How can I get a quote?
Simple – get a quote here or call us on 0800 051 0588.
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Simple – get a quote here or call us on 0800 051 0588.
Yes. If you're happy with the quote you can take the cover out there and then. Or if you're shopping around, we'll give you a folder number and PIN so you can save the quote for up to three months, and come back another time without having to re-enter your details.
In most cases, yes. And we won’t sting you with a charge for it either.
Some other insurers give you your annual quote, then they’ll whack on a charge if you want to pay monthly. So you end up paying more than the original quote amount – seems a bit cheeky doesn’t it. Which is why we don’t do it.
With Virgin Car Insurance the quote we give you is the amount you’ll pay – whether you pay a one off payment or monthly.
Please note, monthly payments are subject to status so on the odd occasion we might ask a customer to pay upfront.
You can choose from three types of cover – comprehensive, third party fire and theft or third party only.
Comprehensive covers you for damage to your car and your possessions as well as damage to other people's vehicles or property. It costs more than the other two levels of cover as it covers a lot more. If you have an accident and your car is written off, comprehensive is the only kind of insurance that would cover it.
Third party fire and theft covers you for any damage you cause to other people's vehicles or property but doesn't cover accidental damage to your own car or your own things. It also covers you for fire damage to your car or if someone steals your car. It costs less than comprehensive but more than third party only.
Third party only covers the same things as third party fire and theft but it doesn't cover you if your car's stolen or damaged by fire. That makes it the cheapest kind of cover you can get. To get a quote for this kind of cover you'll need to call us.
If your car is worth under £5,000 you can take out any of these. But if it's worth more than £5,000 we can only offer you fully comprehensive.
Once you've decided what's best for you, have a think about whether you'd like to add breakdown cover – it can work out cheaper to include this in your car insurance than to take it out separately. And you can add uninsured loss recovery for a small extra charge.
We'll cover most things from big off-roaders to sporty little numbers. We even cover kit cars – although if it's one you've built yourself, you'll need to call us for a quote.
If you drive a vintage car worth up to £5,000 (by 'vintage' we mean one that's more than 25 years old) we can give you third party only cover – call us for a quote on 0800 051 0588. If the car's worth more than £5,000, we're sorry but we can't cover you.
The excess is the amount you have to pay, in the event of a claim on your policy.
There are two types - compulsory and voluntary. The compulsory excess is one we set depending on things like your age and the car you drive. (If you take out a policy, your schedule will show you a breakdown of what it's made up of.)
If you take out comprehensive cover you can add a voluntary excess to help make your premium even lower.
Don't forget, if you choose a voluntary excess, it's in addition to the compulsory one, not instead of it.
It’s any cost you have to pay because it wasn’t covered by your insurance policy. If you have a road accident that’s not your fault, these costs could include the excess, medical expenses, hire car costs, loss of earnings due to being unable to work and damage to personal belongings.
If you’ve got Uninsured Loss Recovery, we’ll pay up to £50,000 of legal costs to recover these uninsured losses. This cover is also provided for any authorised drivers and passengers travelling with you at the time of the accident.
If you've had car insurance for one year or more and you haven't made a claim, you can get a 'no claims discount'.
This won't apply if you've been named on someone else's policy for a year or more – you must have been the policyholder. But if you've been claim free while you were insured on someone else's policy, we may be able to give you an introductory discount.
If you've got at least four years no claims discount you can protect it. It costs a bit extra to add this to your cover but it means if you have to make a claim, we'll pay it (as long as it's covered by your insurance!) – and when you come to renew your policy, you keep your no claims discount.
Please note, if you claim more than twice in three years, or more than once in any one year, your no claims discount will be affected.
We can't give you a no claims discount if you haven't had your own cover – but if you've been named on another policy and you haven't had a claim we may give you an introductory discount for the first year. Then if you stay claim free, you can get a no claims discount the following year.
Give us a call on 0800 051 0588 for a quote.
We can't give you a no claims discount but we could give you an introductory discount if:
Once your cover is set up we'll need to see a letter from your employer confirming all of these.
