Insurance guidance

Car security & insurance

The ABI (Association of British Insurers) The ABI (Association of British Insurers) represents the collective interests of the UK’s insurance industry. As a result, they are heavily involved in car insurance matters as well, including providing car insurance group ratings which guide insurers as to how safe and secure vehicles are, and helping insurers with systems and processes to provide the most accurate insurance possible.

ABI (Association of British Insurers) insurance advice

The ABI highlights a few common exclusions in insurance policies that people should be aware of:

Theft by deception - If you are selling your car make sure you receive proper payment before parting with it. Your insurance policy will usually not cover your loss if your car is taken from you by deception

Driving Other Cars - Many policies cover the policyholder while driving a car which belongs to someone else. However, cover will be limited to third party only, even if you have a comprehensive policy for your own car. Accidental damage to the borrowed car will not be covered by your insurance

Make sure that you have the car owner's permission to drive the vehicle and that the owner has arranged comprehensive insurance (e.g. by adding you as a driver under their policy) if they wish to do so. (If they do this, then claims involving their car, while you are driving, will be met by their policy.)

Similarly, before letting someone else drive your car think about the insurance implications of doing so, and ensure that you are comfortable with these

See our insurance discounts section and our "What to do if" section for guidance on how to deal with a stolen or cloned car.