Car Insurance FAQ

Questions

 
What do we cover?

• Can I cover a personally imported car?
• What can I use my car for?
• Does your policy cover me to drive other cars?
• Am I covered when I drive abroad?
• What is protected no claim discount for life?
  

Payment options

• How can I pay for my Sainsbury's Car Insurance policy?

Make a claim

• Can you explain the claims process to me?
• Will I have to pay anything towards the cost of the claim?
• Can I use my own repairer?

Update or amend

• What should I do if my circumstances change during the period of insurance?
• What should I do if my insurance policy is no longer suitable for my needs?

Customer Care

• What if I am not satisfied with Sainsbury's Car Insurance?

Other questions

• How do I get my Certificate of Motor Insurance?
• Who provides Sainsbury's Car Insurance? 
• How secure is this site?
• What are the known browser problems with the Security Certificate and how do I resolve them?
• What should I do if I don't want you to send me any marketing material?

 

Answers

What do we cover?

Can I cover a personally imported car?

Yes, but only if the car is, or has been, available as a standard production model in the United Kingdom, and has a United Kingdom registration number. We do not cover Japanese imports.

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What can I use my car for?

Your online cover allows use of your car for social, domestic and pleasure purposes, commuting to and from a permanent place of work and personal business use for you and your spouse / partner, if named on the policy.

You are not covered to use your car for commercial travelling, any purpose in connection with the motor trade, carriage of goods or passengers for hire or reward, racing, pacemaking, speed testing, rallies, trials or competitions.

If you want any other people to use your car for business purposes, please call us on 0800 032 0315 (Opening hours are Monday to Friday 8am-8pm, Saturday 9am-5pm and Sunday 10am-2pm).

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Does your policy cover me to drive other cars?

There are certain occupations where driving other cars cover is not provided and also some age limitations. Please check your certificate of Insurance to see if you have this cover.

Comprehensive cover is the only level of cover which will provide Third Party Only cover for you driving other cars. This does not include a vehicle owned or rented by the policyholder.

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Am I covered when I drive abroad?

Your policy will provide the cover required for Great Britain, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands, and during sea journeys between these places. It also provides the MINIMUM cover you need by law to use your car in:

• Any country which is a member of the European Union; and
• Any other country for which the Commission of the European Community is satisfied that arrangements have been made to meet the requirements of EC Directives on insurance.

This will provide less cover than you have at home.

We can provide an international motor insurance certificate (Green Card) on request.  We will charge an administration fee for this.

If you want full cover abroad
In return for any extra premium we may charge, we will extend the cover provided by your policy, except for the motoring legal protection and breakdown assistance cover, to named countries in Europe and certain other countries outside Europe for up to a maximum of 90 days in one policy year.  We will also give you an international motor insurance certificate (Green Card). Your car will also be covered while being carried by a recognised carrier between those countries for the period shown on the Green Card.

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What is protected no claim discount for life?

Protected no claim discount for life guarantees that you will not lose your no claim discount for the life of your policy, regardless of the number of claims you may have providing your policy remains in force and you continue to be eligible for this benefit. You may be able to add it for an additional annual premium at the start of your period of cover, if you have four or more years no claim discount.

No claim discount protection for life can only be added to your policy at the start of the period of cover, and is a benefit that relates to your no claim discount only. It does not protect you against any other changes in your premium.

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How can I pay for my Sainsbury's Car Insurance policy?

We offer our customers a choice of easy payment methods. You can choose to pay your premium in a lump sum by debit card or credit card. Or, if you prefer, the cost can be spread over the year. You will need to pay two months premium upfront and the rest of your payments will then be spread across the next 10 months. Interest will be charged at the rate shown in your quotation. Paying online is via our secure server, which uses advanced encryption technology to ensure your details are safe during transmission.

We accept the following credit and debit cards: Visa, Mastercard, Delta and Maestro.

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Can you explain the claims process to me?

If you would like some more information about making a claim on your car insurance, click to go to our car insurance Claims FAQs page.

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Will I have to pay anything towards the cost of the claim?

Usually, you will have to pay the excess shown in your Schedule. If your vehicle is repaired, please pay the excess to the repairer. If it is written off or stolen and not recovered we will deduct the excess from any payment we make to you. If you are not responsible for the accident and you have motoring legal protection cover, we will seek to recover the excess for you.

If you decide not to use our recommended repairer then an additional excess of £200 will be applied.  This excess will be in addition to any other excesses shown on your policy schedule.

If we believe that you were not at fault for the accident and you satisfy all of the following criteria, we may waive the excess so you don't have to pay it:

(a) You have agreed to use one of our recommended repairers
(b) You have full details of the other party involved including their registration number
(c) We have confirmed the other party's insurance details

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Can I use my own repairer?

Yes. If you choose to use your own repairer rather than one of our recommended repairers, they will need to send us a repair estimate which must include all prices for paint, materials and labour and a list of parts. Our engineers will then liaise with them to agree and authorise the repairs within 5 working days.

