Read about Acorn to see if their car insurance for learners or high risk drivers might be suitable for you. Find out how Acorn features compare and how existing policyholders rate Acorn's customer service.

In This Review

• Acorn Car Insurance: Overall Review
• Customer Reviews and Ratings
• Discounts
• Phone numbers and policy documents

Acorn Car Insurance Overall Review

Acorn specialises in cover for learners and those with points on their licence or previous convictions, who might have trouble getting cover elsewhere. Customers give Acorn high marks for their customer service, which should give some peace of mind to those considering sign up for an Acorn policy.

Potential customers should be aware that Acorn policies are quite basic and don't include a lot of features you might find on other policies. For example, Acorn doesn't include a guarantee on repairs to damage after an accident, accommodation and onwards travel after an accident or a new car replacement. However, this can help keep their prices lower. So if you don't need these features then Acorn might be a good option for you, especially if you have points or convictions.

And that said, policies do include a courtesy car (over 21s), glass windscreen cover, third party cover when driving in Europe, legal expenses, and more. (Subject to conditions, of course.)

Acorn policies purchased online (e.g., through their website or a price comparison site) are provided by Haven Insurance Company Ltd. Add on products may be provided by other companies; for instance, for keycare cover they deal with Ageas Insurance, one of the biggest UK car insurance companies, or breakdown cover. Since the policies are somewhat stripped back to keep the premiums lower, just have a look through the details before buying.

Online changes

Acorn makes it easy to make a number of changes online their portal, such as:

Features

Acorn offers three types of polices (Comprehensive, Third Party Fire & Theft and Third Party Only), but they work with a few different underwriters for private car insurance (e.g. LV ABC, LV Clear Car, Ageas, XS Direct, Haven), and policies may vary slightly from one to another. (And they have other cover for taxis, motor trade, etc.) For this reason, you'll need to check the policy wording of a policy offered to you before you buy it, to make sure you're happy with the coverage.

Here is a list of features to look out for in any car insurance policy, divided into three categories ("must have", "should have" and "could have"), and what is the minimum level of cover one would ideally get. Use this as a guide when looking at your Acorn coverage. Read about conditions and exclusions and coverage in the policy documents.

Acorn Car Insurance Customer Service Reviews and Ratings

Acorn customers are generally very happy with the company, as evidenced by solid customer reviews and very impressive 4.6 out of 5 stars on Trustpilot by over 9,000 customers and 90% gave them an 'Excellent' 5-star rating but, of course, some customers do have some problems. The negative reviews were a mix of complaints—some potentially serious, some not (e.g., closed on Sunday, someone charged a cancellation fee, renewal price higher, not showing up in the Motor Insurance Database ASAP, etc.). But only 6% of customers gave a poor 1-star ratings, which is a very low/good figure for insurance.

Over 1,500 customers have rated Acorn with 4.9 stars out of 5 at Reviews.co.uk.

Here are some of the negative customer reviews:

"The young driver team are exceptionally great, they have always responded to any enquiries effectively."

"They email me twice telling my policy would be auto-renewed. Six months later I get a letter from the Motor Insurance Database stating that I have no cover. After 2 hours on the phone and being placed on hold 7 times, they reuse to let me speak to a manager. They refuse to help despite me giving them the letter to them. DO NOT TRUST THEM."

"So I’ve been trying for the last ten dayss to contact I’ve used the chat phone numbers given to me also tried logging in on the website for it to keep saying it can’t find my details"

"The sales team answer calls straight away but customer service don’t answer calls and I’ve been redirected many times in an effort to try and avoid cancelling my policy.... Automated voice also tells the customers to use the online service for queries, and queries will be dealt with immediately, this is untrue and another way of avoiding calls."

"I chose insurance and paid for it, and they sent me a certificate of insurance. But I'm not in MID, I called the company I was switched between employees 5 times, but no one was able to do anything. I will cancel the policy... Update. 4 days later, I'm still not in the MID. I have already made 2 requests to stop the policy. Again, no reaction."

And some positive customer reviews, which mostly highlight a very patient and helpful sales staff:

"Hands down the best customer service ever I was given the utmost respect and treated tremendously"

"On first impressions, I get the feel they're a somewhat smaller company battling out the bigger well known insurers; I feel this makes them far easier to contact, particularly via email as they offer this information. They certainly offer all the usual bits you would expect including online policy management etc. The policy was the cheapest quote at the time and was very easy and straightforward to purchase. Cover was immediate and offers everything I need including the ability to drive other cars... The lady I spoke to on the phone was amazing and went out of her way to sort things out - I was left very reassured that I'm covered and not to worry."

Acorn Car Insurance Discounts

Acorn offers a typical set of car insurance discounts, such as savings for good driving records, no claims discounts and paying in full at the start of each policy year.

Cancellation & Administration Fees

Acorn cancellation fees range from £0 to £250 for motor insurance, depending on the type of policy and when you cancel your policy. In addition to fees payable to Acorn, you will need to pay a fee to the insurance provider (e.g., Haven Insurance). To make another admin change (e.g., add a driver or change your address), expect to pay £25 each time. You'll also pay a new policy set up fee and renewal fees. You can learn more about these as well as fees for other products like taxi, van, motor fleet, etc. in their terms of service.

Important Acorn Car Insurance Phone Numbers

Customers can reach Acorn customer service 6 days a week—not on Sundays. Except, of course, customers can use the 24-hour helpline if they have an accident and need help. During normal working hours customers can get in touch with Acorn through their online live chat feature and phone customer service lines, which are open Mon through Fri: 9.00am-9.00pm and Sat: 9.30am-5.30pm.

Policy Documents

To find out more about the conditions and exclusions, read the Acorn policy documents.

Other Car Insurance Reviews

If you'd like to compare Elephant to other car insurance companies, see our other car insurance reviews below: