Esure Car Insurance Review: Good Value Cover for You?

Esure Car Insurance Review: Good Value Cover for You?

Solid cover and good customer reviews make esure a solid mid-market choice.

Good for

  • Customer service open 7 days a week
  • Good customer ratings

Bad for

  • Higher cancellation fees
  • Loss or accidental damage for keys is extra

Editor's Rating

3.5/5.0

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.

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Is esure car insurance any good? Read our review to find out if esure is missing any important features and learn how existing policyholders review their customer service.

In This Review

Esure Car Insurance Overall Review

One of the top 10 car insurance companies in the UK, esure is a very popular car insurance brand BUT customer reviews have deteriorated in the past year. At the end of 2019 esure sported Trustpilot ratings of 3.9 stars but by the end of 2020 this had dropped to 3.7 stars. However, by mid 2023, we have seen a boost in their rating back up to 3.9 stars. So it seems they are working to improve their customer experience.

That said, esure comprehensive cover provides a solid set of "must have" features such as a courtesy car to provide you with transport if your car is ever damaged in an insured accident and off for repairs (with an approved repairer, of course), as well as windscreen cover and accident recovery.

There are a few missing features to be aware of, however. For instance, the standard key cover only covers theft (you can get cover for loss or accidental cover for an added premium)—and even then, only when it can be shown that the identity or location of your car is known to whomever has the keys, transmitter or entry card. We read through the fine print of the Policy Wording from the esure website to check out what's covered by their comprehensive car insurance, and how that compares to what a good policy should offer.

How Good is esure Car Insurance?A Good Policy IncludesDoes esure Deliver?esure Comprehensive Coverage
"Must Have" Features
WindscreenFull repair or replacement
thumbs up
Included
Belongings£200+
question mark
Included but amount of coverage varies
Keys£300+
thumbs up
thumbs up add on
Up to £500 for theft if the identity or location of your car is known to whomever has the keys, transmitter or entry card. (Cover for loss or accidental damage covered if you buy the add on option.)
Protected NCD2 times in 3 years (standard or optional extra)
thumbs up add on
If you buy the add on
Car recovery after accidentIncluded
thumbs up
Included
Courtesy car (repairs)Minimum 14 days
thumbs up
Included
Repairs guaranteed (if use approved repairer)12-month guarantee
thumbs up
5 years
"Should Have" Features
New car replacementTheft or damage at least 60% of list price; cars up to 12 months old; first owner
thumbs up
If damage repair will cost more than 55% of the manufacturer's latest UK list price (inc. taxes) and the vehicle is less than a year old
Stereo and satellite navMarket value for manufacturer fitted
thumbs up
Included
Alternative transport & Hotel after accident£250+
question mark
Up to £250 for driver or £500 for everyone in your car for hotel costs, but onward travel not covered
24-hour emergency helplineStandard
thumbs up
Included
Courtesy car (total loss or theft)Standard or add-on extra
thumbs up add on
If you buy the add on
Motor legal expensesStandard or add-on extra
thumbs up add on
If you buy the add on
Breakdown coverStandard or add-on extra
thumbs up add on
If you buy the add on
"Could Have" Features
Same cover in EUStandard or add-on extra
thumbs up add on
Up to 90 days
Child car seat replacement after accident, theft, fireIdeally replaced even if no visible damage
thumbs up
Up to £100 per child seat
Larger/premium courtesy carStandard or add-on extra
red x
Not available
Uninsured driver NCD protectionStandard
thumbs up add on
If you buy the add on
Cancellation feeNo more than £50
red x
£26 during the 14-day cooling off period; £60 after cooling off period in first period of insurance

Are Sheilas' Wheels and esure the same company?

Sheilas' Wheels is an esure brand—so not only are Sheilas' Wheels and esure policies very similar, but you have the same underwriter behind both brands. There are a few minor differences between Sheilas' Wheels and esure, however. For starters, our pricing analysis found that Sheilas' Wheels may be a touch cheaper than esure, but only by a few quid. Second, since Sheilas' Wheels is targeted at female drivers their cover includes a special provision for handbags. (Competitor Diamond Insurance, an Admiral Brand, is also aimed at women and features extra coverage specifically for handbags and their contents.)