Please ask the repairer to send the estimate to us, if possible, via Audatex (the repairer estimating system) along with images of the damaged areas.  If the repairer does not have Audatex, please ask them to fax it to us on 0161 830 8084.

Please note that if you choose to use your own repairer:

• You will not receive a courtesy car unless this is agreed directly between you and your repairer. 
• An excess of £200 will be applied in addition to any other excesses shown on your schedule
• The repairs, unlike those carried out by one of our recommended repairers, will not be guaranteed for 5 years - unless your own repairer offers this. 
• The repairer, unlike our recommended repairers, is not contractually obliged to provide a specific level of service to you. 
• We will not be able to assist you with any aftercare issues.

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What should I do if my circumstances change during the period of insurance?

You must tell us as soon as possible if any of the following occur:

• You make changes to your car which improves its value, performance or attractiveness to thieves.
• You change your car.
• You want to use your car for a purpose not included in your schedule.
• You become aware of any medical or physical condition of any driver named on the policy which may affect their ability to drive.
• You or any other driver named on the policy are convicted of a motoring offence other than fixed-penalty parking offences.
• You or any other named in the policy are convicted of any offence relating to fraud, arson or dishonesty. 
• You change the address at which you normally keep your car.
• You or any other driver named in the policy, change their occupation.
• You change your annual mileage.
• You or any other driver covered by your policy cease to be a permanent UK resident
• You or any other driver covered by your policy have a car insurance policy cancelled, made void or refused or had a renewal refused

  
We may then re-assess your cover and premium. If you do not tell us about any relevant changes, we may reject or reduce any claim or treat you as being uninsured.

We may charge an administration fee of £26.00 for any changes you make to your policy details during the period of cover. This is shown in your policy schedule.

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What should I do if my insurance policy is no longer suitable for my needs?

If your insurance policy does not meet your needs or if you are dissatisfied with the cover provided by your policy, please call our contact centre on 0845 608 6034 to discuss your options.

Your cancellation rights are provided in your policy booklet. A cancellation fee of up to £55.00 may be applicable. This is shown in your policy schedule.

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What if I am not satisfied with Sainsbury's Car Insurance?

We are committed to providing you with a first class service but we recognise that there may be an occasion when you feel we may not have done this and you wish to make a complaint. We will always try to resolve any complaint speedily and at the earliest possible stage.

In the first instance, please call us.

If it is about our customer service:
Call 0845 608 6034

If it is about your claim:
Call 0845 608 6027

We will try to resolve your complaint immediately but if this is not possible then we will send you a written acknowledgement no later than four working days after we receive your complaint. This will tell you the name of the person handling your complaint and enclose our complaints procedure leaflet.

We will write to you to confirm our resolution of your complaint. If we have not resolved it within 4 weeks, we will write to you again to explain why and tell you when we expect to give you our decision.

In the unlikely event that the problem has not been resolved to your satisfaction, you may contact our Customer Relations Manager who will review your complaint and send you our final decision in writing. Our Customer Relations Manager acts with the full authority of our Chief Executive. The address of our Customer Relations Manager is:

The Customer Relations Manager
Sainsbury's Car Insurance
The Observatory
Reigate
Surrey
RH2 0SG

If we have not resolved your complaint within 8 weeks or if your complaint is still not resolved to your satisfaction, you have the right to refer your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service. The contact details for the Financial Ombudsman Service are:

Financial Ombudsman Service
South Quay Plaza 2
183 Marsh Wall
London
E14 9SR
Telephone: 0845 080 1800
www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk

The Financial Ombudsman Service will handle most complaints you might have but there are some instances that fall outside its authority. The Ombudsman's decision is binding upon us but you are free to reject it without affecting your legal rights.

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How do I get my Certificate of Motor Insurance?

Your Certificate of Motor Insurance is held on our system and will be posted to your contact address by first class mail.

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Who provides Sainsbury's Car Insurance?

Your policy will be underwritten by esure Insurance Limited, authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.

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How secure is this site?

We believe that security is of the utmost importance to our customers, and we therefore have what we believe are the most secure systems on the market.

We use the latest encryption technology, SSL or Secure Socket Layer, which protects your payment details and all your personal information. We are also registered with Verisign, a leading Internet security company.

If you pay for your policy by credit card, then you will also have the additional protection of the Consumer Credit Act. Your maximum liability on your credit card is £50 in the event that it is lost or stolen or used fraudulently and your liability stops as soon as you notify the credit card company that the card has been lost or stolen or used fraudulently.

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What are the known browser problems with the Security Certificate and how do I resolve them?

View browser and third-party application problems that have been recognized by VeriSign.

Test your browser is capable of the recommended level of security.

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What should I do if I don't want you to send me any marketing material?

Sainsbury's Bank will share your details (other than financial information) with Sainsbury's Supermarkets Limited and use it to contact you by mail, telephone, e-mail, SMS or otherwise about other products and services that may be of interest to you and for market research purposes. If you do not want us to contact you click here for details on how to opt out  of this service.

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