Budget 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 Budget car insurance.
You might already know that Budget 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 Budget 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 Budget car policy terms and conditions and given our own ratings based on different criteria.
4,2 Safe overall rating for Budget
| Our rating | Our opinion | |
|---|---|---|
| Customer service & satisfaction |
Efficient online application process | |
| Cover provided |
Wide range of covers available such as Car, Van, Home and Life insurance | |
| Value for money |
Reasonably priced premiums | |
| Financial strength for pay out | Budget Insurance is one of the many trading names owned by BISL Limited, an insurance company that has vast experience in the industry making it capable of paying out claims. | |
| Technology |
User friendly and well organized website |
Expert and customer reviews on Budget
We compiled expert and customer reviews from independent institutions, to give you an overall idea of Budget's reputation.
| Review organisation | Consumer satisfaction rates for Budget |
|---|---|
| Defaqto expert rating for Budget |  |
| TrustPilot | 4,5/5 based on more than 7000 opnions |
To check if Budget 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 Budget car insurance policy
Budget car insurance is underwritten by some of the leading insurers in the UK. However, all the services are offered as one and don’t vary depending on the underwriter which makes the offer much clearer. Budget offers a comprehensive level of cover at very affordable rates.
However, you will have to pay some admin fees in compensation if you do change, or cancel your policy. The company is part of the BGL Group also owning Dial Direct or Beagle Street among others.
What does Budget car insurance policy cover?
Are TPO, TPFT and Comprehensive covers available at Budget?
| Car insurance policy | Available at Budget | 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 Budget explained in details
Let's find out what does Budget covers in its car insurance policy.
Breakdown cover at Budget
Insure 2 Drive offers 5 levels of Breakdown Cover that is provided by RAC (An automative repair service that they’ve partnered with to carry out their Breakdown Services to clients):
- Roadside Cover: this covers breakdown services within the UK more than 1/4 mile from your home address. They don’t charge you any call-out fee.
- Roadside and Recovery Cover: this inlcudes roadside breakdown services within the UK a 1/4 mile from your home address, and local recovery of the vehicle and 8 passengers including the driver to a single destination.
- Roadside, Recovery and At Home Cover: this covers the benefits you get with Roadside and Recover Cover along with Breakdown assistance if your car breaks down at your home address or within 1/4 miles from your home address.
- Roaside, Recovery, At Home and Onward Travel: this covers all of the benefits that come with the Roadside, Recovery and At Home Cover as well as alternative transport or overnight accomodation should they not be able to repair your vehicle at the roadside.
- Roadside, Recovery, At Home, Onward Travel and Europe: this cover consists of the benefits you get with the Roadside Recovery At Home and Onward Travel as well as breakdown assistance while traveling in Europe.
Keycare cover at Budget
- Up to £1000 for replacement of locks or keys in case of loss or theft of keys as well as reprogramming immobilisers.
- It covers car keys, home keys and business premise keys.
Windscreen cover at Budget
- Windscreen cover is only available as part of the comprehensive level of cover. It is not available as an optional addition.
- Unlimited cover unless you get it repaired at a repairer that is not approved by the insurer. In that case, you’ll get a cover limited to £150
Motor legal protection at Budget
Up to £100,000 to cover for legal costs and expenses when pursuing for compensation after an incident that wasn’t your fault.
Personal policy injury available at Budget
Budget Insurance Personal Injury Policy covers the following:
- Up to £30,000 in the case death and permanent total disability
- Up to £50 per day for hospital up to 80 days total in case of hospitalization due to a car accident
- Up to £22,500 in case of permanent loss of sight or hearing
- Up to £750 for whiplash as a result of the accident you were in.
Coverage abroad at Budget
Budget Insurance offers up to 60 days cover for traveling within the EU. The level of cover will be the same as the one you have back in the UK.
Courtesy car at Budget
Budget Insurance offers 2 levels of Guaranteed Replacement Car Policy:
Basic: this covers you for up to 28 days if your car is deemed a total loss in case of an accident, fire, theft or attempted theft. If the accident was your fault or is in dispute, you’ll be provided with a car that has an engine size of 1000cc.
Guaranteed Replacement Car Plus: this covers a replacement car that has the same features as your car for up to 60 days. You also get the option of taking a £100 payment in case you don’t want a replacement car.
