Have some questions about Britannia Car Insurance cover? We've got you sorted..
About your cover
Yes.
With our Britannia Premier cover level you'll have comprehensive cover while driving your car in Europe for up to 180 days of the policy year.
Our Britannia cover level will provide comprehensive cover while driving your car in Europe for up to 90 days of the policy year.
Our Britannia Essentials cover level, you'll have the minimum compulsory cover needed by law to drive a car in Europe for up to 180 days of the policy year.
If you have either of our Britannia Premier or Britannia cover levels, you're covered if you put the wrong fuel in your vehicle. We'll pay to fix the engine damage and drain & flush your fuel tank.*
Misfuelling cover is not provided with our Britannia Essentials cover level.
* You'll need to pay your accidental damage excess, this amount is shown in your documents.
We’ll cover:
- Disability related modifications, such as hand controls or wheelchair access.
- Alterations made to air conditioning systems, fog lights, parking sensors and tow bars.
We won’t cover any other types of modifications, including (but not limited to):
- Bodywork changes, such as spoilers, body kits, or side skirts.
- Suspension or brake adjustments
- Cosmetic alterations, including alloy wheels, vinyl wraps or tinted windows
- Performance enhancements, such as engine or exhaust modifications.
So, before you customise your car, make sure any changes won’t stop your vehicle from being road legal, and won’t invalidate your insurance.
What is a car modification?
A modification is defined as any change made to a car that alters it from the standard manufacturer or factory specifications. These changes range from cosmetic changes (alloy wheels) to practical enhancements (parking sensors).
It’s important to know the difference between an optional extra added to the car on ‘the factory floor’ and modifications which are made after the car leaves the factory.
Optional extras added by the manufacturer are not considered modifications, but changes made afterwards are, so they may affect your insurance.
This includes trips like the school run, popping to the shops, and driving to social events.
If you use your car for work, or commute to multiple places of work, you’ll need to add business use cover to your car insurance policy.
A car insurance excess is the amount you have to pay yourself if you make a claim.
There are two types of excess:
- Compulsory excess - this is a fixed excess, set by us, which you'll have to pay if you make a claim. The amount varies depending on your circumstances.
- Voluntary excess - this is the amount you agree to pay, in addition to your compulsory excess, if you make a claim.
For example, if we've set a compulsory excess of £250 and you choose a voluntary excess of £100, the total excess you'd pay in the event of a claim would be £350.
Please check your insurance documents for confirmation of your payable excess in your account.
Yes, you can insure a lease or company car.
Please make sure the correct legal owner (who has a financial interest in the vehicle) is named on your policy e.g: lease company/company car/policyholder.
With our Britannia Premier and Britannia cover levels, new car replacement is included.
We'll look to replace your car with a new one if it's written off following a claim, as long as the car is less than a year old and you or your partner are the first and only registered keeper.
The replacement vehicle will be of the same or similar specification. You'll find all the details in your Policy Booklet in your online account.
If you have our Britannia Essentials cover level, new car replacement is not included.
Yes. Britannia Car Insurance policyholders may have third party only cover for driving other cars, subject to certain restrictions. We recommend checking your certificate of motor insurance in your account to confirm if you have this cover.
If applicable, this cover is for the policyholder only, not named drivers and is restricted to third party only cover in the UK, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. The loss or damage to the vehicle you're driving isn't covered. Refer to your Policy Booklet for further information.
No, Britannia Insurance doesn't cover Northern Ireland, Channel Islands or the Isle of Man.
No. Unfortunately, we're not able to insure you if you have a provisional licence.
The registered keeper is the person legally responsible for the vehicle, meaning it’s up to them to make sure it's taxed, insured and has a valid MOT.
It’s a little different if you’re leasing the car, though, which is a bit like renting it long term. The lease company is usually the registered keeper, so they would keep it taxed and MOT’d but the responsibility for insurance would still normally fall to you (the lease holder).
The legal owner is the person or company who paid for the vehicle or took out the finance. As the legal owner of a car, you’ll hold the proof of ownership.
For cars on a lease, the lease company is typically the legal owner.
No, you don’t have to be the car’s registered keeper to be the main driver on your car insurance. But the registered keeper does need to be a named driver on the policy.
The main driver is the person who uses the car most often and it’s important your policy accurately reflect this.
Falsely naming a more experienced driver as the main driver on your insurance to get a lower premium is called fronting, which is a type of insurance fraud. In other words, it’s illegal and could invalidate your insurance leaving you to foot the bill in the event of a claim.
The consequences of fronting don’t end there, though. You could also be taken to court, charged, and end up with a criminal record.
If you have a serious injury when you're travelling in your car, or getting in or out of it, personal accident cover is there to protect you.
Britannia Premier cover level includes £10,000 personal accident cover.
Britannia includes £5,000 personal accident cover.
Britannia Essentials includes £1,000 personal accident cover.
This covers you, your partner or a named driver on the policy if the injury results in:
- death
- permanent loss of any limb above the wrist or ankle
- permanent and total loss of use of any limb above the wrist or ankle
- permanent and total loss of hearing in one or both ears
- permanent and total loss of sight in one or both eyes
- permanent total disablement, resulting in an inability to do any sort of work for the remainder of their life.
