Insurance Factory Review: Specialist Cover For You?

Insurance Factory Review: Specialist Cover For You?

Birmingham-based motor insurance broker that works with 80+ insurers for car, convicted driver, young driver, tax, van, motorhome, and motor trade cover.

Good for

  • Excellent online customer reviews
  • Friendly customer service staff
  • Specialist cover available

Bad for

  • Higher admin and cancellation charges

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.

Is Insurance Factory car insurance any good—and can they save you money? Let’s take a look at what Insurance Factory has to offer and read what real customers have to say.

To quickly compare quotes from Insurance Factory and popular car insurance brands such as RAC, Admiral and Hastings, click the blue "Get Quotes" button below—it takes about 2 minutes to see how much you can save.

Cheap Car Insurance Quotes

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In This Review

Insurance Factory Car Insurance Overall Review

Based in Cradley Heath near Birmingham, Insurance Factory has over 20 years experience in the industry and uses a panel of insurers to find the best price they can for your situation—even in the case of convictions, adverse claims history, high performance and modified cars, impounded vehicles, uni students and young drivers.

Customer reviews are very strong, mostly reflecting the buying process and helpfulness of the customer service staff. We can't say much about their features as policy documents are not available on their website for us to review since Insurance Factory is a broker—policies vary depending on which insurer underwrites your policy.

Especially for those who like a local Birmingham company, it's certainly worth getting a quote from Insurance Factory. You can get a quote from Insurance Factory 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 Insurance Factory.

Cancellation fees are roughly in line with average cancellation fees in the UK, but since they're a broker you'll have to pay a fee to them AND the underwriter of your policy so the cancellation costs can be a bit higher—as are mid-term adjustment fees.

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

Features

The features you get on a car insurance plan arranged by Insurance Factory will depend upon the insurer and what you require. They offer a range including the typical Third Party Only, Third Party Fire and Theft and Comprehensive cover.

To get an idea of features to look for in a policy, check out of our other reviews for which we were able to do a full analysis of comprehensive features, such as Elephant car insurance. Here are some optional, add-on products you can also get from Insurance Factory:

Insurance Factory Car Insurance Optional Add-on Cover

  • Motor Legal Expenses
  • UK/EU Breakdown including Homestart
  • Essential Breakdown Cover
  • Windscreen Cover
  • Excess Protect:
  • GAP Cover 2, 3 & 4 Years
  • Vehicle Replacement & Theft Protect
  • Key Care Cover
  • Gadget Cover/Plus

Insurance Factory Car Insurance for Young Drivers

Young drivers aged 17-24 can save money with a telematics device, Insurance FactoryGo. There are no curfews or hidden fines with Insurance FactoryGo, which is a small white box fitted to your windscreen. Using satellite technology, the device tracks your acceleration, braking, cornering, speeding, etc.

Insurance Factory Customer Service Reviews and Ratings

We scoured online customer reviews from Trustpilot and Reviews.co.uk to get an overall picture of the typical customer experience with Insurance Factory. Here's what we found:

Insurance Factory Trustpilot

There are over 3,000 customer reviews of Insurance Factory on Trustpilot, averaging to a rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars. This is better than average in the car insurance market. 79% of these are "Excellent" 5-star ratings and just 6% are 1-star complaints. Quite impressive. Here is a sample of a few Insurance Factory car insurance customer reviews from Trustpilot that you might find helpful:

Sample of positive customer reviews of Insurance Factory on Trustpilot:

"Great customer service was so easy to renew my car insurance."

"Steve was excellent. Despite all this challenges Steve remained calm and helpful."

"Excellence service with clear explanations given in patient manner."

"This where everyone can get the best taxi insurance based on my experience."

"Easy to renew with clear information and friendly staff."

"Have been with the insurance factory for some years now and have always been very satisfied with the service I have received..."

Sample of negative customer reviews of Insurance Factory on Trustpilot:

"I renewed my car insurance by phone on 7/9/22, but didn't receive a certificate by email as expected. It took a couple of attempts phoning back before someone sent through the document. One advisor recommended looking at "the portal", but when I logged onto this, there was only the titles, not documents there. I have found this very frustrating."

"Charged me £70 to change address, I moved not even a mile up the road..."

"... tried charging me £100 to cancel my insurance was willing to pay the £40 cancellation fee which it states in the agreement but the extra they add on is ridiculous."

Common customer complaints for Insurance Factory relate to cancellation or change costs. Note: the typical costs to change address with an insurance company involve both an admin fee and possibly a change to your premium. Some online companies let you make this change for free online, others charge in the region of £20-£25 to make a change. Insurance Company charges higher mid-term admin fees of £50.

If the insurer has experience of higher claims in your new post code, you're also likely to pay a higher premium when you change the address. This is standard practice in the industry.

Insurance Factory Reviews.co.uk

Close to 900 customer reviews have been left on Reviews.co.uk for Insurance Factory, yielding a very impressive rating of 4.8 out of 5 stars. Here is a representative sample of Insurance Factory car insurance customer reviews from Reviews.co.uk:

Sample of positive customer reviews of Insurance Factory on Reviews.co.uk:

"I had a few issues with my insurance renewal which lead me to panic but when I called to sort this out I was dealt with a very friendly and helpful man that not only sorted the issues for me but also made my day a lot brighter. The best customer services I've ever received."

