Common Enquiries

Cover

What types of cover do you offer?
Is Legal Expenses cover provided?
Am I insured to drive someone else's car?
Do you insure young drivers under 25 years of age?
What is the maximum age you will offer insurance?
What are my cancellation rights?
Does my policy cover me to drive abroad?
Is there a limit on electronic equipment?
What is UK and European Breakdown cover?
What is Extended Foreign use?
What is a Carbon Offset?

Payments and Discounts

How can I pay?
What is No Claim Discount?
What is Protected No Claim Discount Scheme?
What is Pass Plus?
What is Policy Excess?
I have been driving a company car. What No Claim Discount will you allow me?
I’m a named driver on my partner’s Co-operative Car Insurance policy. Am I eligible for a discount if I take out my own policy?

Other Information

What if I want to make a change to my policy?
How do I make a claim?

Cover

What types of cover do you offer?

The Co-operative Car Insurance offers two different levels of cover, Comprehensive and Third Party Fire and Theft.

The table below gives a summary of the cover offered.

Comprehensive Third Party Fire & Theft
Liability for death of or injury to third parties
(including passengers).
Liability for damage to property
(limit £20,000,000 any one accident).
Liability of passengers
to other parties.
Legal costs
incurred with our consent. (limit £5,000,000 any one accident for loss or damage to property)
Loss of or damage to the car
as a result of fire or theft.
Accidental damage to the car
(including its accessories).
Replacement of locks following theft of keys
(limit £750 any one claim)
Personal accident benefit
of £5000 for you and / or your spouse for death or certain medical conditions.
Foreign use - up to 30 days cover in any EU and certain other associated countries during the policy year.
Medical expenses
up to £250 for each person in the car.
Replacement of child car seats following their loss or damage or impact damage to the car
Personal effects
up to £250 for any one occurrence.
Accident Recovery Service
Motor Legal Expenses & Legal Helpline. optional optional
Extended Foreign Use optional optional
UK & European Breakdown cover. (Subject to certain limitations) optional optional

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Is Legal Expenses cover provided?

Motor Legal Expenses insurance and a legal advice helpline are available as an optional extra and are managed on our behalf by Co-operative Legal Services Limited. For further details please read the Motor Legal Expenses and Legal Helpline section of your policy.

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Am I insured to drive someone else's car?

No, Third Party Liability whilst you are driving another vehicle is not generally available except when

(i) the vehicle does not belong to you and is not hired to you under a hire purchase agreement,
(ii) there is no other insurance policy which insures you and
(iii) the vehicle is not being driven to secure its release following seizure by, or on behalf of, any government or public authority.

You should also read the Third Party Liability section of the policy.

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Do you insure young drivers under 25 years of age?

Yes. However, for comprehensive cover, in addition to the standard excess of £100, a further young drivers excess applies. For further details see the Common Enquiry on excess.

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What is the maximum age you will offer insurance?

We will normally offer a quote for a new customer up to the age of 75, depending on the insurance history. For existing customers we may provide a quote if aged over 75, again depending on the insurance history.

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What are my cancellation rights?

When you receive your policy documents you will have 14 days in which to cancel the policy if you no longer require the insurance. If you wish to cancel the policy please contact us on 08457 464646 or write to Co-operative Insurance, General Insurance Customer Support Centre, 2nd Floor, Miller Street, Manchester M60 0AL and return your Certificate of Motor Insurance.

If you cancel the policy within 14 days of receipt of the cancellation notice the premium you have paid will be returned to you less a pro-rata charge for any time on cover.

To be entitled to a pro-rata refund of the premium paid, you must telephone or write to us on or before the 14th day of receipt of the cancellation notice and the cancellation effective date requested must be within this period.

If you cancel your policy after this time any refund of premium will be the premium paid less a pro rata charge for the period the policy has been in force and a cancellation fee.

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Does my policy cover me to drive abroad?

Yes. In addition to providing the minimum compulsory liability insurance required in any country which is a member of the EU, the policy provides the same cover throughout the EU and certain other associated countries as in the UK, for up to 30 days per insurance term.

Extended Foreign Use is available as an optional extra and extends the cover provided in the UK to all member states of the EU and the associated countries for the entire policy year, subject to a limit of 90 days per trip.

For full details please read the Foreign Use section of the policy.

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Is there a limit on electronic equipment?

There is no limit on electronic equipment permanently fitted to the vehicle as standard by the manufacturer.

There is a limit of £500 on electronic equipment permanently fitted to the vehicle post-manufacture.

There is a limit of £250 on electronic equipment not permanently fitted to the vehicle provided cover is Comprehensive.

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What is UK and European Breakdown Cover?

This is a comprehensive and reliable breakdown service, which provides peace of mind that you are fully covered for any repair or recovery costs associated with a breakdown. Find out what UK and European Breakdown Cover can offer you here.

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What is Extended Foreign Use?

Extended Foreign Use is available as an optional extra and extends the cover provided in the UK to all member states of the EU and the associated countries for the entire policy year, subject to a limit of 90 days per trip.

For full details please read the Foreign Use section of the policy.

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What is a Carbon Offset?

A carbon offset is a way of reducing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere by funding renewable energy or reforestation projects. The projects offset an equivalent amount of emissions to that produced by driving. This is a way of compensating for the contribution from driving to climate change.

