
Taking out insurance
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.
Are there any discounts if I already have Virgin’s home, annual travel or pet insurance?
Absolutely. Having one or more of these policies will give you 10% off your car premium.
How can I pay for my car insurance?
You can pay by direct debit, Switch, American Express, MasterCard, Visa, Style, or Diners card.
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.
What's covered?
What different types of cover can I get?
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 legal cover for a small extra charge.
Do you cover bikes, vans, caravans or boats?
Sorry but we can't cover bikes, caravans or boats. If you drive a van we can cover you as long as the engine's not more than 2.5 litres.
Do you cover all kinds of cars?
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.
Do you cover my car for business use?
Usually, but we don't cover business use for people who do certain jobs, like people who work in the motor trade. So please call us on 0800 051 0588 to find out if you'd be covered.
Jargon buster
What's Motor Legal Protection?
If you’re injured in a road accident that’s not your fault, we’ll pay the legal costs (up to £50,000) to help you recover losses not included in your insurance policy – like your policy excess and hire car costs. And we’ll also help you claim compensation for death or injury. Plus this covers any authorised drivers and passengers travelling with you at the time of the accident.
What's an excess and what's it made up of?
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 Motor Legal Protection, 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.
What's a 'no claims discount'?
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.
No claims discount
Can I protect my no claims 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.
I've been a named driver on someone else's car for a few years - can I get a no claims discount?
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.
I've been insured on a company car – can I get a no claims discount?
We can't give you a no claims discount but we could give you an introductory discount if:
- you've driven a company car (not a pool car),
- you've stopped using it within the last year,
- you're claim free, and
- you've not had private car insurance since then.
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.
I'm getting a second car – does my no claims discount apply to that too?
Sorry, you can only get a no claims discount on your first car. But if you haven't made any claims in the last few years, that should help to keep the premium down anyway.
Making a claim
What happens if my car's stolen?
The first thing you should do is report it to the police. They'll give you a crime reference number which you'll need to pass on to us when you call. We'll then look into your claim for you and keep in touch to sort it out as soon as possible.
Do I need to report any accidents to the police?
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.
What happens if I'm in an accident that's my fault?
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.
What happens if I'm in an accident that's not my fault?
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 Motor Legal Protection, 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.
What happens if the other driver doesn't agree with me about what happened?
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.
Processing a claim
How long does it take to sort out a claim?
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.
We use our own network of repairers so we know we can trust them to give you the best quality service and repairs. Once any work has been done, it's guaranteed for three years.
Will I get a courtesy car while mine's being repaired?
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.
How does a claim affect any no claims discount?
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.
Other policy queries
Am I insured to drive other people's cars with their permission?
If you're the policyholder, 25 or over and your Certificate of Motor Insurance says you can drive other cars then that's fine. But you'll only have third party only cover. If you're a named driver you won't be insured to drive any other cars.
Can you renew my policy automatically?
We will securely store your payment details so that we can automatically renew your policy for subsequent years. We will send you advance notice of your renewal and the premium due. Please call us on 0870 024 1008 if you do not wish your policy to automatically renew in this way.
What happens when I drive abroad?
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.