"Ian Quinn has helped me with my insurance now for a couple of years and he gives me amazing service. He works hard to get me the best deal for my van everytime :)"

"Phone answered quickly Very helpful friendly service. Talked me through everything."

"Very competitive prices and came up with a best one."

"It was easy to obtain a quote."

Sample of negative customer reviews of Insurance Factory on Reviews.co.uk:

"You really are better off going to the major insurers even if you have to pay a bit extra "

"Quoted £1200 through comparison site. Price increased to 1600 after speaking to an adviser. sent all documents and were accepted only to be told that the NCB was not accepted and price increased to £3000 and no right to cancel penalty free."

Insurance Factory Car Insurance Quote Comparison

As a broker, Insurance Factory 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.

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 Insurance Factory to other brands, try our car insurance partner QuoteZone—who can supply quotes from Insurance Factory and over 100 other insurance brands.

Cheap Car Insurance Quotes in Your Area

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

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Insurance Factory Car Insurance Deals

Buying your policy around three weeks in advance is typically the best time to buy a car insurance policy—after this time, rates usually climb.

Paying upfront, annually 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.

Where do you keep your car at night? Parking in a safer location, such as a garage or even a private driveway, will probably result in a cheaper quote due to the lower risk 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. Insurance Factory is in the comparison panel provided by our car insurance partner QuoteZone, a comparison website that works with over 100 brands in the UK car insurance market—using them, you should be able to get a quote from Insurance Factory as well as competitors to compare prices and see which companies offer the best deals in your post code and for your car.

Insurance Factory Cancellation Fees

As a broker that deals with a panel of insurers, Insurance Factory policyholders will pay an arrangement fee for a new policy or renewal. In addition, mid-term changes or cancellations lead to admin/cancellation fees paid to both the Insurance Factory and the underwriter. The Insurance Factory charges fees of £25 to cancel during the cooling off period and £40 after, which are similar to lower than the average car insurance cancellation fees in the UK. However their mid-term admin charge for changes is on the high side: £50.

In addition to the fees, remember that in the event of cancellation you are also charged for the cover you had.

Insurance Factory Cancellation Policy

Cancelling a private car insurance policy during the first 14 days means you'll get a full refund of the premium paid—if cover hasn't started yet. If the insurance period has begun (and you haven't made a claim) you'll get a refund of the premium paid, subject to a deduction for the time that you have been on cover. This is calculated as a proportion of the annual premium. In either case, you'll also owe the cancellation charges shown in the table below, and you won't get a refund on the arrangement fee. For full details see their terms of business. Also remember that you may incur additional underwriter fees that vary depending on which insurer holds your policy.

Insurance Factory Admin and Cancellation Fees
Mid-term Alterations£50.00
Missed Payment Charge£45.00 (£15.00 by them and £30.00 by their Finance Provider)
Returned Cheque/Chargeback£10.00
Cancellation within 14 days£25.00
Cancellation after 14 days£60.00

Insurance Factory Car Insurance Contact Numbers

Insurance Factory sales lines are open Monday-Thursday from 9am-8pm, Friday from 9am-7pm and Saturday from 9am-4pm. Customer service is open slightly shorter hours, Monday-Thursday from 9am-7pm, Friday from 9am-5pm and Saturday from 9am-1pm. The renewals lines are open Monday-Thursday from 8.30am-8pm, Friday from 9am-7pm and Saturday from 9am-4pm. The main enquiry lines are 0121 296 3075 and 0121 296 3077, or you can email them at [email protected].

Insurance Factory Car Insurance Contact Numbers
Customer Service0121 296 3075 or 0121 296 3077

FAQs

Insurance Factory works with a panel of close to 80 insurers including some of the UK's top car insurers such as Markerstudy, Aviva and Highway (part of LV).
Yes, Insurance Factory is a broker who arranges policies for customers from a panel of underwriters.
Driving other cars on a temporary, one-off basis may be allowed on a comprehensive policy, but it is not always. Check the details of your policy before driving someone else's car. If you have questions, call Insurance Factory—contact numbers are listed here. Note: policyholders under the age of 25 or with limited driving experience will not have cover to drive other cars.
To get a quote from Insurance Factory, you can either compare quote in minutes from Insurance Factory and dozens of other brands from our car insurance comparison partner QuoteZone or, if you only want a quote from Insurance Factory you can use their website or call their sales line (contact numbers can be found here.)
Insurance Factory sales lines are open Monday through Saturday. For exact opening times click here.
In addition to the private car insurance as discussed in our Insurance Factory review, Insurance Factory sells impounded car, convicted driver, van, taxi, specialist vehicle (e.g., motorhome, minibus and campervan) and motor trade insurance.
Insurance Factory is a trading name of Insurance Factory Limited, registered in England and Wales (No. 02982445). Their registered office is Markerstudy House, 45 Westerham Road, Bessels Green, Sevenoaks, Kent TN13 2QB. Insurance Factory Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (No. 306164).
Insurance Factory is part of the Markerstudy Group.

Policy Documents

As Insurance Factory is a broker, the car 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 Insurance Factory 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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