Sheilas' Wheels Car Insurance Review: Pros and Cons Revealed
Sheilas' Wheels Car Insurance Review: Pros and Cons Revealed
Good for
- Positive customer reviews
- Motoring legal advice line
- Customer service open 7 days a week
- NCD up to 20 years available
Bad for
- No courtesy car option for theft or write off
- Cancellation fees higher
- Customer service calls costs up to 12p per minute (including claims and renewals)
- Limited key cover
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 Sheilas’ Wheels, an esure brand, any good? And what is missing on Sheilas’ Wheels policies? Let’s take a look at what Sheilas’ Wheels has to offer.
In This Review
- Sheilas’ Wheels Car Insurance: Overall Review
- Customer Reviews and Ratings
- Cost Comparison and Discounts
- Cancellation fees, phone numbers and policy documents
- FAQs
Sheilas’ Wheels Car Insurance Overall Review
NEWS! Sheilas' Wheels has added a "budget" option with the introduction of the "Essentials" policy. This tier still offers comprehensive cover, but with fewer extra features. If you don't need those extras, the Essentials tier could be a good option to consider, while letting you save a few quid.
Both tiers of cover include windscreen repair or replacement, an uninsured driver promise, vandalism promise, car recovery after an accident, motoring legal helpline, a courtesy car if your car is being repaired by their team after an insured accident, a 5-year repairs guarantee, new car replacement and nav & audio equipment cover (original fit). Plus those with a long history of no claims can keep up to 20 years of NCD with Sheilas' Wheels (longer than many other brands).
Child car seats are covered after an accident with Sheilas’ Wheels, which is great because car seats can be damaged even if they show no visible signs (which is part of the reason that the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents recommends not buying a second-hand car seat). Given the high cost of car seats, many parents look for this feature in a car insurance policy. Sheilas' Wheels will contribute £100 towards each child car seat or booster seat after a claimed accident. Is that enough for you? It may not be, depending on the type of car seat you currently have...
However, there are a few missing features on both tiers. For example, there's no courtesy car if your car is stolen or written off (only for covered repairs with an authorised repairer).
And the Essentials tier of cover is lacking in the following features, compared to their regular tier:
- Handbag cover
- Personal belongings
- Stolen keys
- Non-original nav & audio cover
- Hotel expenses (UK) e.g. if you're unable to get home after a covered accident
On the regular tier, keys are covered for theft if you can prove that the person with the keys knows your car or its location—not for loss or accidental damage unless you buy the Key Car add on.
Breakdown cover is also an optional extra (from ~£38.14 via Moneysupermarket) and is provided by the RAC.
Those heading off on a road trip can enjoy up to 90 days cover when driving in the EU (longer than you might find elsewhere)—but you'll need to pay an extra premium and arrange this before you leave home.
5 Things to Know About Sheilas’ Wheels
- Higher cancellation fees (con)
- Calls to customer service, claims, renewals, etc. are chargeable 0345 numbers, costing up to 12p per minute (con)
- Sheilas’ Wheels is part of esure, one of the top 10 biggest UK car insurance companies
- You can accumulate up to 20 years of No Claims Discount (pro)
- They now offer a cheaper plan called Essentials for those looking for a lower premium (and who don't need all of the features in the regular cover)
Here is a high-level summary of Sheilas’ Wheels regular and "Essentials" comprehensive cover features—remember, these features are always subject to conditions and exclusions and you should check your policy document and features before you buy to be sure you know what you're covered for.
| Sheilas' Wheels | Sheilas' Wheels Essentials | Sheilas' Wheels Car Insurance |
|---|---|---|
| Windscreen cover | 
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| Uninsured driver promise |
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| Handbag cover | 
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| Vandalism promise |
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| Personal belongings |
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| Stolen keys |
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| Legal advice helpline |
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| Child seat cover | £100 | £100 |
| Non-original nav & audio cover |
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| Courtesy car to use while yours is being repaired |
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| Hotel expenses (UK) |
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| Medical expenses | £100 | £300 |
| 24 hour emergency helpline |
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| 5 year repairs guarantee |
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| New car replacement benefit |
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| Accident repair redelivery |
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| Nav & audio equipment cover (original fit) |
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Sheilas’ Wheels Car Insurance Customer Service Reviews and Ratings
Most customers would recommend Sheilas’ Wheels, but difficulties reaching customer service can be an issue for some people. We've scoured reviews left by customers online; here's what we found.