Does esure do delivery driver insurance?

No, esure does not cover delivery driving, so esure policyholders cannot engage in paid delivery work. Read more about that in our article Does esure do delivery insurance?

esure Car Insurance Customer Service Reviews and Ratings

esure Ratings & Customer Reviews
Trustpilot customer service rating3.9 out of 5
Reviews.co.uk3.72 out of 5

Is esure car insurance any good? Esure car insurance generally provides good features and coverages. And their customer reviews have improved in the past year, which is a good sign. We've read through hundreds of reviews to see what real customers have to say about esure car insurance. Here's what we found:

esure Trustpilot

Esure has earned 3.9 out of 5 stars at Trustpilot, which is a good score. 16% of the over 25,000 customer reviews are just 1 star, indicating a 'bad' experience, and 65% rate their experience as "excellent". Here is a sample of some more common and remarkable complaints and praise:

"Cheaper car insurance easy to complete form online. When I had to call about a query very nice helpful customer Service man my problem was solved."

"Very bad communication, no support after my car had an accident. My courtesy car has not been rearranged despite emailing the claim department and no reply. I contacted thru Twitter no support as well."

"My old insurers were charging too much and I wasn’t prepared to pay what they were asking. Esure came out as one of the best/cheapest car insurers. Having been with you before helped me choose esure for the coming year. Filling in the forms online was straightforward."

"New car insurance customer today. Paid my deposit and set up direct debit. I made a mistake started cover 2 days later than I needed. Phoned customer service to change date. What a nightmare!! I'd have to cancel my 1 hour old policy start a new policy but it's £200 a year more?"

"Abysmal. Undervalued my vehicle by over 50%. The engineer would not speak to me to discuss this. When accident happened they literally abandoned me over 100 miles from home with blood pouring from wounds I sustained to my legs."

"After being involved in a hit and run, esure have done very little in terms of providing a service. They avoided providing a retainment figure for my vehicle for almost 3 weeks and kept pushing me to accept the pay out figure which is less than market value. They have refused to review my evidence regarding the value even though there are multiple cars of the same spec, age and mileage for at least a thousand pound more. They then started there own proceedings of me retaining the car without me actually accepting the figure. As a result they had taken the courtesy car off hire without notifying me, making me liable for charges. Well done esure, you have made a stressful situation an awful lot worse. You have not been working on my behalf- only working to make yourself a higher profit yield and putting me out of pocket."

"Took out policy, which isn’t active for another 2 days. Rang to void and informed premium will be refunded minus a large 'admin' fee.. Very bad for something that hasn’t been used yet??"

Regarding esure's cancellation fees—note, they are just a touch higher than average UK car insurance cancellation fees.

On a more positive note, more than 65% esure customers have an 'excellent' experience. Customer comment on the ease of switching to esure and keeping your No Claims Discount, an easy-to-use website where you can get documents like your certificate of insurance, and more:

"I've always been reluctant to switch insurance due to having to prove my no claims discount. I need not have worried, I received a confirmation email that my no claims had been confirmed and I didn't need to provide evidence."

"I have been with esure for one year. The renewal arrived promptly, and the renewal cost was cheaper than last year. The website for policy documents, enquiries etc. is easy to use. I was very happy to renew."

"Cannot fault service, went online to check out if there were cheaper options than the renewal I had and ensure not only bettered the price but also the cover. Happy days"

"Really good price, all done online with no phone calls. A++++"

esure Reviews.co.uk

And on Reviews.co.uk, over a thousand customers have rated esure with 3.7 stars (down from 3.8 in 2019). Many complaints were related to charges for canceling or making admin changes, but to be fair these are not uncommon in the industry and customers should be aware of these charges when they need to make changes.

Esure Car Insurance Quote Comparison

Popular car insurance brand esure is a mid-market brand in terms of price. Customers probably won't find the cheapest prices from esure, nor will prices normally be astronomical. Our recent check for a sample 30-year-old driver of a 2017 Ford Fiesta showed esure prices were in line with Sheilas' Wheels, Bell, People's Choice and More Than. Prices may vary for your individual profile however, as each brand will price risk differently across the car you drive, where you live, your driving history, etc.

