Car Insurance Explained

There are three types of car Insurance.

Third Party: This covers any injury/damage caused to the person or property of the third party involved in an accident. It does not cover any injury/damage done to you or your car.

Third Party Fire and Theft: As above but includes fire and theft of your own car.

Comprehensive Cover: This includes any claims by third parties, fire and theft of your car and also any accidental damage you may have caused to your own car.

 

Benefits Include:

• Most policies will cover you to drive other people’s cars- generally you will only have third party cover whilst driving this car. Some exceptions apply so it is important to check your current policy
• Step Back Protection on your No Claims Bonus – So if you make a claim on your insurance you will not loose your full no claims bonus.
• New Car Replacement – If your car is written off or stolen within a year of it being registered you will receive a new replacement model.
• Temporary Transfer of Insurance on to another car if your car is in the garage for repairs.
• 24 hour breakdown assistance including home start, roadside assistance, puncture repair, lost keys

 

Additional Benefits you may need

• Any modifications, factory fitted optional extras or changes you have made to your vehicle need to be specified on your policy otherwise they are not covered and your claim could be refused on this basis. Modifications can be as little as alloy wheels or spoilers.
• If you are using your car for business use – e.g. driving to or from meetings, carrying stock, you will need specific cover.
• Any physical injuries to you as the driver of the car are not covered under your car insurance policy – you will need separate personal accident policy to cover these injuries.

 

How to Save Money on your Car Insurance

• Get your full driving licence, discounts can be refunded if it’s mid year.
• If your mileage is very low say less than 5,000 or 10,000 miles - a discount may apply
• If you have been a named driver on somebody else’s policy you may be entitled to a discount.
• If you insure your spouse/partner on your policy you can receive discounts of up to 12.5%
• If your spouse/partner also has a car insured you may be entitled to a discount as yours will be the 2nd car at a residence.
• If you already have a policy with Sheridan Insurances we can offer you a €40 loyalty discount on any additional policy you take out with us.

 

Tip! Cheaper quotes do not always work out cheaper in the long run. A word added here or a sentence missing there means that policies can be very different – choosing the wrong policy could mean not being covered!