Swinton Car Insurance: The Right Price for You?
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Overall, Swinton car insurance typically provides its customers with competitive, low rates and a positive customer experience. If you're looking for car insurance for a good price then you may want to consider a policy from Swinton, although as always we recommend checking prices and features of alternatives as well (click here to get quotes from Swinton and up to 100 or more other brands).
Swinton: Our Thoughts
Swinton are well known for their good value, affordable car insurance. Their entry-level Essentials plan even provides a range of features including (subject to conditions, of course) 3rd party cover if you drive other cars, replacement of stolen standard-fit audio or satnav equipment, a courtesy car while your car is being repaired due to a valid claim and windscreen cover.
Those looking for additional features like driver legal cover, the same cover driving in Europe and protection if you're hit by an uninsured driver can upgrade to a Classic or Premier plan.
Swinton are accustomed to offering cover to many different types of cars and drivers:
- Convicted Drivers
- Young Driver
- Short Term Insurance
- Imported Cars
- Modified Cars
- Performance Cars
Swinton Features, Coverages and Discounts
Swinton car insurance offers three levels of comprehensive car insurance—the best type of car insurance: Essential, Classic and Premier. Essential covers driving other cars, emergency medical, audio & satnav, a courtesy car and windscreen cover. Upgrading to Classic adds uninsured driver protection, driving abroad and lock replacement in the event of lost or stolen keys. Premier provides for a hire vehicle if your car is out for repair in event of claim and mis-fueling cover if you accidentally put the wrong fuel in your car.
We generally recommend buying comprehensive cover, however those looking for third party, fire & theft cover can find it in Swinton's Classic product, but this excludes driving other cars, windscreen cover, emergency medical costs, personal belongings, replacement locks and child seat replacement cover.
Swinton Auto Insurance Discounts
The car insurance discounts that Swinton offer are tied to safe driving history, when you buy and how you pay.
NCB: Each year that you don't make a claim on your motor insurance policy increases your No Claims Bonus (NCB), which can lead to a significant discount on your premium.
Buy ahead: Buying your plan in advance of the start date can save you a significant chunk of money on your car insurance premium. A quote for a policy with an immediate start date could add £500, or more, to the premium, versus a quote for a policy with a later start date, as we explain in our article This is When to Buy Car Insurance to Save up to 50%. Buy early to save money.
Pay-in-full Discount: By paying your entire premium upfront for the full 12-month term of your policy, you can save money by avoiding interest that Swinton charges for paying monthly. They typically charge an APR of 35.6%, which is higher than the average credit card interest rate.
Swinton Auto Insurance Coverages
Swinton offers the three main types of car insurance: comprehensive cover, third party, fire and theft cover and third party only cover. Despite the fact that comprehensive policies provide the widest range of cover, they still might be cheaper than the other two types of policies. It's always worth checking and comparing the prices of different types of plans, as you might secure comprehensive cover for less than you'd think.
| Swinton Comprehensive Auto Insurance Cover | Essentials | Classic | Premier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Damage to your car: Cover for repair costs up to the market value of your car (including accidents and malicious damage) | √ | √ | √ |
| Loss by fire or theft: Up to the market value of your car if lost to fire or theft | √ | √ | √ |
| Driving Other Cars: Third party cover if you drive other cars (subject to eligibility criteria) | √ | √ | √ |
| Emergency Medical Costs: In event of an accident | √ | √ | |
| Repairs to Your Car: 5 year guarantee | √ | √ | √ |
| Audio, Satnav & Car Equipment: Replacement of stolen standard-fit audio, satnav or car equipment | √ | √ | √ |
| Courtesy Car: Provided while your car is being fixed as part of a claim | √ | √ | √ |
| Windscreen Cover: Repair/replace damaged windscreen (max £150 for Essentials) | £150 max | √ | √ |
| Driver's Legal Protection: Legal expenses up to £100,000 in the event of a claim | Optional | √ | √ |
| Uninsured Driver Promise: Refunds your excess and protects your NCD if you’re hit by an uninsured driver | √ | √ | |
| Driving Abroad Cover: Full cover abroad for up to 90 days (max 30 days per trip) | √ | √ | |
| Lock replacement: | Up to £300 | Up to £750 | Up to £750 |
| Personal belongings: Max £250 | √ | √ | √ |
| Excess Refund: Refunds your excess up to £500 if you have an at fault claim | √ | ||
| Hire Vehicle: Small hire car for up to 14 days while you find a new car, in the event your car is written off or stolen and not recovered | √ | ||
| Mis-fuelling Cover: Up to £2500 if you accidentally fill up with the wrong type of fuel (max one claim per year) | √ |
Optional Upgrades
- Drivers Legal Protection: Included in Standard and Premier Plans (£29.99 add on to Essentials); If you have an accident that is not your fault and there's a responsible 3rd party you get Excess Protection; Courtesy Car; Loss of earnings; Access to legal specialists and Compensation for injury or death
- Excess Protection: Included in Premier plans; Reimbursement up to £500 per policy year for your excess if you can't claim it back from a responsible third party; doesn't cover windscreen/glass claims.
- No Claims Bonus Protection: If you have a No Claims Bonus, you can pay to protect your NCB so long as you haven't made more than two claims in any five-year period.
| Swinton Breakdown Cover: | Roadside Breakdown | UK Breakdown | Home & UK Breakdown | European Breakdown |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual cost | £51.99 | £71.99 | £97.99 | £141.99 |
| Up to an hour’s roadside labour (may vary in Europe) | √ | √ | √ | √ |
| Recovery of your car, caravan and trailer to a repairer | √ | √ | √ | √ |
| Cover for anyone else using your car | √ | √ | √ | √ |
| Use of a hire car or overnight accommodation | √ | √ | √ | |
| Recovery to your home or final destination | √ | √ | √ | |
| Roadside Assistance within one quarter mile from home | √ | √ | ||
| Assistance in Europe | √ |
Swinton Customer Reviews
Swinton has been rated 4.3 out of 5 stars at Trustpilot. This is quite a respectable score for an insurance company. Here is a sample of customer comments that we think are informative:
"I was on hold for OVER ONE HOUR and still no one picked up. Eventually I tried online chat and, in fairness, got through to someone almost immediately who was able to help."
"I went online to get a quote for car insurance it was easy to do and when I finished I received a great quote which was valid for a month. A couple of days later I rang them to ask if I had to pay on the website the response was no, so I went ahead and payed over the phone the person on the other end of the line was so knowledgeable and helpful that I would not hesitate to use this service again."
"Very positive experience. Swinton found through a comparison website. Price for policy was very reasonable and undercut the quote from my previous insurer for the same degree of cover. Paper documents promptly sent out."
"All very well until you come to claim. Swinton hand off claims to 2 companies "Carpenters" and "Kindertons". Both of which are unresponsive via live chat or by their people, you get bounced between the two and Swinton themselves are absent. Go and use an insurer that manages and owns all the supply chain elements as the Swinton claim experience is difficult, frustrating and poor as the third parties they employ are lax."