Apricot Insurance Review: The Broker For You?

Apricot Insurance Review: The Broker For You?

A broker to help you find a cheaper quote for the cover you need, but beware of the fees.

Good for

  • Works with some top insurers

Bad for

  • Higher admin and cancellation charges

Editor's Rating

3.0/5.0

The guidance on this site is based on our own analysis and is meant to help you identify options and narrow down your choices. We do not advise or tell you which product to buy; undertake your own due diligence before entering into any agreement. Read our full disclosure here.

Is Apricot Insurance the broker for your insurance needs—and can they save you money? Let’s take a look at what Apricot Insurance has to offer and read what real customers have to say. For quick quotes from up to 100 brands comparing Apricot Insurance against popular RAC, Admiral, Hastings, etc., click the blue "Get Quotes" button below.

Cheap Car Insurance Quotes

Compare up to 100 UK insurance brands in under 2 minutes, including Apricot Insurance.

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In This Review

Apricot Insurance Car Insurance Overall Review

A Northern Ireland-based broker (that also covers Great Britain) with a branch in Belfast, Apricot Insurance sells car, home, van, landlord, and specialist cover (e.g., caravan, restaurant, tradesman, public liability, etc.) and has been around since 2011.

But is Apricot Insurance any good? It's hard to say based on customer reviews, since there aren't very many—partially because the company doesn't have a Trustpilot profile. Also, the features you get will depend on the underwriter. But Apricot works with some of the UK's top car insurance underwriters so it can be worth getting a quote, especially if you're local.

You can get a quote from Apricot Insurance by calling or going to their website or, if you want to compare their prices to the market, then go to our car insurance comparison partner QuoteZone—their panel includes Apricot Insurance and other popular brands such as RAC, Admiral and Hastings.

One thing to be aware of is the admin and cancellation fees. Apricot Insurance cancellation fees are a bit higher than average cancellation fees in the UK, and since they're a broker you'll also pay additional fees to the underwriter of your policy as well.

Policy arrangement fees have actually dropped in price and are now £22.50 for personal lines (higher for commercial)—these fees are not refunded if you cancel. Some other brokers (e.g., Advance Insurance) charge even higher arrangement fees.

Apricot Insurance customer service is open 6 days a week (they're closed Sunday).

No Claims Discount: Be aware that Apricot requires proof of no claims bonus to be supplied within 7 days from the date the policy is set up.

Apricot Insurance Customer Service Reviews and Ratings

Apricot Insurance online customer reviews are mixed, and there aren't very many reviews, so it's hard to draw a firm conclusion of the typical customer experience. We read through the reviews to see if we could learn anything. Here's what we found:

Apricot Insurance Trustpilot

Apricot Insurance is not on Trustpilot, so nothing to learn from there.

Apricot Insurance Google

On Google, 71 people have left reviews for Apricot Insurance Services Limited, with an average score of 4.2 out of 5 stars, which has improved in the past year or so. Here is a sample of customer reviews that you might find helpful:

"They offered the best price for car insurance and have very friendly, helpful staff."

"Having used many different companies for car insurance, apricot has been by far the most helpful. Staff went out of their way to answer queries and the actual premium they offered was far better than other companies. Some well known companies flat out refused to offer cover for a younger driver on my specific vehicle. Very impressed and hope to remain with them."

"Excellent service from Clark at Apricot. Got my son's car insurance sorted very promptly. Would highly recommend."

"... Wanted to cancel insurance because sold the van... I phoned on 6th of November and insurance was valid until 28th of February. There was another 4 month but I was not entitled for any refund. I wasn't even explained how they calculated it..."

The terms of insurance bought through a broker often mean the the premium due at cancellation is calculated using a scale—this means you pay more than a pro-rata proportionate amount for you time of cover and can mean no premium refund if you cancel in the last few months.

Apricot Insurance Car Insurance Quote Comparison

As a broker, Apricot Insurance will survey their panel of insurers to find you the best quote that they can. Since their panel doesn't include every insurer, you may be able to find a cheaper quote elsewhere, however.

Prices for car insurance can vary significantly from day to day and company to company, and depend on factors like your age, driving experience, postcode, car, etc. If you want to compare Apricot Insurance to other brands, try our car insurance partner QuoteZone—who can supply quotes from Apricot Insurance and over 100 other insurance brands.

Cheap Car Insurance Quotes in Your Area

Quickly compare up to 100+ UK insurance brands, including Apricot Insurance.

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Apricot Insurance Car Insurance Deals

An easy way to get a cheaper car insurance quote is to buy your policy around three weeks in advance—that's typically the best time to buy a car insurance policy. After this time, rates usually climb.

Paying upfront is another way to save money, since insurers usually charge you (like a loan) if you want to spread out the costs and pay monthly. Rates will vary but you could save tens to hundreds a year, depending on your premium. Apricot Insurance uses Creation Consumer Finance Ltd for Personal Lines Insurance and Close Brothers Premium Finance for Commercial Lines Insurance to finance clients who want to pay monthly.

