allow your children to use and therefore the registered keeper would be one of your children.

The insurance company will ask you who is going to be the main driver (i.e. who will use the car the most). It is best to be honest here if you are planning on insuring a car for your son or daughter as insurers can invalidate claims on this basis.

Finally an insurance company is likely to ask about your estimated annual mileage. If you do about 150 miles a week then that works out at nearly 8000 miles a year. If you do about 250 miles a week that works out at about 13,000 miles a year.

If your car has been imported into the UK, you may find it harder to get a car insurance quote. Some insurance companies will insure cars that are brought in from abroad and match UK specifications, but not all of them will. Cars that are brought into the UK from abroad but don't match current UK specifications are even more difficult to insure.

Part 3 - Other named drivers

You will be asked to provide the following information as part of the car insurance quotation process for all other people who are going to be a named driver of your car:

  • their name
  • their address if different from yours
  • their marital status and sex
  • their date of birth
  • the length of time they have lived in the UK
  • the length of time they have held a full driving licence
  • their occupation
  • their relationship to you (e.g. spouse/partner)
  • how often they are likely to use the car (e.g. infrequently)
  • whether they have access to any other car (e.g. as an owner in their own right).

Part 4 - Details of all accidents and claims

Normally, insurance companies are only interested in the accidents and claims that you and any other named drivers have had in the past 5 years. To get an accurate car insurance quote you will have to tell them who had an accident, when the accident occurred, what type of accident it was and whether or not a claim was made. You will also have to say whether it was a fault or non-fault claim. So, what's the difference? A non-fault claim is simply a claim where the insurer is able to recover all their costs from someone else. If they are not able to recover all their costs, then it is a fault claim even if you didn't cause the claim to happen. For example, a theft is typically classed as a fault claim because although you are not to blame for the theft, the insurance company had no third party to claim the costs from.

Part 5 - Details of all motoring offences/criminal convictions

You will need to give the insurance company details of any motoring offences in the last 5 years, including any pending prosecutions. You will also be asked if you or any of the other named drivers have been convicted of a criminal offence of any kind or have any prosecutions pending.

Part 6 - Details of any medical conditions

If you or any of the other named drivers suffer from defective vision and/or hearing (other than corrected by glasses, contact lenses or a hearing aid), heart condition, mental illness, epilepsy, diabetes, loss of limb, arthritic conditions or other similar disorders, this should be declared to the insurance company.

Part 7 - General policy details

You will be asked the date when you want your insurance policy to start; the cover period is usually 12 months. Next you have to choose the type of insurance coverage that you want. Remember, it is important that you have the right cover for your car - if you have the wrong cover you may find that your insurance company will not pay out on a claim:

  • Third Party Only insurance covers any claim by third parties but it does not cover any damage to your own car
  • Third Party Fire & Theft insurance covers you for fire and theft of your car and any claim by third parties
  • Comprehensive insurance covers accidental damage to your car in addition to fire and theft and any claim by third parties (if you have a relatively new or expensive car, this is usually the safest option but normally the most expensive).

You will also have to tell the insurance company what you want to use the car for:

  • Social, Domestic and Pleasure - this covers you for normal day-to-day driving
  • Commuting - this covers you to drive back and forth to a permanent place of work, including travelling to a train station where you park your car before catching a train to and from work
  • Business Use - this covers you to use the car in connection with your job, driving to different sites, travelling to training courses or pre-arranged meetings away from your normal place of work
  • Commercial Travelling - this covers the car to be used for such things as door-to-door sales.

Part 8 - Details of previous insurance

Last but not least you will be asked whether you have had any previous car insurance in your name. If you have, you will be asked how many years' no claim bonus you have. A No Claims Bonus is the discount that you have earned on a previous insurance policy. Insurers give discounts based on the number of years that you remain claim free. A No Claims Bonus must be earned separately for each car that you insure; however, a few insurance companies will give discounts for second cars and credit for previous claim free company car driving if you can prove it.

Some insurance companies will allow you to protect your No Claims Bonus. This means that you will be able to make a limited number of claims over a specific period of time without your No Claims Bonus being affected. It is important to note that just because you protect your No Claims Bonus, it does not mean that it will stop your premium going up if you have a claim.

Part 9 - Getting you car insurance quote

When an insurance company gives you a quote for car insurance, they will tell you all the benefits of the insurance policy as well as any compulsory excesses. A compulsory excess is the amount you will have to pay towards the cost of the repair of your car in the event of a claim. Different excesses usually apply to younger drivers, windscreen damage and claims for fire and/or theft. You can choose to pay a voluntary excess in addition to these compulsory excesses, which often lowers your car insurance quote but could end up costing you more than you save if you actually have to make a claim.

Also, you may well be asked what your renewal price is and the lowest car insurance quote you have had so far. Insurance companies like to know this because it helps them understand how well their service is performing. They constantly need to look at any gaps they find between the price you have currently found - either your renewal or the best quote you've had so far - and the best price they can offer.

Some insurance companies offer a discount on on-line car insurance quotes as their overheads are lower. However, regardless of whether you choose to get a car insurance quote on line or by telephone, always make sure you get at least 3 different quotes so you can compare the prices and policy details.