Private car insurance helps to protect you against cost of damage by third parties, fire and theft, depending on the level of cover that you choose.

A basic level of insurance is a legal requirement. Under the Road Traffic Act, Section 143, you have a legal liability for injuries to others, and damage to their property, relating to the use of your car. This basic level of protection is called third party cover. With this cover, if you are responsible for an incident, then the cost of damage to other people’s property can be claimed, but not the cost of damage to your vehicle.

But given that your car is an expensive purchase, it is likely that you will want to further protect your vehicle. The second level of cover is third party, fire and theft, which protects your own car from damage or complete loss caused by fire, or from being stolen.

The third level of cover  is comprehensive cover, which, in addition to the protection provided by third party, fire and theft cover, also covers you for loss or damage to your insured vehicle, mostly from damage caused by an accident.

Comprehensive cover can also provide additional cover, such as windscreen damage, personal items, personal accident and medical expenses.

With some policies, some of these extra cover areas may be included in the standard price of your insurance, with others, you can add them to the policy for an additional charge.

It is tempting to believe that if your claims history, driving record or type of vehicle mean that you are a standard risk, then a broker is not appropriate, but that is not the case.

Brokers, such as Andrew Bull Insurance Services, can help find appropriate, good value insurance for standard risk drivers. We work with a broad range of reputable insurers to find cover which meets your needs.

And if you have an unusual vehicle,  difficult claims history or driving convictions, we can help, as we work specialist insurers to package an insurance policy that reflects your circumstances.