Car Insurance
Car Insurance
Your top Car Insurance questions
Usually yes, but it depends on the insurer.
If you call us for a quote or get a quote online, we’ll check with our panel of insurers and give you our best price.
Age is one of the most significant factors insurers take into account when you get a quote. Younger drivers have less experience behind the wheel, and are statistically more likely to have an accident. So they generally pay more for their cover. Older drivers usually pay the least for their cover, as the costs of their claims are generally quite low.
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When you get a quote from us, we save the information you gave us to get your quote, but not the quote itself. That’s because insurance prices constantly change. So you can retrieve the information you put in, to save you re-entering it, but we’ll give you a new, more up-to-date quote so you get the best available price for that time.
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By law, you need third party insurance as a minimum if you drive a car or other vehicle. That also applies if you own one and leave it parked on the street, on your drive or in your garage.
If you don’t have car insurance and the police check your details on the spot, they can seize your car there and then – even if you arrange cover at the roadside. You’ll need to show a Certificate of Insurance and pay to get your car back. If you don’t, the police can dispose of your car 14 days later.
If your car looks like it doesn’t have insurance, you’ll get a letter from the Motor Insurers' Bureau. They’ll ask you to insure it or make sure your insurance company has entered your details on the database correctly.
You should get in touch with them as soon as you can to tell them if you’re insured. If you’re not insured and you don’t get cover straightaway, you’ll get a Fixed Penalty Notice to pay. If you still don’t insure your car, it could be seized, clamped or destroyed. You might even be taken to court.
There are some situations when it's legal for your car to be uninsured. You don't need car insurance if:
• you have a valid Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN)
• you’ve kept your car off a public road since before 1 February 1998
• your car has been scrapped, stolen or exported – and you’ve told the DVLA about it (if you haven’t, you could be fined £1,000)
• your car is between registered dealers or with an authorised dealer.
It's a good idea to check what's covered and how you're protected if you're not sure. That way, if you have an accident or your car gets damaged, you can see if we can help before you make a claim. Here are your documents:
My policy started on or after 03/06/2024 or has a renewal date on or after 25/06/2024:
• Your Sainsbury's Bank Car Insurance policy booklet [PDF, 383KB]
• Your Sainsbury's Bank Car Insurance Policy Booklet for our Essentials product [PDF, 426KB]
My policy has a start date between 29/11/2023 and 02/06/2024, or had a renewal date between 29/11/2023 and 24/06/2024:
• Your Sainsbury's Bank Car Insurance policy booklet [PDF, 369KB]
• Your Sainsbury's Bank Car Insurance Policy Booklet for our Essentials product [PDF, 426KB]
My policy has a start date or renewal date before 29/11/2023:
• Your Sainsbury's Bank Car Insurance policy booklet [PDF, 266KB]
• Your Sainsbury's Bank Car Insurance Policy Booklet for our Essentials product [PDF, 426KB]
To view the correct policy booklet for Sainsbury’s Bank Essentials, Standard or Plus Car Insurance optional extras please select the relevant link below. For specific details of your own cover, please refer to your policy documentation.
Optional extras include:
• Motor Legal Protection
• Enhanced Key Cover
• Windscreen Cover (Third Party, Fire and Theft)
• Guaranteed Courtesy Car
• RAC Breakdown Cover
My policy started on or after the 22/08/2024 or has a renewal date on or after the 22/08/2024:
• Your Sainsbury’s Bank Car Insurance policy booklet for our optional extras
• Your Sainsbury’s Bank Car Insurance booklet for Excess Cover
My policy started on or after 03/06/2024 or has a renewal date on or after 25/06/2024:
• Your Sainsbury’s Bank Car Insurance policy booklet for our optional extras [PDF, 746KB]
• Your Sainsbury’s Bank Car Insurance booklet for Excess Cover [PDF, 193KB]
My policy had a start date between the 29/11/2023 and the 02/06/2024, or had a renewal date between the 29/11/2023 and the 24/06/2024.
• Your Sainsbury’s Bank Car Insurance policy booklet for our optional extras
• Your Sainsbury’s Bank Car Insurance booklet for Excess Cover
My policy had a start date or a renewal date before 29/11/2023:
• Your Sainsbury’s Bank Car Insurance policy booklet for our optional extras
• Your Sainsbury’s Bank Car Insurance booklet for Excess Cover
Yes, you’ll need to let us know about every claim you’ve made in the past, and we’ll ask you for specific details – including who was at fault – during the quote process.
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