Average premium over 50 sample post codes for a 30-year-old driver of a Ford Fiesta
Churchill£427
Quotemehappy.com£600
Admiral£670
Elephant£677
Diamond£682
Hastings (Essential)£685
People's Choice£735
Bell£749
Sheilas' Wheels£776
esure£780
More Than£781
LV=£988
RAC£1,124
One Call£1,177
Sainsbury's£1,194
Tesco£1,584
Ageas£2,805

Quotes will vary drastically for different profiles, so you may need to pay more or less than these rates, but this information can give an idea of how an insurance provider tends to compare in terms of price.

chart showing a cost comparison of esure car insurance to Bell, Hastings, Quotemehappy, Hastings Smart Miles, Admiral Little Box, Churchill, LV= and others

esure Cancellation & Admin Fees

Customers will need to pay cancellation fees or other administration fees if they want to cancel or make changes to their policy. esure administration fees are a bit high and you'll even be charged £26 if you cancel during the 14-day cooling-off period (although cancellation charges are less during the cooling off period than afterwards as you can see in the table below).

esure Cancellation and Administration Fees
Cancellation (within 14-day cooling off period)£26
Cancellation (after 14-day cooling off period, during first period of cover)£60
Cancellation (after 14-day cooling off period, in subsequent periods of cover)£35
Other changes to your policy£26

Important esure Car Insurance Phone Numbers

Esure customer service is available 7 days a week, on Monday to Friday from 8am to 8pm, Saturdays from 9am to 5pm and Sunday from 9am to 2pm.

esure Car Insurance Contact Numbers
Customer Services0345 045 1000
Claims (open Mon - Fri 8am - 9pm, Sat 9am - 5pm, closed Sundays)0345 603 7872
24 Hour Helplines
Accident recovery0800 085 8533
Windscreen0800 085 8459
European emergency+44 141 243 2897
Breakdown service0800 085 6837

Policy Documents

To find out more about the real ins and out of esure car insurance, read through the policy documents here to learn about exclusions and details about what's covered.

FAQs

esure is one of the UK's biggest car insurance companies. They operate as both an underwriter and a broker, providing car, home, pet and travel insurance.
esure is part of the esureGroup plc, which has traded on the London Stock Exchange since 2013. As of 2015, GoCompare is also a part of esureGroup plc.
esure both underwrites their own policies AND they operate as a broker to offer more products (underwritten by other companies) to different types of drivers. Depending on the details of your application, you can either get an esure-underwritten policy or be offered a policy underwritten by another company.
esure is one of the top 10 car insurance companies in the UK, has a pretty good set of customer reviews and includes most "must have" features on their comprehensive policies.
Yes, you can cancel your esure car insurance at any time, but the timing will impact how much you pay in cancellation fees.
esure cancellation fees are £26 during the first 14 days, £60 after the first 14 days in the first period of insurance and £35 after the first 14 days in subsequent periods of insurance (e.g., a renewal).
In most cases, an esure fully comprehensive policyholder is able to drive other cars, subject to conditions such as having the owner's permission. Be aware that cover will be limited to third party only. Check your Certificate and Schedule to be sure.
If you pay by direct debit or have given esure "Continuous Payment Authority" for your credit card or debit card when you bought the policy, then your esure car insurance should renew automatically.
If you want to change your payment details, you can pay online by setting up a credit card or direct debit but beware that changes will incur an admin fee.
To cancel esure car insurance online at renewal, you can contact them using the online form. Alternatively, you can cancel esure car insurance by calling customer service at 0345 045 1000—lines are open Mon – Fri: 8am – 8pm, Sat: 9am – 5pm and Sun: 9am – 2pm.
If you want to change your payment details at renewal, do so at least 4 days before your renewal date. Otherwise you may be required to pay £26 if you make the change mid term, as explained in esure car insurance admin fees.
Yes, you can pay for esure car insurance with a credit card.
Yes, esure does multi car policies. The discount will apply to you, your partner or any individuals aged 25+ at the same address. You each get individual policies, which is important so that if a claim is made on one policy, it won’t affect the No Claim Discount on the other policy.

Other Car Insurance Reviews

If you'd like to compare esure to other car insurance brands, see some of our other car insurance reviews 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.

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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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