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This company is an online provider of
standard, pay as you go, and temporary cover for cars and drivers in the
UK.
The company started in April 2006 as an online platform for Southern
Rock Insurance Company Ltd. The eCar site was preceded by eBike in 2004,
and Southern Rock Insurance continued using the same formula to create
eHome, eLife and eVan insurance websites.
All of these sites are collectively known as eGroup Insurance and they
have sold more than one million policies online in the UK.
They are one of the major
temporary car insurance websites in the country.
Southern Rock Insurance Company Ltd, which underwrites the eCar
policies, is based in Gibraltar and has been in business since 2004 in
the UK, Australia and New Zealand. The eCar site trades as E Insurance
Services Ltd and is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services
Authority in England (No. 5603030) with its registered office in
Bristol.
Short term insurance
The eCar short term policy is for drivers that need
insurance for periods of from one to 28 days. The insurance can be used
when you borrow a friend or relatives vehicle, test drive a car, or
drive a vehicle away from a garage or auction.
For periods of longer than one month, eGroup also offers a pay as you
go (PAYG) insurance plan that operates on a monthly basis.
On the eCar website, you can retrieve quotes for short term insurance at
any time of the day and the whole process of obtaining cover can be
accomplished online. The quote tool is very simple and quick, but eCar
posts a big warning against providing any false information when
shopping for low cost insurance.
The general requirements to qualify for a policy are:
The vehicle used must be registered in the UK.
Driving must be in the UK only.
Drivers must be UK residents.
Drivers must be between 25 and 75 years old
Drivers must have owner's permission to drive insured car.
Driving must not be for hire or reward.
Cover is available only for drivers between 25 and 75 years of age and
there are no policies geared toward younger or learner drivers with
provisional licences.
Note that the information you provide to fetch an eCar quote can be used
by the company and by third parties to market other products to you.
Advantages of eCar insurance
If you choose to use the PAYG policy, you can earn
a one year No Claims Discount (NCD) after eight months of claims free
cover. After five years of NCD, you will enjoy the discount for life no
matter how many future claims you make.
While European cover is not available for short term eCar insurance, you
can get a European extension for travel purposes only with the Pay As
You Go Monthly policy. All policies allow the inclusion of multiple
drivers and vehicles. Up to four cars and four drivers can be included
on the policy provided that all drivers are 25 years or older and all
cars are specified in the policy.
Breakdown cover included
Breakdown cover is included with comprehensive PAYG
but not short term car insurance policies. The vehicle must be eight
years old or less when you obtain breakdown cover. The situations
covered include:
Roadside repairs A patrol will be sent to repair your car on the
roadside if possible.
Home breakdown Patrols will also be sent to your home to repair you
car in case of breakdown.
Vehicle recovery If the car cannot be repaired on the roadside or at
your home, it will be towed to a repair garage.
Transportation to destination Transportation is provided to your
home or other destination in case of a breakdown.
Breakdown cover is underwritten separately by Europ Assistance Insurance
Ltd, which uses screened operators for its roadside assistance service.
Legal cover
The Pay As You Go Monthly policy also includes
legal cover under the standard prices. With this type of cover, your
legal expenses connected with a non-fault accident will be covered up to
£100,000. Other benefits include:
A replacement vehicle
Vehicle repairs (for those who lack comprehensive cover).
Cover for uninsured losses such as damage to personal property.
Compensation for personal injuries.
All the legal and other services mentioned above are included in the
cumulative £100,000 cover limit. The legal cover is also separately
underwritten by AmTrust Europe Ltd and legal services are provided by
Angel Assistance Ltd.
Website usability
The eCar insurance website is a little difficult to
use and it may take a bit of navigating to get to the right destination.
Although eCar does not specifically offer short term insurance for vans
and bikes, the sister websites do offer such cover and you can find the
associated links on the tabs located at the very top of the page.
Note that if you try to retrieve a quote after browsing through the site
for some time, you may get a warning that your session has timed out.
Try reloading the homepage to get past this bug.
Is eCar the right company for me?
The eCar car insurance website offer many options
including PAYG and short term cover. The short term insurance policies
are somewhat limited as they do not include breakdown cover and European
cover.
The PAYG policies have good features including the No Claims Discount,
European cover and breakdown cover. The breakdown cover is quite
comprehensive and is included in the regular price for PAYG policies.
Most breakdown plans are optional and require extra charges. They also
tend to be layered according to the amount of services provided. The
eCar breakdown cover provides the maximum level of protection and at no
extra fee.
Legal cover up to £100,000 is also a plus with the PAYG policies and it
really sets this product apart from many of the other competitors on the
market
Get a quote from their website
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