Glossary

UK car insurance policies include many unfamiliar terms and can often seem over complicated. The following information is provided to help you get a cheap car insurance quote at CoverGirl Car Insurance Services. These definitions are for guidance only. Please refer to your policy document for full definitions.

Type of cover for UK car insurance

Third party only (TPO) UK car insurance cover
This is the most basic level of UK car insurance and covers your liability for death or bodily injury to another person (known as a third party), including the other occupants of your vehicle, and your liability for damage to third party property (another person’s property). See What level of UK car insurance should I choose? for more information…

Third party fire and theft (TPFT) UK car insurance cover
This level of UK car insurance covers you for everything described in the TPO cover above, plus the risk of a fire or theft in connection with your vehicle (in accordance with relevant policy terms).

Some CoverGirl policies provide motor insurance cover for the contents of the car and details will be provided with your online quote. Audio equipment cover is provided with some policies and again, details will be provided with your car insurance quotation. See What level of UK car insurance should I choose? for more information…

Comprehensive UK car insurance cover
Comprehensive UK car insurance is the highest level of cover you can buy and covers you for everything described above, as well as loss of or damage to your vehicle caused by accidental or malicious damage and generally includes some personal accident benefit in respect of personal injury to you or your death (please refer to your policy terms when received). Theft cover for the contents of your car is provided by most policies but only to a specified amount and subject to policy terms. Details will be shown with your UK car insurance quotation. Audio equipment cover is provided by all policies. Details of the amount of cover will be provided with your UK car insurance quotation. See What level of UK car insurance should I choose? for more information…

Excess on a UK car insurance policy
This is the amount of money you must pay every time you make a claim on your motor insurance policy. There are two types of excess:

A compulsory excess
This is an excess that has been applied as a requirement by your insurer and will vary according to your personal circumstances and the terms of UK car insurance cover provided. A compulsory excess can, for example, be required if you drive a particular make or model of car, if you have a protected no claims discount or you have inexperienced drivers on your policy. There is also a compulsory excess for fire, theft or windscreen claims.

A voluntary excess
This will apply where you agree with your insurer to pay a greater part of each claim than the minimum compulsory excess. Agreeing to a voluntary excess will reduce the amount of your annual UK car insurance premium.

Social, Domestic and Pleasure use (SD&P)

Including commuting
This means you’re insured to use your car for social, domestic and pleasure use (i.e. not in relation to your work or for commercial gain) but includes the use to and from one place of work.

Excluding commuting
This means s ocial domestic and pleasure purposes only. As above, but excludes your use in relation to travelling to and from work.

Legal expenses insurance
Legal expenses insurance is an additional policy that will help you recover your uninsured losses as a result of a non-fault accident. Uninsured losses are things such as loss of earnings, loss or damage to personal property and excesses under a comprehensive policy. All CoverGirl UK motor insurance policies include legal expenses insurance worth up to £50 for free. This includes £50,000 worth of legal expenses cover to help you pursue a claim for damage to your property and any uninsured losses following a non fault accident. CoverGirl legal expenses insurance can also arrange a replacement car whilst yours is off the road and help you pursue a claim for personal injury compensation for you and your passengers. See legal expenses insurance for more information…

Immobiliser
There are two types of immobiliser:

Manual immobilisers
These are physical immobilisers which you place on the steering wheel of your car such as a Krooklok.

Electronic immobilisers
These disable the engine of your car. Some newer cars have these fitted by the manufacturer in the factory and these are normally shown within your car brochure. It is also possible to have these immobilisers fitted by a garage or specialist, who will supply a certificate of installation detailing the exact model of your car's immobiliser.

Tracking device
This is a device that enables the police to electronically locate your car if it is stolen. Some newer cars may have this device installed by the manufacturer, however, this device normally requires you to pay an annual subscription.

Modifications
This is when the car's engine, suspension or body has been altered after it was manufactured. The most common modifications are alloy wheels, spoiler, sunroof and/or any performance enhancements.

Given the wide range of modifications that can be made to a vehicle, we are unable to offer a motor insurance quotation for modified cars online. Please call our motor team on 0800 954 97 56 and we’ll provide you with a UK car insurance quote over the phone.

Business use
This means your UK car insurance policy will cover the policyholder for their own business travel to more than one place of work and between places of work.

Foreign use
All motor insurance policies offered through CoverGirl Car Insurance Services provide the minimum cover you require to drive in any of the EU countries.

To extend this to include your normal policy cover then you need to have a Green Card. Some motor insurance policies provide this free of charge. Please see online quotation for further details.

Disabilities or medical conditions
Certain disabilities or medical conditions will need to be reported to the DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency), as they may affect your or any named drivers' ability to drive.

The DVLA must be informed if you or any named drivers have any of the following:

An epileptic event (seizure or fit)
Sudden attacks of disabling giddiness, fainting or blackouts
Severe mental handicap
A pacemaker, defibrillator or anti-ventricular tachycardia device fitted
Diabetes controlled by insulin
Diabetes controlled by tablets
A serious problem with memory
A major or minor stroke
Any type of brain surgery, brain tumour, severe head injury involving
in-patient treatment at hospital
Any severe psychiatric illness or mental disorder
Continuing/permanent difficulty in the use of arms or legs which
affects your/their ability to control a vehicle
Dependence on or misuse of alcohol, illicit drugs or chemical substances
in the past 3 years (this does not include drink driving offences)
Any visual disability which affects BOTH eyes (no need to declare short/long
sight or colour blindness).

If you or any of your named drivers have disabilities or medical conditions we will need to ask for some information in relation to this in order to ensure you have adequate UK car insurance cover. Please call our motor team on 0800 954 97 56 and we will provide you with a UK car insurance quote over the phone.

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