Give us a call on 0800 051 0588 for a quote.
If anyone's injured then you'll need to report the accident. If nobody's injured and you exchange details with the other driver, there's usually no need to let the police know.
However, if you have an accident and don't stop for any reason (for example, if you hit an animal) then you'll need to report it.
And if someone hits you and doesn't stop then you should report this too as they've committed an offence by not stopping.
First things first. Never admit it's your fault. Just make sure you get the other driver's details, and report the accident to the police if you need to.
If you've got comprehensive insurance, we'll get your car repaired for you so you can be back on the road asap. Or, if your car's likely to be written off, we'll arrange for an inspection so we can send you the money for a replacement.
We'll also handle the other driver's claim as soon as possible. If the other driver's insurers send any papers directly to you then you'll need to send them on to us and we'll take care of everything for you.
If you've got third party only or third party fire and theft, we'll sort out the other driver's claim but you won't be covered for any damage to your car.
If you've got comprehensive cover, our first priority will be to get your car back on the road. Or, if it looks like it's going to be a write-off, to get some money to you so you can get yourself a replacement. You’ll need to pay the excess. We’ll then try to recover our costs from the person responsible for the accident. As long as we’re successful your no claims discount won’t be affected. (Occasionally, we can’t get the money back so this would count as a claim).
If you've got third party only or third party fire and theft cover, you'll need to get in touch with the other driver's insurer to make sure they pay for any damage to your car.
If the accident wasn’t your fault and you’ve got Uninsured Loss Recovery, we’ll pay the legal costs (up to £50,000) to help you recover losses not covered by your insurance policy – like your policy excess or car repairs. We’ll also help you claim compensation for death or injury. Plus any authorised drivers and passengers travelling with you at the time of the accident are covered as well.
We'll always fight your corner - so we'll use the info you've given us along with any evidence we've got to try to persuade them to accept responsibility for the accident.
If the evidence doesn't fully support your account of events, or theirs, then you may have to share responsibility. If this happens we'll do our best to negotiate the best possible settlement for you.
It depends on what you're claiming for. But when you call to let us know about it we'll give you a rough idea of how long it should take to sort out.
With our comprehensive cover, if you're in an accident and your car goes to one of our approved repairers they'll sort you out with a courtesy car, provided one's available, which you can keep until your car's back on the road.
We're sorry but if your car is stolen and we're trying to recover it, or if your car's written off, we can't give you a courtesy car.
If the accident wasn't your fault and the other driver's insurance covers it then it won't affect your no claims discount at all. But if we have to pay the claim, even if it wasn't your fault, it will affect your discount (for example if your car's hit while it's parked and you don't know who did it).
And if it was your fault it will affect your no claims discount as you'd expect.
Remember, if you protect your no claims discount, you can make up to two claims in three years or one claim each year without it affecting your discount.
Renewing your policy couldn’t be easier. You’ll receive your renewal notice 3 to 4 weeks before your renewal date. It will contain all your premium information and a breakdown of your cover.
Automatic renewal – if your policy is set up to be renewed automatically then you’ll get continuous cover. All you’ll need to do is check the information on the renewal notice is accurate. There’s no need for you to contact us.
Manual renewal – if your policy isn’t on automatic renewal then you’ll be told this on your renewal notice. It will include a telephone number to call us and renew your policy. To make things easier, why not ask to have your policy automatically renewed in future?
You'll need to call and let us know before you travel.
Whatever type of cover you take out, you get that cover for the first three days of your trip if you're driving in the E.U. (for up to eight trips each year). If you're travelling further afield, or for more than three days, we'll have to make a small charge.
Since 27 February 2007, using a hand-held phone while driving is totally off limits. Talking, texting, surfing the net, viewing or taking pictures on your hand-held while driving will all land you a fine of up to £2,500 and 3 penalty points.
The only way you're allowed to use the phone in your car is with a hands-free kit. It’s still a distraction though. If you’re using it and not concentrating on the road, and something happens, you could be done for dangerous driving. So the best thing is to only use it when you really need to. For more info check out the Department of Transport info at www.thinkroadsafety.gov.uk
