O2 Car Insurance News and Update

O2 stopped selling car insurance policies in 2020. Customers report on TrustPilot that Budget Insurance has taken over renewals for existing customers. Read our review of Budget Insurance here. If you want to compare quotes, including from Budget Insurance, click here to fill out a quote form and get quotes from up to 100 providers.

Note: The following review is being kept for historical purposes only. The product is no longer available.

O2 are commonly known as mobile phone providers however they also offer car insurance too, under the name of O2 Drive. But with so many car insurers on the market, do O2 Drive offer value for money? Let’s take a look at what O2 Drive has to offer. To compare an O2 quote to other brands in the car insurance market, click the blue "Get Quotes" button below to see how much you can save.

^The saving was calculated by comparing the cheapest price found with the average of the next four cheapest prices quoted by insurance providers on QuoteZone/Seopa Ltd’s insurance comparison website (based on representative cost savings data for November 2019). The savings you could achieve are dependent on your individual circumstances.

In This Review

• O2 Car Insurance: Overall Review
• Customer Reviews and Ratings
• Cost Comparison and Discounts
• Cancellation Fees, Phone Numbers and Policy Documents

O2 Drive Car Insurance Overall Review

There are many good features included in the O2 Drive comprehensive car insurance policy. This includes windscreen repair or replacement, cover for belongings and a courtesy car if you car is being repaired after an insured accident. However, there are more exclusions than you'll find on competing policies. For example, keys are covered—but only for theft not damage or loss, and if it can be established that the identity or the risk address of the car is likely to be known to any person in receipt of the keys.

Optional breakdown cover is provided by the RAC, and you’ll also receive up to 60 days cover when driving in the EU.

If you are an existing O2 customer you may be offered a lower deal, as they will work on your existing repayment history. At the time of writing, anyone who takes out a car insurance policy with O2 will also receive a free gift up to the value of £99 (a £25 Amazon.co.uk Gift Card, a pair of JBL Tune 110BT Wireless Earphones or a night in a hotel for two people)—subject to conditions, of course.

One interesting feature that’s available with O2 car insurance is their drive box, which monitors your driving and then sends the data back to O2. The aim is that it will not only make drivers safer but will also help reduce payments. Customers can access their scores via the O2 Drive app, along with tips to improve as well as to protect their no claims discount. So, if you know you are a careful driver and are looking for the lowest car insurance price, the O2 Drive box may work out as a great option.

Pay Monthly customers can buy O2 Drive car insurance in-store or over the phone; alternatively O2 Drive may be available from comparison sites such as Moneysupermarket.

O2 Drive car insurance is arranged and administered by BISL Limited and underwritten by a panel of insurers. Here is a high-level summary of O2 comprehensive cover features according to this specimen policy—remember, these features are always subject to conditions and exclusions and you should check your policy document and features before you buy in case they differ from this sample document.

How Good is O2 Car Insurance?	A Good Policy Includes	Does O2 Deliver?	O2 Comprehensive Coverage
"Must Have" Features
Windscreen	Full repair or replacement		Included if use approved repairer
Belongings	£200+		Included
Keys	£300+		Included up to £500, for theft only and provided the identity or the risk address of the car is likely to be known to any person in receipt of such items
Protected NCD	2 times in 3 years (standard or optional extra)		If you buy the add on
Car recovery after accident	Included		Included
Courtesy car (repairs)	Minimum 14 days		Included while car being repaired
Repairs guaranteed	12-month guarantee		Included (up to 3 years)
"Should Have" Features
New car replacement	Theft or damage at least 60% of list price; cars up to 12 months old		Included
Stereo and satellite nav	Market value for manufactur fitted		Unlimited for equipment fitted as original equipment by the manufacturer or £500 for equipment permanently fitted to the car
Alternative transport & Hotel after accident	£250+		Included £150 per person/£500 per group of 8 whichever is less
24-hour emergency helpline	Standard		Included
Courtesy car (total loss or theft)	Standard or add-on extra		Not included
Motor legal expenses	Standard or add-on extra		If you buy the add on
Breakdown cover	Standard or add-on extra		If you buy the add on
"Could Have" Features
Same cover in EU	Standard or add-on extra		Included (Max 60 days)
Child car seat replacement after accident, theft, fire	Ideally replaced even if no visible damage		Up to £150
Larger/premium courtesy car	Standard or add-on extra		If you buy the add on
Uninsured driver NCD protection	Standard		Included (you won't lose your NCD if an accident wasn't your fault and the other driver was uninsured)
Cancellation fee	No more than £50		£60

O2 Drive Car Insurance Customer Service Reviews and Ratings

It’s a mixed bag on the review front for O2 car insurance. Smart Money People rate O2 Drive at just 1.7 out of a possible 5 stars. Keep in mind that at just 48 contributions the sample is quite small, and most people are more likely to leave a review when they’ve had a bad experience, rather than a good one. But they fare better on Trustpilot.

O2 Car Insurance Reviews Trustpilot

O2 Drive has been rated with a trust score of 3.4 by Trustpilot. However, this score is based on just one customer review so should be taken lightly. That said, there is certainly some value to this review—the customer noted that while the O2 Drive quote was the cheapest they found, the O2 Drive website had been down for days for maintenance.

Here is a selection of reviews that highlight some of the experiences and issues customers have had with O2 Drive:

"Simply great insurance and customer service! I had a claim and had to speak to they customer service department loads, they couldn't have been more helpful and happy."

"I have a black box, whenever checking my score my awareness and acceleration are well below 50/100 when my speed and time of driving are 98/100... I live in a hilly area, it’s like I’m expected to drive around without being allowed to touch the breaks or drive up a hill."

"Increased my insurance by £60 a year because of an accident that wasn't my fault."

O2 Drive Car Insurance Quote Comparison

We did a quick comparison check to see how competitive O2 Drive really is, based on the driver being a 30-year-old man driving a 2017 Ford Fiesta.

While prices will vary significantly depending on factors such as your age, how long you’ve been driving and your postcode, we found that O2 prices were somewhere mid market. However, this doesn’t take into account being an existing O2 customer, or the discounts that would arise from using the box, which needs to be installed in order to qualify for the discounts.

O2 Drive Car Insurance Deals

It does appear than existing O2 customers get the best deals when it comes to O2 Drive, as they work on your history with the company to find you the best deal.

Anyone who signs up for O2 Drive can either choose a £30 Amazon gift card, a second generation Amazon Echo Dot or a RAC 107 Dashcam.

It’s well worth signing up to the box which will help secure lower payments. The box is secured to your battery by O2 and will transmit data about your driving style, which if responsible will lower payments. You may also find cheaper deals depending on how you use your car and where you park it overnight such as on the street versus in a secure garage.

Cancellation fees

O2 Drive charges a £60 fee if you cancel your policy after the 14-day cooling off period (plus, of course, the cost for the period of cover you've had to date). And if a claim has been made then you'll need to pay all premiums that are due. For other changes, there's a £20 amendment fee.

Important O2 Drive Car Insurance Numbers

FAQs

Policy Documents

To access your policy details log into the O2 Drive portal.

Other Car Insurance Reviews

If you'd like to compare O2 to other car insurance companies, see our other car insurance reviews below: