Wondering if NFU Mutual car insurance is a good choice for you? Read our review to find out how NFU Mutual, one of the best cheap car insurance companies in the UK, would suit your needs and which important features you'll need to add on. Plus learn how existing policyholders review NFU Mutual customer service.

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In This Review

• NFU Mutual Car Insurance: Overall Scoring System Review
  • Details
• Phone numbers and policy documents

NFU Mutual Car Insurance Overall Review

NFU Mutual

Overall Score: 6.34

Tested With NimbleFins Scoring System

10

Basics

?

5

Dream

?

4

Flexibility

?

6

Breakup

?

4.8

Communication

?

8

Support

?

5

Popularity

?

9.3

Financial

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NFU Mutual may not be a name you're familiar with, because they don't have a big online presence, but their solid scores in a few categories have earned them the 5th spot in the NimbleFins Scoring System for car insurance. Most notable is NFU Mutual's strength in the following categories: basic (e.g. their core cover that gives all policyholders a solid set of features), support (e.g. a low 0-5% of claims complaints as a % of claims) and financial (e.g. our sample quote that was surprisingly competitive; a strong solvency ratio indicating financial health of the company).

One important point of note is that you cannot get a quote from NFU Mutual online—only over the phone. This may be a drawback or a strength for you. We tested out getting a quote from NFU Mutual and were assisted by a very kind and helpful woman who walked us through our quote. It took a lot longer than getting an online quote—24 minutes in total, and we didn't ask a lot of questions so it could take a lot longer if you do have questions. That said, the woman made a suggestion that helped reduce the premium by over £100, and anyone looking for a human touch and some guidance might really like dealing with NFU Mutual.

Because of the lack of online provision (e.g. webchat, an app, an online account), and because their phone opening hours are on the short side, NFU Mutual performed less impressively in the communication category.

Quick takeaway: NFU Mutual can be a good option to consider for those who are looking for solid cover and helpful service, but who aren't in a rush and don't mind the lack on online account or quotes.

Scoring System Details for NFU Mutual

Here's more detail on how NFU Mutual scored in each of the 8 Scoring System categories:

Basic features

How well does the cheapest, lowest tier of insurance cover basic features like courtesy cars and windscreens?

Score: 10 out of 10.0 (vs average of 5.8). NFU Mutual scored a full 10 out of 10 points for the basic category, due to their strong set of features supplied to all policyholders. Everyone gets a courtesy car for repairs, as much key cover as they need, basic breakdown and legal cover, personal accident (at a high level of up to £15,000), a lifetime repair guarantee, personal belongings cover, mis-fueling cover, vandalism protection and more.

Dream features

If you want the highest coverage, can you get a fully loaded policy with many features?

Score: 5 out of 10.0 (vs average of 7.3). NFU Mutual scored 7.5 out of 10 in the dream category, falling short of a top score because they don't offer vandalism no claims, a higher level of aftermarket audio equipment cover or personal belongings cover, or driving other cars.

Flexibility

Can you customise your insurance policy to accommodate your needs? How costly is it to make a change?

Score: 4 out of 10.0 (vs average of 4.7). NFU Mutual offers one main tier of cover, with a few optional add-ons, of course, but they don't have provision for a stripped-back comprehensive policy for those looking for a cheaper premium. However, they don't charge admin fees to make changes, which helps their flexibility score.

Breakup

What are their cancellation fees, and how easy is it to cancel your policy - do you need to call or can you cancel online?

Score: 6 out of 10.0 (vs average of 4.9). NFU Mutual scored 6.0 out of 10 for the breakup score. On the plus side, they don't charge any cancellation fees, even after the cooling off period. This is highly unusual (and good)! But offsetting this, there are limited choices for cancelling because you have to ring up—there's no option to do this online.

Communication

Do they have phone customer service, or is it online only? What are their customer service hours?

Score: 4.8 out of 10.0 (vs average of 6.6). NFU Mutual scored 4.75 out of 10 for communication. Their results in this category are a mixed bag. In terms of phone lines, NFU Mutual scores highly. Not only do they have phone lines for customer service, but the number and open hours are easy to find on site. On the other hand, there is no webchat option, either human or AI chatbot. Also, their phone customer service line open hours are a bit shorter than other providers, with no hours on Sundays.

Support

Do they have a 24/7 claims line? What are their claims payout stats?

Score: 8 out of 10.0 (vs average of 7.3). NFU Mutual scored a solid 8.0 out of 10 for support, primarily due to having a 24/7 claims line and lower claims complaints rates. They fall a bit short on the provision for accommodation and/or transport after an accident, however, offering only up to £200 of cover.

Popularity

How do they rank in terms of popularity?

Score: 5 out of 10.0 (vs average of 5.7). In terms of popularity with UK motorists, NFU Mutual scored 5 out of 10. Last year, they were the 8th largest motor insurer in the UK, with £758 million of gross written premiums. Their Trustscore is a high 4.4 out of 5, indicating that existing customers do really have a good experience.

Financial

How do premium and set-up costs compare? Is the company financial stable? How many claims complaints do they have?

Score: 9.3 out of 10.0 (vs average of 6.8). Given that you have to get a quote over the phone and it takes a while, and that policies have a solid set of features, we expected NFU Mutual premiums to be significantly higher than other options. But we got a sample quote and found that, for our 50-year-old good driver of a new Ford Puma, NFU Mutual was competitively priced. They weren't the cheapest (out of 12 providers, they were the 8th cheapest), but given the policy details, we felt the price was reasonable.

Policy Documents and Contact Details

NFU Mutual policy documents can be found on their website here.

Existing motor insurance policyholders can reach customer service at 0808 120 5090. New customers can call 0808 271 6812 to get a quote.