Bell Car Insurance Review
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Our articles are written by experts in their fields (finance, trading, insurance etc.) whose signatures you will see at the beginning and at the end of each article. They are also systematically reviewed and corrected before each publication, and updated regularly.
Discover the methodologyThis is the ultimate review to guide you through Bell car insurance.
You might already know that Bell offers several car insurance policy options.
Some are great, others not so much.
So if you want to get:
- Better value for money for your car insurance
- Indicative quotes
- Tips to lower your insurance premium, then you might love the following article.
Let’s dive right in.
Is Bell the best car insurance provider?
Getting the best car insurance deal is not all about the price. Indeed, focusing on just getting the cheapest deal might be a bad calculation when it comes to getting a good payout if you ever have an accident.
We’ve studied in detail Bell car policy terms and conditions and given our own ratings based on different criteria.
4 Safe overall rating for Bell
| Our rating | Our opinion | |
|---|---|---|
| Customer service & satisfaction |
Emergency helpline available 24/7 | |
| Cover provided |
Driving abroad options in a wide variety of countries | |
| Value for money |
High cancellation fee | |
| Financial strength for pay out | Company is part of Admiral Group which is known for their high ability to pay out claim | |
| Technology |
Use of telematics (black box) technology |
Expert and customer reviews on Bell
We compiled expert and customer reviews from independent institutions, to give you an overall idea of Bell's reputation.
| Review organisation | Consumer satisfaction rates for Bell |
|---|---|
| Defaqto expert rating for Bell |  |
| TrustPilot | 2,0/5 based on more than 70 opinions |
To check if Bell is the right car insurance for you, you can use our free comparison tool and finally compare coverage features, optional extras, excess, admin fees and customer rating without having to give any personal information.
Our review on Bell car insurance policy
Generally speaking, Bell’s car insurance offers seem to be amazing on paper but on some occassions, you might face a few challenges when it comes to expecting them to apply what they claim.
They offer discounts on premiums after 6 months of using their black box provided that its reports indicate that you’ve been driving well- which may not seem to be an issue to a good driver who is confident in their driving skill. Unfortunately, there have been reports from unsatisfied customers about the black box being prone to errors which end up affecting the driver’s eligibility to a discount.
Their renewal premiums also seem to be getting higher and you might encounter an extra charge without any justification.
For benefitting from a wider range of options and great customer service, we would recommend considering getting your car insured at their sister company, Admiral.
What does Bell car insurance policy cover?
Are TPO, TPFT and Comprehensive covers available at Bell?
| Car insurance policy | Available at Bell | Coverage in a nutshell |
|---|---|---|
| Third-Party Only |
| |
| Third-Party Fire and Theft |
| |
| Comprehensive |
|
Keep in mind that you can always add optional extras to your policy.
Main guarantees at Bell explained in details
Let's find out what does Bell covers in its car insurance policy.
Breakdown cover at Bell
3 Breakdown cover options (Roadside Assistance, National Cover and European Cover).
The following are covered in all 3 options:
- Roadside repair and recovery more than a 1/4 mile from home
- Assistance with lost or broken keys
- Message assistance
- Assistance during misfuel
- Substitute Transport
- Overnight accommodation during emergencies.
Apart from the ones mentioned above, the following are the extra offers that come with each cover option:
Roadside Assistance:
- Unlimited roadside recoveries in the UK
- Recovery is limited to 10 mile from place of breakdown
National Cover:
- Unlimited roadside recoveries in the UK
- Recovery to any UK destination
- Call-outs for home breakdowns
European Cover:
- Unlimited roadside recoveries in the UK
- Recovery to any UK destination
- Call-outs for home breakdowns
- Unlimited European roadside services
Keycare cover at Bell
Up to £1500 for lost and stolen keys, replacement locks, and any call-out charges during any period of insurance.
Windscreen cover at Bell
- Can be either added as an upgrade or is directly included in the comprehensive level of cover.
- Claim on windscreen, window doesn’t affect NCB.
Motor legal protection at Bell
Up to £100 000 of legal costs in case you are involved in an accident that is not your fault.
Personal policy injury available at Bell
Up to £50 000 for Personal Injury Cover and up to £100 000 for Personal Injury Plus Cover for the the driver (insured person) £5000 for spouse of civil partner if dead, permanent loss of vision in one or both eyes, or loss of one of more limbs.
