No frills cover (Tesco Car Insurance)

Member Name: Mrs-LT

Product:	Tesco Car Insurance
Date:	24/02/09 (273 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheap

Disadvantages: Charge for every amendment to policy

I purchased a Tesco car insurance policy last May because they offered the cheapest quote on www.confused.com (a price comparison site). I selected the quote online and received the documents a few days later.

Tesco do 2 types of insurance - Tesco and Tesco Value. Don't be fooled - Tesco Value often (unbelievably) are MORE expensive than Tesco. I don't understand the logic behind this but it is true.

Price-wise Tesco are great, especially for younger drivers. They charge considerably lower premiums than most other companies for my car (woman, 1.4 litre 58 reg car, 2 years NCB to give you an idea) which immediately appealed to me.

Documents were sent out quickly and the policy terms and conditions were easy to understand. When I changed my car in September, they amended my policy with no fuss. I like the fact that they have a UK call centre and the staff are very pleasant, also I have never experienced being held in a long queue which is another very good thing.

The thing I dislike is that I could not change my policy to start on a set date (the date I knew I was picking my car up), I had to call actually on that day. I also could not get an accurate quote for the price increase I would have to pay, as they can only quote changes for the same day. This was not the case when I was insured with Quinn Direct last time I changed my car.

The other thing I hate is the hidden extras. Well, they are not hidden they are clearly in the T&Cs but what I mean is that they charge £26 every time you amend your policy, plus your premium increase, and this is one of the ways they keep premiums so low. With hindsight, I wish I had paid more for a more inclusive policy (such as my previous Quinn Direct one which allowed changes for free) but my son was due 2 weeks after I paid my insurance so I was not exactly rolling in it and jumped on the cheapest policy.

I also am not insured to drive other cars despite being fully comprehensive and not a young driver. I have never known this with any other policy and it is a pain as I occasionally used to drive my mum's car third party when I had this as an insurance feature. Again, this is why I will be paying more for a better policy for me next time.

However, as a no frills insurance policy I would recommend Tesco. It really has not been bad but next time I will be paying more to have a policy that gives me more.

Summary: Good if you're on a budget, but if you can afford to pay more it may be worth it to do so