Wondering how Sainsbury's Bank car insurance compares to other companies? The team of NimbleFins car insurance experts analysed their policies across nearly 20 different features, to see how they compare. When comparing Sainsbury's car insurance quotes, it's important to do so early, as NimbleFins car insurance experts found this can save up to 50%. Compare Sainsbury's car insurance quotes against other top cheap car insurance companies by clicking the blue "Get Quotes" button below to see how much you can save—the panel includes Tesco Bank, Admiral, AXA, Hastings, RAC, and over 100 other brands.

In This Review

• Sainsbury's Car Insurance: Overall Review
• Customer Reviews and Ratings
• Cost Comparison and Discounts
• Phone numbers and policy documents

Sainsbury's Car Insurance Overall Review

Sainsbury's Bank car insurance offers a solid set of features, but check the customer ratings to learn about issues such as accessing customer service and getting Nectar points credited.

Sainsbury's has expanded their car insurance offering, adding an 'Essentials' plan to appeal to those who want more bare minimum comprehensive cover for a lower premium. Their three types of comprehensive cover are called: Essentials, Standard and Plus. The top two tiers include lots of important features as standard, such as windscreen cover, a courtesy car if your car is getting repaired for damage in an insured incident and uninsured driver protection (e.g. your no claims discount isn't affected by claims resulting from an uninsured driver), but 'Essentials' doesn't cover your windscreen, personal belongings, keys, audio equipment or driving other cars.

But you can add optional extras to your policy such as cover for lost or stolen keys, legal cover and breakdown (the last two are included as standard in the Plus plan). In general, Sainsbury's Bank car insurance stands out for:

However, you don't get a courtesy car in the event your car is written off. Also, there isn't any NCD protection for a no-fault accident. Here's what's covered by Sainsbury's comprehensive cover according to their website, and how it stacks up against what you'd ideally get from a good policy.

How Good is Sainsbury's Car Insurance?	Does Sainsbury's ESSENTIALS Deliver?	Sainsbury's ESSENTIAL Comprehensive Cover	Does Sainsbury's STANDARD Deliver?	Sainsbury's STANDARD Comprehensive Cover	Does Sainsbury's PLUS Deliver?	Sainsbury's PLUS Comprehensive Cover
"Must Have" Features
Windscreen		n/a		Full cover if use approved repairer, but you pay an excess		Full cover if use approved repairer, but you pay an excess
Belongings		n/a		£200		£200
Keys		n/a		Up to £1,000 if person who may have your keys knows location or identity of your car		Up to £1,000 if person who may have your keys knows location or identity of your car
Protected NCD		Yes, if you have at least 4 years NCD and buy the option		Yes, if you have at least 4 years NCD and buy the option		Yes, if you have at least 4 years NCD and buy the option
Car recovery after accident		Reasonable costs covered		Reasonable costs covered		Reasonable costs covered
Courtesy car (repairs)		For duration of repairs		For duration of repairs		For duration of repairs
Repairs guaranteed (if use approved repairer)		5 years		5 years		5 years
"Should Have" Features
New car replacement		if cost to repair more than 55% of list price; up to one year old		if cost to repair more than 55% of list price; up to one year old		if cost to repair more than 55% of list price; up to one year old
Stereo and satellite nav		n/a		Full cost to repair/replace equipment fitted as standard by manufacturer; up to £500 for permanently-fitted equipment not fitted to your car when first registered		Full cost to repair/replace equipment fitted as standard by manufacturer; up to £500 for permanently-fitted equipment not fitted to your car when first registered
Alternative transport & Hotel after accident		up to £300		up to £300		up to £300
24-hour emergency helpline		0344 600 9021		0344 600 9021		0344 600 9021
Courtesy car (total loss or theft)		Not available		Not available		Not available
Motor legal expenses		Optional add on		Optional add on		Included
Breakdown cover		Optional add on		Optional add on		Bronze level included
"Could Have" Features
Same cover in EU		up to 90 days		up to 90 days		up to 90 days
Child car seat replacement after accident, theft, fire		Covered even if there is no apparent damage		Covered even if there is no apparent damage		Covered even if there is no apparent damage
Larger/premium courtesy car		Optional add on		Optional add on		Optional add on
Uninsured driver NCD protection		Included		Included		Included
Cancellation fee		£55		£55		£55