No-Claim Bonus (NCB) at Budget
Your NCB will keep increasing every year provided you don’t get yourself involved in any incident that may require you to file for a claim or have a claim filed against you. No NCB rate is stated in the website. You can also opt for an NCB protection cover at an additional charge.
If the incident caused was not your fault and Budget Insurance was able to recover all costs from the responsible party, your NCB will not be affected. However, if they’re not able to recover the costs of the incident, your NCB will be affected.
Claims on the following will not affect your NCB:
- Windscreen cover
- Medical emergency cover
- Incidents caused by an uninsured driver.
At Budget, 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 claim 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.
How much does Budget car insurance cost?
You'll find below indicative car insurance quotes at Budget:
| Drivers'age | Monthly premium |
|---|---|
| 18 years old | £107,91 |
| 40 years old | £44,50 |
| 60 years old | £32,81 |
Costs of Budget 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 Budget?
There is no specific discount apart from the No-Claim Bonus available at Budget Insurance.
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!
Budget car insurance policy summarized
Guarantees
| At Budget | |
|---|---|
| NCB benefit | Yes |
| Uninsured driver NCB benefit | Yes |
| Loss or theft of keys | £500 - Excess- £100 |
| Personal belongings | £150 |
| Audio equipment | £500 |
| Medical expenses | £200 |
| Liability limit for property damage | Not,stated |
| Legal expense | £100,000 |
| Courtesy car benefit | As standard |
| Courtesy car cover | Duration of repair of your car. |
| Coverage abroad | 30 days to 60 days |
Excess
| At Budget | |
|---|---|
| Fire excess | £150 for personal belongings |
| Theft excess | £150 for personal belongings |
| Accidental damage excess | Not stated |
| Windscreen replacement excess | Excess- £75 Limit- Unlimited when using approved repairer, £150 limit if using unapproved repairer. |
| Young driver excess | £400 |
Admin fees
| At Budget | |
|---|---|
| Interest charged by payment installments | Not Stated |
| Renewal fees | £0 |
| Cancellation fees | Cancellation fees during cooling off period : £38 |
| Modification fees | Mid-Term Adjustment fee: £20 |
Other car insurance policies available at Budget
Budget short term cover
Budget Insurance offers temporary car cover through their sister company, Jaunt.
Jaunt offers temporary car insurance for as little as an hour and as much as 30 days. Their cover is available for cars, vans and motorhomes and the application process is pretty quick and effortless. It is also important to mention that is a comprehensive level of cover.
Budget business car insurance
Budget Insurance has not stated anywhere if you could use your vehicle for business use. We would advise you to contact them directly and enquire about this before taking out an insurance policy with them if you’re looking to use your vehicle to go to and from work or for business travel.
Budget van insurance
Budget Insurance offers Van Insurance across all the 3 main levels of cover: Comprehensive, Fire, Theft & Third Party and Third Party Only.
The following benefits are available as standards across all the levels of cover:
- Up to 30 days of travel within the EU
- Up to £100,000 to cover for legal costs and expenses when pursuing for compensation after an incident that wasn’t your fault.
In addition to the main level of cover you can also opt for any of the following optional extras:
- Breakdown Assistance
- Key Care Cover
- Guaranteed Replacement Vehicle
- Personal Accident Cover
- Tools Cover.
How to contact Budget auto insurance?
Budget phone numbers
You will find all important phone numbers to contact Budget car insurance:
| Contact number | Opening hours | |
|---|---|---|
Customer Service | 0344 412 2118 | Monday to Friday: 8am to 9pm |
Renewals | 0344 412 2115 | Monday to Friday: 8am to 9pm |
Claims | 0344 412 2127 | Available 24/7 |
RAC Breakdown | 0330 332 8468 | Available 24/7 |
Windscreen | 0330 018 3242 | Available 24/7 |
Van Customer Service | 0344 412 2124 | Monday to Friday: 8am to 9pm |
Budget other contact details
You'll find below Budget main contact details:
| Contact details of Budget | |
|---|---|
| Email address | |
| Customer account with Budget login | |
| Social media | |
| Chatbot | No |
You can also contact them by mail by writing to Budget car insurance:
Budget Insurance Services
Unit 25 Tresham Road
Orton Southgate
Peterborough
PE2 6BU
How to cancel your car insurance at Budget?
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, Budget as well as other insurers will renew your policy automatically at the end of the policy period without any notification from your side. However, Budget 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!
Budget 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’.