Another tip to get a lower premium is reassessing where you park your car at night. If you have access to a garage there's a lower chance of theft. For other tips, see our research on how to get a car insurance discount.

It's always a good idea to compare the market also, especially when it comes time for renewal, to make sure you'll getting a good deal. Apricot Insurance is part of the comparison panel provided by our car insurance comparison partner QuoteZone, a comparison website that works with over 100 brands in the UK car insurance market. Using QuoteZone, you should be able to get a quote from Apricot Insurance as well as competitors to compare prices and see which companies offer the best deals in your post code and for your car.

Apricot Insurance Cancellation Fees

As a broker that deals with a panel of insurers, Apricot Insurance policyholders will pay an arrangement fee for a new policy and subsequent renewals—up to £60 and £49.50, respectively, for personal line. Commercial lines cost even more. In addition, mid-term changes or cancellations can lead to admin/cancellation fees paid to both the Apricot Insurance and the underwriter—Apricots fees are shown in the data below, which we got from their terms and conditions:

Apricot Insurance Admin and Cancellation Fees
Personal Lines New Business£22.50
Personal Lines Renewals£22.50
Commercial Lines New Business & RenewalsUp to £250
Mid Term Amendments£29.50
CancellationsMinimum £65 (plus Apricot can retain all commission upon cancellation)
Cancellations during the “cooling off” period£30 (plus Apricot can retain all commission upon cancellation)
Lost Certificate and/or Duplicate Policy Issue£20
Letter of Cover Confirmation£20
Paper Documents Fee£10

Apricot Insurance Cancellation Policy

To cancel an Apricot insurance policy, make the request in writing or call 02890616718. Your certificate of insurance should also be returned to Apricot. Cancellation will be subject to any explicit policy terms or conditions.

Insurers can retain the premium in full in some situations, such as if you cancel while a claim is outstanding (then you probably need to pay all outstanding payments due before the claim can be settled) or after a claim has been settled (then you will probably have to pay all outstanding payments due). Even if you haven't claimed, you might get a smaller refund (or have to pay more if you pay monthly) than you expect, because insurers can charge short-period premiums in the event of cancellation before the policy expires.

If you're due a refund it should be processed within 5-10 working days.

Apricot Insurance Car Insurance Contact Numbers

Apricot Insurance branches are open Monday: 9am - 5pm, Tuesday to Thursday: 9am - 8pm, Friday: 9am - 5pm and Saturday: 9am - 1pm. They're closed on Sunday.

Apricot Insurance Contact Numbers
Quotes028 9061 6718
ClaimsContact details depend on the underwriter

FAQs

Apricot Insurance works with a panel of some of the UK's best insurance underwriters.
Apricot Insurance is a broker which has been around since 2001 and arranges policies for customers from a panel of underwriters. Apricot Insurance is registered at 166 Kingsway, Dunmurry, Belfast, Northern Ireland, BT17 9AD. Company Reg Number: NI607078.
Apricot Insurance sells car, home, van, landlord, and specialist cover (e.g., caravan, restaurant, tradesman, public liability, etc.).
Apricot Insurance customer service is open Monday: 9am - 5pm, Tuesday to Thursday: 9am - 8pm, Friday: 9am - 5pm and Saturday: 9am - 1pm. They're closed on Sunday. For more details including contact numbers click here.
To get a quote from Apricot Insurance, you can either compare Apricot against dozens of other brands in minutes from our car insurance comparison partner QuoteZone or, if you only want a quote from Apricot Insurance you can use their website or call their sales line (contact numbers can be found here.)
Whether or not you can drive other cars on a temporary, one-off basis with Apricot Insurance will depend on the underwriter. Call Apricot Insurance—contact numbers are listed here.
If you pay by direct debit, Apricot will usually automatically renew your policy, and this should be confirmed in a renewal invitation. If you don't want to renew, let Apricot know prior to the renewal date. If you wait to advise and return your certificate of motor insurance until after the renewal date, you'll need to pay a cancellation fee and for time covered.

Policy Documents

As Apricot Insurance is a broker, the insurance they arrange for you can be from a number of different insurers. Your policy documents will be sent to you shortly after you sign up for cover.

Other Car Insurance Reviews

If you'd like to compare Apricot Insurance to other car insurance companies, see some of our list of car insurance reviews. Some popular car insurance company reviews are listed below:

Erin Yurday

Erin Yurday is the Founder and Editor of NimbleFins. Prior to NimbleFins, she worked as an investment professional and as the finance expert in Stanford University's Graduate School of Business case writing team. Read more on LinkedIn.

Comments

The guidance on this site is based on our own analysis and is meant to help you identify options and narrow down your choices. We do not advise or tell you which product to buy; undertake your own due diligence before entering into any agreement. Read our full disclosure here.

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