15 Things Covered By Car Insurance In The UK
UK car insurance covers 15 core things: third-party damage, third-party injury, theft, fire, own-vehicle accidental damage, weather damage, windscreen glass, uninsured drivers, driving other cars, personal belongings, legal expenses, breakdown, no-claims protection, courtesy car, and gap or new-for-old replacement.
What your policy actually pays for depends on which of the three cover tiers you buy. Third-party-only is the legal minimum, third-party fire and theft adds two protections, and comprehensive adds everything else.
Below are all 15 categories of protection in order, with a quick note on which tier triggers each one. If you haven’t priced cover recently, compare car insurance quotes to see how each tier affects your premium.
UK car insurance covers 15 distinct things, but only three are mandatory on every policy: third-party property damage, third-party injury, and the legal minimum set by the Road Traffic Act 1988. Everything else (theft, fire, weather, windscreens, breakdown, courtesy car, gap cover) only kicks in once you move up to TPFT or comprehensive.
Run the numbers on a comprehensive car insurance quote, since it’s often cheaper than you’d expect for lower-risk drivers.
- What are the three types of UK car insurance?
- 1. Third-party damage to other vehicles and property
- 2. Third-party personal injury
- 3. Theft and attempted theft
- 4. Fire damage to your vehicle
- 5. Own-vehicle accidental damage
- 6. Weather damage (hail, wind, flood, lightning)
- 7. Windscreen glass
- 8. Uninsured and hit-and-run drivers
- 9. Driving other people’s cars
- 10. Personal belongings in the car
- 11. Legal expenses cover
- 12. Breakdown and roadside assistance
- 13. No-claims discount protection
- 14. Courtesy car cover
- 15. Gap, new-for-old, and agreed-value add-ons
- How do you choose the right level of cover?
- Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
What are the three types of UK car insurance?
UK drivers choose between third-party only, third-party fire and theft, and comprehensive, each adding progressively more protection at a higher premium.
Every policy has to meet the minimum set by section 143 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, which is why third-party liability is mandatory on all three tiers.
| Cover tier | What it covers | Typical driver |
| Third-party only | Injury and damage to others | Lowest legal minimum |
| Third-party, fire and theft | Above plus fire and theft of your car | Older, lower-value vehicles |
| Comprehensive | All of the above plus own damage, weather, glass, legal, and more | Most drivers (often cheapest now) |
Counter-intuitively, comprehensive is often the cheapest because lower-risk drivers tend to pick it.
For a sense of what drivers actually pay, see our breakdown of average car insurance costs across age bands and vehicle types.
1. Third-party damage to other vehicles and property
All three UK cover tiers pay for damage you cause to other vehicles, fences, walls, and street furniture, usually with no upper cap.
Report the incident within 30 days and your insurer manages the claim with the other side. Payment goes direct to the third party or reimburses you if you settled up front.
2. Third-party personal injury
Every policy covers medical costs, rehabilitation, lost wages, and pain-and-suffering compensation for anyone you injure in an accident, typically with unlimited cover.
Claims can run for months, but the insurer handles the negotiations throughout. The unlimited cap on injury payouts is the single most important protection in any motor policy.
3. Theft and attempted theft
If your car is stolen or broken into, TPFT and comprehensive pay out at market value or replace the vehicle. Cars with trackers, immobilisers, and a black box are stolen far less often and priced accordingly.
Report the theft to the police straight away and get a crime reference number. Your insurer will need that before they start processing the claim.
4. Fire damage to your vehicle
Fire damage from electrical faults, fuel system failures, or external fires is covered under both TPFT and comprehensive policies.
You pay the excess and the insurer covers the rest, or pays out the vehicle’s market value if it’s written off. Arson damage is covered too, provided a police report backs it up.
5. Own-vehicle accidental damage
Comprehensive pays for repairs to your own car whether the accident is your fault or not, with a typical excess of £150 to £500.
This one covers rear-ends, side-swipes, rollovers, and multi-car pileups. A claim will usually affect your no-claims discount unless you have protection in place.
6. Weather damage (hail, wind, flood, lightning)
Storms, hail, falling trees, flooding, and lightning strikes are all covered under comprehensive. ABI figures show weather-related claims hit £136 million in Q3 2024 alone, with 2024 posting the highest annual weather claims on record.
One big exclusion: driving through flood water after an official warning is usually treated as negligence. TPO and TPFT policies exclude weather damage entirely.
7. Windscreen glass
Most comprehensive policies include windscreen cover with a lower excess of £75 to £100, and sometimes no excess at all.
Claims for chips and full replacements often don’t affect your no-claims discount. Check the policy schedule to confirm how your insurer treats glass claims.
8. Uninsured and hit-and-run drivers
Comprehensive cover pays for repairs if an uninsured or untraced driver damages your car, minus your excess. The Motor Insurers’ Bureau also runs a separate scheme for personal injury caused by untraced drivers, funded by a levy on every UK policy.
9. Driving other people’s cars
Many (but not all) comprehensive policies include third-party cover when you drive someone else’s car with their permission.
Cover is limited to third-party only, so the owner’s car itself isn’t covered on your policy. Always check the schedule before borrowing a vehicle.
10. Personal belongings in the car
Some comprehensive policies cover phones, laptops, and other items stolen or damaged inside your car, typically up to a £500 sub-limit.
Home contents insurance generally won’t pick this up. Check the sub-limit before leaving anything valuable on the seat.
11. Legal expenses cover
Legal expenses cover pays for solicitor fees, court costs, and expert witnesses if you need to pursue a personal injury claim after an accident.
Sub-limits are typically £50,000 or more on policies that include it. It’s sometimes bundled as standard and sometimes sold as an add-on for about £20 to £30.
12. Breakdown and roadside assistance
Some comprehensive policies bundle breakdown as standard, others sell it as a paid add-on for around £40 to £80 a year.
Cover usually handles mechanical failure, flat batteries, lockouts, and recovery, with about four callouts a year. Home start and European cover are typically higher tiers.
13. No-claims discount protection
No-claims protection lets you make a claim without losing your discount, which often saves more at renewal than the claim is worth.
It’s typically offered once you’ve built up four or five years of claim-free driving. Protection caps the number of claims you can make in a given period before the discount does start to erode.
14. Courtesy car cover
Courtesy car cover gives you a replacement vehicle while yours is in the garage after a fault claim, usually a like-for-like size.
It’s included as standard on many comprehensive policies and sold as an add-on on others. Cover usually stops if the car is written off, unless you have a dedicated hire-car extension.
15. Gap, new-for-old, and agreed-value add-ons
Gap insurance covers the shortfall between your car’s market value and the finance you still owe if it’s written off. New-for-old pays out a brand-new car in the first year, and agreed value locks a figure in up front, which suits classic or modified cars where market value is hard to pin down.
These three add-ons typically cost £30 to £150 a year combined. They matter most on financed, leased, or appreciating vehicles.
How do you choose the right level of cover?
Match your cover to how you use the car, whether it’s on finance, where it’s parked, and how much excess you can realistically afford if you claim.
Finance and ownership
If the car is on PCP, HP, or a lease, the finance company will usually require comprehensive cover as a condition of the agreement. The same logic applies to higher-value vehicles, where a full write-off creates a bigger shortfall to absorb.
Where you park and how much you drive
Street parking, high-crime postcodes, and long motorway commutes all push toward comprehensive. Low-mileage drivers can sometimes beat standard pricing with a telematics policy that rewards safer driving, with premiums adjusted to how and when you actually use the car.
Excess and premium trade-off
A higher voluntary excess cuts your premium, but only raise it to a level you could actually pay in one go after an accident. Combine voluntary and compulsory excesses when you work out the real out-of-pocket cost of a claim.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Third-party only covers injury and damage you cause to others. Comprehensive covers that plus your own vehicle damage and most weather, theft, fire, glass, and legal scenarios.
Only if you have comprehensive cover. Third-party only and TPFT policies don’t pay out for damage to your own car in a fault accident.
Yes, under comprehensive, including hail, wind, flooding, and lightning. Driving through flood water after an official warning is usually excluded as negligence.
You’ll receive your car’s market value at the time of theft, or a replacement through your insurer’s scheme. Agreed value policies let you lock in a figure in advance.
It depends on the insurer, with some treating glass claims as no-fault and leaving your discount untouched. Compare how different insurers handle glass claims before you buy.
Sometimes, though most insurers offer it as a paid add-on rather than bundle it as standard. Check the policy schedule before you assume you’re covered for a roadside callout.
Many comprehensive policies include third-party cover for driving other cars with permission, but it’s not automatic. Check the schedule and confirm you’ve got explicit permission from the owner.
It’s worth it if you park in tight spaces, share the car, or just want maximum protection. On a comprehensive policy, own-vehicle accidental damage is usually already included, so the question is whether the add-on extends it to kerbs, scrapes, and minor incidents.