Sainsbury's Car Insurance Customer Service Reviews and Ratings

Existing customers have rated Sainsbury's Bank with an average of 4.0 out of 5 stars on Trustpilot by over 12,500 customers, with 20% awarding Sainsbury's Bank with only a 1-star "Bad" rating but 63% giving them a 5-star 'Excellent' rating—here's why. Before you buy, read the selection of real customer reviews below to see the biggest complaints.

To give you a feel for what people like and don't like about Sainsbury's car insurance, we've scoured the online customer reviews to find common complaints and praise for car insurance specifically. Most of the negative reviews related to products other than car insurance (e.g., loans, credit cards and home insurance). Here's some of what we found:

Excellent Customer Reviews for Sainsbury's Car Insurance

"Was very impressed with how quick and easy it was to get car insurance online. It was very quick in sending over documents. I would recommend sainsbury insurance."

"Cheapest car insurance I found and it's from a trusted company."

Negative Customer Reviews for Sainsbury's Car Insurance

"... I had to make a claim during my policy due to another person hitting me. Process was long, unclear and unhelpful. They're underwritten by someone, who's underwritten by someone, who's underwritten by someone. In the end I think I was transferred to 4 different sub-companies before I actually got through to the people that insured me. When that happened, I finally made a claim of which 1 week later when I chased - they'd never pressed submit their side so wasn't live. Never able to actually get hold of anyone in Sainsbury's Bank..."

"I have been on hold for over an hour through their robotic stages and haven't spoken to an actual human yet. I am trying to cancel my car insurance with them but a simple task is proving difficult."

"Got car insurance from Sainsbury Bank... A few days later I checked the paperwork online and found a mistake as my first name was replaced by my wife's, who does not drive. This could have been caused by me entering her nectar card number to get extra points."

Look out for this—it sounds like the system might create an error if you enter the Nectar card number of someone different than the driver named on the policy.

Sainsbury's Car Insurance Quote Comparison

Sainsbury's Bank car insurance does not appear to be a budget option; their prices are on par with the likes of LV=, One Call and RAC car insurance. We got sample quotes for a 30-year-old drive of a Ford Fiesta over 50 postcodes and found that Sainsbury's was less expensive than Tesco and Ageas, but more expensive than cheap comparison site offerings from Quotemehappy.com (Aviva), Admiral, Churchill (Direct Line Group) and Hastings. Note: this pricing comparison doesn't reflect their new Essentials tier, which will come in quite a bit cheaper and should compete with entry-level tiers from other big name insurance providers.

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.

Sainsbury's Car Insurance Discounts

Sainsbury's Bank offers a few simple car insurance discounts, such as lower prices for a safe driving history, no claims discounts and paying in full every year.

Sainsbury's Charges and Fees

Sainsbury's charges a £50 fee to cancel your policy after the initial 14-day window—and there's no fee to cancel during the cooling off period. (You'll also have to pay for any time on cover, of course.) Changes such as adding a driver or a change of address cost £25 to make over the phone and are free to make online through the customer portal.

Important Sainsbury's Bank Car Insurance Phone Numbers

Customers have slightly worse access to customer service with Sainsbury's Bank than with other insurers, as they're closed Sundays (except roadside assistance is open 24 hours a day). Lines are normally open Monday to Friday 9am to 7pm and Saturdays 9am – 5pm. There's an online customer portal, but no live chat feature.

FAQs

Policy Documents

To view your documents online, log into your customer portal or access the policy documents here.

Other Car Insurance Reviews

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