We'll pay the injured person or their legal representative. Please see our car insurance Policy Booklet to find out more about what you can and can't claim for on personal accident cover.
Optional extra FAQs
We offer a range of optional extras to enhance your car insurance policy, whether you have our Essentials, Standard or Premier cover level.
Britannia Premier Car Insurance
Protected NCD: to protect your no claim discount for the life of your policy.
Breakdown cover from Britannia Rescue: choose from three levels of cover.
Britannia Car Insurance
Protected NCD: to protect your no claim discount for the life of your policy.
Breakdown cover from Britannia Rescue: choose from three levels of cover.
Motor Legal Expenses: MLE gives you up to £100,000 to pursue another party for any uninsured losses (like loss of earnings) you've sustained as a result of an accident that wasn't your fault.
Guaranteed Hire Car: If your car is written off or stolen and not recovered, you'll receive a hire car for 21 days, or four days from the date the claim payout is made (whichever is sooner). With our Britannia cover level, you do have Guaranteed Hire Car cover if your vehicle is being repaired.
Britannia Essentials Car Insurance
Protected NCD: to protect your no claim discount for the life of your policy.
Breakdown cover from Britannia Rescue: choose from three levels of cover.
Motor Legal Expenses: MLE gives you up to £100,000 to pursue another party for any uninsured losses (like loss of earnings) you've sustained as a result of an accident that wasn't your fault.
Guaranteed Hire Car: You'll receive a small three-door hatchback while your car is being repaired. If your car is written off or stolen and not recovered, you'll receive a hire car for 21 days, or four days from the date the claim payout is made (whichever is sooner). With our Britannia Essentials cover level, you do have Guaranteed Hire Car cover if your vehicle is being repaired.
Motor Legal Expenses (MLE) gives you up to £100,000 towards legal expenses if you need to pursue another party for any uninsured losses. This includes things like loss of earnings or personal injury claims which are a direct result of an accident that wasn't your fault.
MLE cover is included on our Premier cover level, and can be added to our Essentials and Standard policies as an optional extra. If you would like to add this cover to your policy, log in to your online account.
Why add MLE?
You’ll keep 100% of your personal injury claim compensation (without MLE, a solicitor may take their fee from the amount you receive).
You’ll be able to recover any lost earnings if you're unable to work due to the accident.
You’ll have free access to a 24/7 legal advice helpline for any private legal matter.
It’s important to remember you won't be covered for claims that don’t have a reasonable (more than 51%) chance of success.
Protected No Claim Discount (PNCD) is an optional extra you can add to your car insurance policy.
It means that any No Claim Discount (NCD) you've built up is protected - no matter how many claims you make.
To qualify for this optional extra, you need to have earned four or more years NCD. If you wish to add protected NCD cover to an existing policy, you can do this in your online account but you cannot add it if you've had a claim that would impact your NCD.
Your premium can still be affected if you make a claim.
Existing customer FAQs
If you're making a change to your policy and would also like to review your cover level options, you'll be given the option to upgrade or downgrade your cover when making a change to your policy (if eligible).
Simply select 'Your car, make changes' in your account, make any changes you need to and we'll display the price change (if applicable) to your changes and display your cover level options..
If your policy has been cancelled, you'll need to log in to your account and set up a new policy with us.
If your policy was cancelled due to any outstanding payments, any outstanding balances will need to be paid for before a new policy can be set up.
Your account will already hold your details, so you won't need to enter all your information again to get your new quote.
If your licence is revoked, you'll need to log into your account and edit your details.
You'll no longer be able to drive the insured car.
You'll also need to be removed from the policy, or if you're the policyholder, the policy will need to be cancelled.
If your licence has expired and you're insured with us, you're still covered but you'll need to visit gov.uk/view-driving-licence to renew your licence immediately.
If you SORN your vehicle, you have a few options:
- Cancel the policy. This will incur a £55 cancellation fee.
- Keep the policy (in case of fire or theft) but you'd be paying for cover you're not using.
- Get a new policy elsewhere specifically to cover your car for damage or theft while it's off the road. Please bear in mind this will incur a £55 cancellation fee.
If you've declared your car as being off road / SORN, you can't drive it until the vehicle is re-taxed and declared as being back on the road.
If you've sold your car and don't have a new car to insure, you'll need to cancel your policy via your online account. Please note: A £55 cancellation fee will be applied.
If you've replaced your car with a new one and need to insure it, you can transfer your policy over to the new car online via your account. Remember: A £5 admin fee applies and your price may change.
To change the car on your policy, we'll need:
- The new vehicle registration number.
- Details of any changes to the manufacturer's standard specification.
- Any changes in how you use the vehicle (e.g. are you now using it for work?).
Looking for something else?
How-to guides
Wondering how to manage your Britannia online account? Our guides will help...
How-to videos
Need to know how to make changes in your Britannia Insurance online account? Our step by step videos can help.