Has my level of cover changed since last year?
We will always renew your policy with the same cover or like for like cover as you chose the previous year or when you set up your policy if this is your first renewal. If there are any changes to your cover or cover level, we’ll include these in the “Changes to your policy” section of your renewal documents.
It’s always important you read your renewal invite and policy documents carefully to ensure you have the cover you need, you can always contact us or go online if you want to add or remove cover from your policy to suit your needs.
What isn't covered under my policy?
You can find information on what is and isn’t covered in your policy in your policy documents. We provide you with Insurance Product Information Documents, sometimes referred to as “IPID’s” and they detail easy to read information on what’s covered in your policy and what isn’t.
If you include additional cover in your policy such as breakdown cover and legal cover, we’ll provide you with IPID’s for these too. If there’s anything you can’t find in your policy documents that you want to check with us, you can start a chat with us by clicking on the speech bubble icon in the bottom right corner.
Where can I check if I can drive other vehicles, and under what circumstances?
You can check on your Certificate of Insurance.
Where can I check any exclusions, endorsements or terms changed in my renewal?
You can check your Certificate of Insurance for exclusions or endorsements – changes to cover or terms will be included in a Notice to Policyholder included within the documents. This may say something like “Important Information”
Are there any optional extras I can consider adding?
Drivers Legal Protection
Drivers' Legal Protection is included as standard in our Classic and Premier car insurance options and will cover up to £100,000 towards legal expenses which you may incur if you have an accident that wasn’t your fault where there’s a responsible third party. The policy is underwritten by RAC Insurance Limited.
If you don’t have Drivers Legal Protection included in your policy you can find out more about Drivers Legal Protection here.
Breakdown Cover
Breakdown Cover is a type of insurance policy that covers the costs of roadside assistance and recovery if your car breaks down. You can choose different levels of cover depending how close to home you breakdown and you can also choose to have cover at home in the UK or full EU cover.
For example, if you blow a tyre or run out of fuel while on the road, Breakdown Cover will provide roadside assistance or arrange recovery if the vehicle can’t be fixed at the roadside. Depending on your level of cover, it could also cover other costs, too, like temporary accommodation or providing a hire car to help you continue your journey.
We offer Breakdown Cover, provided by the RAC, as an optional extra on some of our policies, you may be able to add this to your Swinton Car Insurance policy.
Already have Breakdown Cover included in your policy? Your cover will be provided by RAC, you can find more details about your cover in your policy documents on My Account. Depending on your level of cover, you may also be able to upgrade your Breakdown Cover.
If it’s not already included in your policy, you can click to find more information about Breakdown Cover here.
Return Your Excess Cover
Return Your Excess Cover is an optional extra product you can purchase alongside your car insurance policy that will reimburse you the value of the excess you’ve paid for each claim to the maximum sum of £500 per year.
So for example; if you add Return Your Excess Cover to your policy and you paid a £400 excess during a claim, you’d get a £400 reimbursement, however if you’d paid a £600 excess during a claim, you’d receive the maximum reimbursement of £500.
We will automatically refund your excess within 30 days any core valid claim is settled, back to the payment method you use to pay for your policy.
If you’d like to find out more information and add this to your policy, you can start a chat with us by clicking on the speech bubble icon in the bottom right corner.
Guaranteed Replacement Car Cover
Guaranteed Replacement Car Cover provides you with a vehicle for up to 28 days if your car is beyond economical repair following a road traffic accident, fire or vandalism or if the vehicle is stolen and not recovered. We’ll do our best to get you a similar car to the one one you drive.
If you’d like to find out more information and add this to your policy, you can start a chat with us by clicking on the speech bubble icon in the bottom right corner.
What do the compulsory and voluntary excesses mean in practice?
An excess is the amount you would pay towards the cost of any repairs, in the event of a successful claim. For example if you have damage to your vehicle and your insurer accepts your claim on your policy to fix the damage, your insurer would pay the claim amount, minus the excess.
Most policies have compulsory excess which is set by the insurer, and you can also have voluntary excess which is set by you when you purchase or renew your policy. You can change your voluntary excess and this can affect the price of your policy.
What would I have to pay if I made a claim?
In practice, if you take your vehicle to a garage to be repaired, your insurer would pay the garage directly the claim amount minus the excess, and you would pay the garage the excess amount directly.
You can find information on your excess in your Policy Documents on My Account at any time.