Sheilas’ Wheels Trustpilot
Sheilas’ Wheels has earned 4.5 stars out of 5 from over 25,000 customers at Trustpilot, and around 2/3 customers rate their experience as excellent. Note, their rating has increased a lot (from 3.5) in the past year!
Here are a few of the "Excellent" reviews so you can see what customers like about Sheilas' Wheels:
"Very good value for money, easy to use website to take out policy and then sign up to view documents."
"I found the experience quick, very helpful and not overwhelming as some insurance companies can be. Thank you very much."
"Simple and by far the most reasonable."
"Came up tops with their quote, and I didn't even have to find my proof of NCD as an email from Sheila's Wheels popped up in my mailbox advising the same as they can access a national database. A happy customer."
"Best price—online easy to use."
In contrast, nearly 1 in 5 rated their experience with Sheilas' Wheels as "bad". We read through the negative reviews to find the most common complaints. A number of customers complained of costly calls to cancel or renew (up to 12p per minute), involving long waits in the queue and no indication of where you are in the queue. Other customers are unhappy with the Sheilas' Wheels' cancellation and administration fees. Here are a few customer comments to give you a flavour of common complaints:
"Cannot opt not to renew on the online site—have to pay for a premium rate call to do so."
"Got charged £50 to cancel a car insurance policy. Been a customer for many years. Very disappointed."
"Disappointing lack of customer service. Quote sent to me in advance £140 more than the previous year with SW. Rang up to confirm it, no one answering the phone, no customer service. When I went online the quote had gone up again. Paid monthly this time but reluctant to use them again."
Sheilas’ Wheels Car Insurance Quote Comparison
We did a quick price comparison to understand how competitive Sheilas’ Wheels is, based on a sample driver who is a 30-year-old male driving a used 2017 Ford Fiesta.
Prices can vary significantly for different driver and car profiles so please don't assume you will get similar quotes, but this information can be useful to see how brands compare in at least one case. We found that Sheilas’ Wheels prices were somewhere mid market when compared to competing offers from some of the largest auto insurance companies. While Sheilas’ Wheels was quite competitive, they did not seem to be the cheapest, at least for our sample driver, which you may want to keep in mind if price is your biggest priority. That said, you may find Sheilas' Wheels to be cheaper for your profile—be sure to check prices yourself.
| Sheilas' Wheels Cost Comparison | Price estimate for sample 30-year-old Ford Fiesta driver |
|---|---|
| Churchill | £427 |
| QuoteMeHappy | £600 |
| Admiral | £670 |
| Diamond | £682 |
| Sheilas' Wheels | £776 |
| More Than | £781 |
| LV= | £988 |
| RAC | £1,124 |
| Tesco | £1,584 |
Please keep in mind that these are estimates for a sample profile, and you may receive quotes that are significantly more or less than these.
Sheilas’ Wheels Car Insurance Deals
Sheilas’ Wheels can offer deals if you're a good driver with a safe driving history and/or have a history of no claims (up to 20 years!). Additionally, you can save money with Sheilas' Wheels by paying annually instead of in monthly instalments and being selective about the optional extras you choose to add to your policy.
Sheilas’ Wheels Cancellation Fees
Sheilas’ Wheels cancellation fees are just slightly higher than average cancellation fees, costing £26 if you cancel your policy during the 14-day cooling off period, and £60 afterwards during the first period of cover. In subsequent periods you'd pay £35 to cancel your Sheilas' Wheels car insurance after the cooling off period. Other admin changes (e.g., changing your address) will cost £26. These fees are all in addition to any additional premium required (e.g., if you add another driver) or premium for coverage to date in the event of cancellation.
| Sheilas' Wheels Admin and Cancellation Fees | |
|---|---|
| Cancel policy during the 14 day cooling off period | £29 |
| Cancel policy in the first period of cover (after 14-day cooling off period) | £67 |
| Cancel policy in subsequent periods of cover (after 14-day cooling off period) | £36 |
| changes to your policy you’ve made yourself via your account | £15 |
| Other admin changes (e.g., changing payment details, adding a driver or changing address) | £27 |
Important Sheilas’ Wheels Car Insurance Numbers
Sheilas’ Wheels Customer service can be reached at 0345 045 2000 Monday to Friday 8am-8pm, Saturday 9am-5pm and Sunday 9am-2pm. In addition, there's a 24/7 chat bot available online, although we generally find these are quite limited in how much they can help.