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Payments and Discounts

How can I pay?

If you accept the quote, you can purchase the cover online or via our Customer Contact Centre on 08457 464646. You can pay your premium by credit/debit card for annual payment or monthly by direct debit.

Cover will commence only when we confirm that a motor certificate has been issued.

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What is No Claim Discount?

For every year of claim free driving you will earn a discount towards the cost of renewing your motor insurance, up to a maximum of 9 years. This is subject to you providing documentary evidence from your previous insurer.

The No Claim Discount can only be used on one policy at a time so the other policy has to be lapsed or cancelled before you can use it on this one. You cannot share it across two policies.

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Scale of No Claim Discount (available to new customers)

25%/40% 50% 60% 65% 67% 70%
Nil discount 1 claim free year 2 claim free years 3 claim free years 4 claim free years 5+ claim free years

If you have earned 5 claim free years, we will reward you at each subsequent renewal for staying with us and not claiming. The extended scale is

72% 73% 74% 75%
6 claim free years 7 claim free years 8 claim free years 9+ claim free years

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What is Protected No Claim Discount Scheme?

If you are entitled to a No Claim Discount of 70% or more, and there has not been more than one claim in the last three years, you may qualify for our Protected Discount Scheme. In return for an extra premium this guarantees a discount of at least 70% at the next renewal date provided that there have been no more than two claims in the preceding three years including claims with a previous insurer. (Three claims will result in the Protected Discount Scheme being withdrawn at renewal, four or more claims will also result in the reduction of no claim discount following our normal stepback rules).

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What is Pass Plus?

Pass Plus is a scheme for newly qualified drivers which aims to improve their driving skills. It is backed by the Government's Driving Standards Agency, Co-operative Insurance and other insurance companies. If you have qualified as a Pass Plus Driver, or you qualify within 3 months of taking out the policy, you may be entitled to an introductory discount of 40%. This is subject to Co-operative Insurance receiving the original certificate. View the Pass Plus web site. Call our Customer Contact Centre on 08457 464646 to see if you qualify for this discount.

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What is Policy Excess?

There are various kinds of excess on Co-operative Car Insurance policies.

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Policy Excess:

An excess is the amount of money you pay towards a claim, regardless of who is to blame for the incident. If the accident is not your fault and you have purchased Motor Legal Expenses cover, you may be able to claim this money back using our Uninsured Loss Recovery Service. For further details see our policy. How much you pay depends on whether the Standard Excess only applies, if the Young Driver Excess or Inexperienced Driver Excess also applies, or you have chosen to pay a Voluntary Excess. For further details on the different kinds of excess, see below.

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Standard Excess:

There is a standard excess of £100. This applies to each claim other than a claim for the replacement of a windscreen or window, when a £50 excess applies. If the windscreen or window can be repaired, rather than replaced, no excess applies.

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Voluntary Excess:

For a reduced premium you may choose to pay an amount of £50, £100, £150, £250 or £350 (additional to the standard excess of £100 and, if applicable, the young driver excess or inexperienced driver excess). For further details about young driver excess and inexperienced driver excess, see below. This Voluntary Excess does not apply to claims for fire or theft or for damage to the windscreen or windows only.

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Young Driver Excess:

The young driver excess, as specified below, applies where the driver or person in charge is aged under 25 years. This excess is paid in addition to the standard excess and any voluntary excess which you may have chosen to pay.

Aged under 21 years £300

Aged 21 - 24 years £200

The young driver excess does not apply to claims for fire or theft or for damage to the windscreen or windows only.

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Windscreen Excess:

An excess of £50 is applied to windscreen or window claims. However, if the windscreen or window is repaired, rather than replaced, the excess will not apply.

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Inexperienced Driver Excess:

The inexperienced driver excess of £150 applies where the driver is aged 25 or over but has not held a full driving licence for 12 months or more.

The inexperienced driver excess does not apply to claims for fire or theft or for damage to or replacement of the windscreen or windows.

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I have been driving a company car. What No Claim Discount will you allow me?

We may allow a No Claim Discount, if you can provide evidence from your employer:

(i) of a claim free driving history in respect of a company car supplied for your exclusive use and

(ii) that you are no longer supplied with a company car.

The amount of No Claim Discount will be based on the number of claim-free years. For further details see the Common Enquiries on No Claim Discount.

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I’m a named driver on my partner’s Co-operative Car Insurance policy. Am I eligible for a discount if I take out my own policy?

Yes, we are one of the few insurers to offer this type of discount. We can offer you a No Claim Discount based upon the number of years you have gone without making a claim, up to a maximum of 3 years. This could mean a discount of up to 65% off your premium.
Find out more about this offer.

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Other Information

What if I want to make a change to my policy?

Just ring our Customer Contact Centre on 08457 46 46 46 (or Minicom 08000 684 244), between 8am-8pm Monday to Friday, 8am-5pm on Saturday and 9am-4pm on Sunday. Calls are charged at local rates.

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How do I make a claim?

If you need to make a claim call the Co-operative Insurance claims reporting service on 0845 999 8888. This service is available 24 hours a day 365 days a year. For full details see the Claims Settlement Provisions section of the policy.
Find out more about our Claims service.

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