Coverage abroad at Bell
Bell covers your travel in the following European countries for no more than 30 consecutive days (total of 90 days within a year):
- UK, Ireland, The Isle of Man and Channel Islands
- EU countries
- Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Norway and Serbia.
Due to Brexit, it is important to note that you’re required to have a Green Card as well as a Certificate of Motor Insurance when traveling. You’ll have to carry the original copy of your Green Card-photocopies are not allowed.
Courtesy car at Bell
In the event that the car is recovered after being stolen and is deemed repairable by EUI Ltd, it must be returned to Auxillis Services Limited (a car repair company that repairs vehicles after accidents. It has been picked by Bell to be one of their designated repair agents), or its designated agent no later than 7 days or 21 days after the hire period began.
If EUI Ltd’s has valuated the car and found that it cannot be repaired (total loss) it must be returned to Auxillis Services Limited, or its designated agent no later than 7 days after payment is authorised to the policyholder or 21 days after first day of hire.
Bonus accelerator at Bell
If you choose Bonus Accelerator Policy, your policy will run for 10 months instead of 12 allowing you to earn a full year’s NCB.
No-Claim Bonus (NCB) at Bell
Bell’s NCB policy is similar to that of its sister company, Admiral.
The average NCB discount increases year over year provided that you go without any claims. The following is the average NCB rates for the first 9 years:
One year NCB – 2%
Two years NCB – 14%
Three years NCB – 16%
Four years NCB – 26%
Five years NCB – 27%
Six years NCB – 27%
Seven years NCB – 30%
Eight years NCB – 33%
Nine years NCB or more – 37%
The NCB builds up to a maximum of 15 years after which there will no more extra bonuses for no claims.
If the accident is not your fault, and Bell was able to recover all repair or replacement costs from the responsible party, your NCB will not be affected.
However, if it is your fault, your NCB will be affected and you may be subject to an excess depending how much damage there is.
The following are some claims that will not affect your NCB:
- Payment for emergency treatment fees
- Payment for Windscreen damage
- Claims where the incident was caused by an identified uninsured driver.
At Bell, you can apply for the NCB protection. The NCB protection allows you to make a certain number of claims within a period without losing your No-Claim bonus.
NCB protection claims (number per year): 2 claims in 3 years
Good to know
A No-Claim bonus is a reward that you get from driving during a long time (at least one year) without making any claim. The more years you drive without claims, the higher your NCB rate gets hence the higher the discount on your insurance premium.
Bell car insurance terms and conditions
How much does Bell car insurance cost?
You'll find below indicative car insurance quotes at Bell:
| Drivers'age | Monthly premium |
|---|---|
| 18 years old | £109,45 |
| 40 years old | £45,13 |
| 60 years old | £33,28 |
Costs of Bell insurance car policies vary widely based on different factors such as:
- The driver’s age
- The date on which they received their driving licence
- The type of car
- Expected repair costs if the car is damaged
- The performance, safety and security of the car
- The driver’s address and how busy the streets in the neighbourhood are
- Who drives the car (any additional driver on the policy)
- The driver's record of accidents and claims (number of injuries, No Claim Bonus etc.)
- Insurance taxes.
Good to know
The higher risk you represent, the more expensive your policy will be.
Is there any promo codes or discounts available at Bell?
Some discounts and vouchers are available for Bell customers as explained below.
| Discount types | Comment |
|---|---|
| Discounts | Discount on renewal premium depending on your telematics reports (% / amount unspecified). |
If you want to get a cheaper car insurance policy, another good way to do so is to never auto renew and always compare car insurance quotes.
Save more on your car insurance checking out our 13 tops tips to cut your insurance premiums!
Bell car insurance policy summarized
Guarantees
| At Bell | |
|---|---|
| NCB benefit | Yes |
| Uninsured driver NCB benefit | Yes |
| Loss or theft of keys | £1500 as a standard |
| Personal belongings | Upto £100 for comprehensive cover only |
| Audio equipment | No |
| Medical expenses | Not stated |
| Liability limit for property damage | Not stated |
| Legal expense | £100 000 |
| Courtesy car benefit | As standard |
| Courtesy car cover | Duration of repairs or up to 21 days if total loss |
| Coverage abroad | 90 days |
Excess
| At Bell | |
|---|---|
| Fire excess | Not stated |
| Theft excess | Not stated |
| Accidental damage excess | Not stated |
| Windscreen replacement excess | Not stated |
| Young driver excess | Not Stated |
Admin fees
| At Bell | |
|---|---|
| Interest charged by payment installments | Not Stated |
| Renewal fees | £0 |
| Cancellation fees | Cancellation fee within 14 days after purchase of policy:
Cancellation fee 14 days after purchase of policy:
|
| Modification fees | Removal or changing the following in your policy:
|
Other car insurance policies available at Bell
Bell multi-car insurance
The multicover available at Bell is the one from Bell’s sister company, Admiral.
Admiral (or Bell) multi cover therefore allows:
- to cover up to seven cars including classic cars in one unique policy
- to combine car and home policies for you and your relatives
- to get only one renewal date for every insurances
- to get discounts from insurances bundle
- to get a one year full NCB Bonus as long as cars are insured for more than 3 months.
You get the following benefits with Admiral’s MultiCar Comprehensive Policy:
- Up to £5000 Personal Injury Cover
- Stereo Cover of up to £1250 for each car
- You get to control your policy with flexible excess options
- Windscreen repair which is subject to excess.
Bell black-box insurance
For a chance to have a discounted premium on your next payment, Bell offers a Plug and Drive black box that uses telematics engineering designed to monitor your driving while sending you monthly reports. If your driving is good and matches Bell’s standard, you get to enjoy a discount in your next premium payment and you can also remove the black box after 6 months of use.
How it works:
- you set up a time and place to have an engineer installing the little box in your car
- you let the box analyze your driving habits (speed, breaking habits, frequency of driving)
- Bell tailors your policy premium depending on your way of driving.
Bell van insurance
Bell’s Van Insurance is from its sister company, Admiral Insurance.
- They cover all types of vans up to 3.5 tonnes
- The levels of van insurance covers available are: Comprehensive, Third Party, Fire & Theft and Third Party Only.
There are 4 types of covers available for vans:
- Social: If you’re using your van for leisure activities that require more space to transport the things you need for activities such as surfing, fishing, camping, etc
- Social and Commuting: If you’re planning to use your van for leisure activities as well as daily commuting
- Own Goods: If you’re using your van to carry goods that you use for your trade skills such as plumbing, carpentry, electricals, etc.
- Haulage: If you use your van to offer courier services and therefore, you carry third party goods.
How to contact Bell auto insurance?
Bell phone numbers
You will find all important phone numbers to contact Bell car insurance:
| Contact number | Opening hours | |
|---|---|---|
Customer service | 0333 220 2008 | Monday to Friday: 8am-8pm |
Make a claim | 0333 220 2041 | Monday to Friday: 8am-8pm |
Breakdown Assistance | 0330 102 0805 | Available 24 hrs a day |
Glass Repair Service | 0333 220 2028 | Available 24 hrs a day |
Accident recovery | 0800 600 840 | Available 24 hrs a day |
Renewals | 0333 220 2022 (Safe Driver Policy) | Monday to Friday: 8am-8pm |
Bell other contact details
You'll find below Bell main contact details:
| Contact details of Bell | |
|---|---|
| Email address | |
| Customer account with Bell login | |
| Social media | |
| Chatbot | No |
You can also contact them by mail by writing to Bell car insurance:
Bell Insurance,
Ty Admiral,
David Street,
Cardiff,
CF10 2AA,
United Kingdom.
How to cancel your car insurance at Bell?
You can always cancel your car insurance policy at any time. However, some fees may apply especially if you cancel it after the 14 cooling-off period after your contract's anniversary date.
Since car insurance is a legal requirement, Bell as well as other insurers will renew your policy automatically at the end of the policy period without any notification from your side. However, Bell has the obligation to send you a renewal notice within 7 to 21 days before your contract comes to an end. You will therefore have 14 days - the cooling off period - to cancel your policy at reduced cancellation fees.
For the same reason, if you cancel your car insurance policy, you must sign up to a new one immediately. Find out more on car insurance legal requirement.
You would need to have various documents ready such as:
- your policy number (right hand corner of your documents);
- your bank details; and
- your payment method in case there are cancellation fees.
Watch out!
Bell could also refuse to cover your car any longer if you don't pay for your premiums within the time allocated, or if they find out that you omitted important information that was required by the company such as your driving experience or you if have committed a fraud of any kind. This act is known as ‘fronting’.