| Sheilas’ Wheels Car Insurance Contact Numbers | |
|---|---|
| Customer service and sales | 0345 045 2000 |
| Multicar sales | 0800 917 4651 |
| Claims | 0345 604 3570 |
| Renewals | 0345 604 3553 |
| 24-hour helplines | |
| Accident recovery | 0345 604 3570 |
| Windscreen repair helpline | 0800 085 8459 |
| Motoring legal advice helpline | 0345 850 9596 |
| Breakdown assistance | 0800 085 6840 |
Sheilas’ Wheels Policy Documents
We've tried to highlight some notable features of comprehensive Sheilas’ Wheels policies in this review. To learn more about the full terms, exclusions and conditions please refer to the Sheilas’ Wheels policy wording.
FAQs
- Q: Does Sheilas’ Wheels give a discount for a second car?
- A: Sheilas’ Wheels offers multicar policies for drivers aged 25 and over.
- Q: Is Sheilas’ Wheels part of esure?
- A: Yes, Sheilas’ Wheels is part of the esure brand, and is underwritten by esure—as they are owned by esure, in essence they are the same company. (Sheilas’ Wheels is not part of Admiral, as some people think.)
- Q: Who underwrites Sheilas’ Wheels?
- Sheilas’ Wheels home and car insurance is underwritten by esure Insurance Limited, registered in England and Wales number 3885534.
- Q: Can a man insure with Sheilas’ Wheels?
- A: Yes, a man can buy car insurance from Sheilas’ Wheels. In fact, many men are insured by Sheilas' Wheels already. Sheilas' Wheels are not just for women!
- Q: Can I drive another car on my Sheilas’ Wheels insurance?
- Driving other cars is covered by Sheilas' Wheels depending on if you have that extension, and is subject to lots of restrictions (e.g., you need the owner's permission). If your certificate of motor insurance does cover driving other cars then this cover is 3rd party liability cover only.
- Q: Is Sheilas’ Wheels a good insurance company?
- Sheilas’ Wheels offers a good set of features, as discussed in our review; in addition the customer reviews are relatively strong but there are some common complaints.
- Q: Do you get charged for changing your address on Sheilas’ Wheels?
- A: Yes. You will be be charged a £27 admin fee for changing your address with Sheilas’ Wheels via the contact centre or live chat—plus, the new address might result in a change to your premium (e.g., if you move to an area more prone to claims).
- Q: Do Sheilas’ Wheels cover panoramic roofs?
- A: No. Sheilas’ Wheels does not cover the repair or replacement of damaged glass in sunroofs or fixed or moveable glass roof panels.
- Q: Does replacement windscreen or windscreen repair count as a claim on Sheilas’ Wheels?
- A: No. Claims made under the Windscren Damage section of the policy will NOT affect your No Claim Discount.
- Q: Does Sheilas’ Wheels include key cover?
- Sheilas’ Wheels includes up to £500 for theft with their Sheilas' Wheels Car Insurance plan, but this is not included on the Essentials plan. Cover is subject to conditions; if you want higher coverage or cover for accidental damage and loss then you'll need to buy the Key Car extra cover to either plan.
- Q: Does key cover affect no claims on Sheilas’ Wheels?
- A: If you have purchased the extra "Key Cover" then claims made under this optional extra will not affect your No Claim Discount; however, if you have not purchased this extra then key theft claims made on your comprehensive policy will affect your No Claim Discount.
- Q: Does Sheilas’ Wheels include breakdown?
- A: Sheilas’ Wheels doesn't include breakdown as standard but it can be purchased from around £38 (price at Moneysupermarket).
- Q: Does Sheilas’ Wheels car insurance automatically renew?
- A: In most cases Sheilas’ Wheels car insurance will automatically renew, if you pay by direct debit or debit/credit card.
- Q: When will I get my renewal price from Sheilas’ Wheels?
- A: Your renewal invitation is available 21 days before you renew and can be accessed through your online account.
- Q: What's the maximum No Claims Bonus at Sheilas’ Wheels?
- A: Sheilas’ Wheels gives a maximum of 20 years of No Claims Discount! (This is longer than some competitors.)
- Q: How do you buy Sheilas’ Wheels car insurance?
- A: Consumers can buy Sheilas’ Wheels car insurance from their website or from comparison sites such as Moneysupermarket.
Other Car Insurance Reviews
If you'd like to compare Sheilas’ Wheels to other car insurance companies, see our other car insurance reviews below: