Should I buy car insurance add ons?

Cubana48

Buying my first ever car, and have just gotten to grips with the car insurance quoting system. Now there are all the add ons: Breakdown cover, Legal cover, Personal Injury, Hire car.
Just wanted anyone's opinion on whether or not to buy these things, and if it's better to do it seperate or through the insurance company?

Thanks

scaredofdebt

They're not usually good value if bought this way but they can be OK. Depends on the usual things, cost, what the cover is for, do you need it etc?

Hard to say for sure, how important is peace of mind to you?

Jamiesmum

Hire car definitely. Worth getting upgraded too. I pay £36 for the year and get a brand new hire car delivered the same day. Had to use it twice last year (not my fault) and once this year. My fault. Both times last year I was without a car for 4/5 weeks. I need a car for work though so it's a must for me.
This time I've had it since Saturday and will probably have it for another week or so.

Get quoted on RAC/AA for breakdown cover and see what comes in cheapest. I personally have RAC cover through my insurance. But don't think I'll bother next time. If you ever needed them you can sign up over the phone and pay a fee and they will come to you as usual anyway, it'll just take an extra half hour.

Can't comment on the others as don't have them.

Depends how often you're driving your car, where you are driving too, and if you know anyone who can help you out with these things instead. A spare car in the household, know a lawyer etc.

rich13348

I have hire car cover this year and my car was just written off. I wouldn't have had a hire car so it saved us as my fiancee needed it to commute to work. I also took out personal injury for my fiancee as she is the main driver but the policy only covers the policyholder as standard. So it depends what you want and can afford. Also legal cover might be helpful if you come across an uninsured driver who totals your car.

AdrianC

Consider what you're actually likely to need, and how many vehicles you might need it across.

For me, with several cars, breakdown cover is a no-brainer. Separate policy, personal cover.
Legal - I've never bothered with it. But, a quick google finds how ridiculously cheap it is as a stand-alone...

Just one example:
https://www.bestpricefs.co.uk/motor-legal-protection
I strongly suspect that compares well with the insurance add-on for three or four times the price.

Aretnap

Personal injury cover with car insurance generally provides a derisory amount of cover. Maybe £10K if you end up in a wheelchair for life, a few K if you lose a limb, nothing for injuries less serious than that. Not worth basing your decision on. if you wn't to protect yourself against illness or injury (however caused) look into critical illness cover or income protection insurance - it's more expensive, but pays out an amount which is actually worth having.

Breakdown cover - see if you find it more cheaply as a standalone policy. You probably can.

Hire car - how badly inconvenienced would you be by being without your car for a week or two? And could you afford to hire one yourself if you needed one? Personally I don't bother - I can cycle to work, and hire a car if I really need one, but YMMV.

WellKnownSid

Breakdown... Worth it if you break down, make sure you're not covered elsewhere. Some cover is more comprehensive than others, but in some cases can be £££ cheaper than the equivalent AA / RAC.

Legal cover... Waste of time. Only used it once about 20 years ago, useless bunch of idiots ended up doing the entire investigation myself, including tracing the third party's "witness who was a solicitor" to a legal firm - where this particular "typist" finally admitted they couldn't have seen the accident from where they were and we're best friends of the TP...

Car Hire, I've got three other cars on the drive, it'd be an excuse to stretch the legs on the E class... Perhaps get a bus?

Personal injury. As others have said - pointless cover.

Actually, that's not a bad list of extras. At my last renewal I was offered... Lost keys insurance, mis-fuelling insurance, misplaced wife insurance...

gycraig_2

Lost key insurance is somet like 12 quid a year something I always recommend

vansboy

Breakdown....you may already have it with your bank account or partners bank account. Otherwise https://www.autoaidbreakdown.co.uk/ will be one cheaper option

Legal cover...possibly not needed, but worth thinking about

Car hire...depends if you can get a lift to work instead, if things meant your car got damaged and off the road. If its first car and a cheap n cheerfull banger, then more or less any bump could easily write it off. This means you would be looking for a new car as soon as insurance pay out and they wouldn't provide a hire car once this happens, so chances are, you could do without this option.

VB

musafir05

Since I purchase a new vehicle every two years, I often just buy the insurance itself without the overpriced addons. If you have a older car and intent to do motorway mileage then I suggest breakdown cover.

[Deleted User]

These add-ons can really make what started out as a reasonably priced policy into one heck price £££...

I guess that's is why certain insurers quote sites always show you the monthly cost by default even though I've already said I pay for it annually. To hide the silly price...?

As we live in the sticks I just go for guaranteed hire car plus + basic breakdown.

Being a member of the CSMA Legal cover for all the cars in the household are covered for a fraction of the cost.

Cheers