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Aviva car insurance review

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Aviva isn’t just one of the biggest insurance providers in the UK – it’s one of the oldest, with over 320 years experience in the market. 

And when it comes to car insurance in particular, only Admiral Group and Direct Line have more customers across the UK. 

Aviva has been recognised by the The Good Shopping Guide Ethical Company Award and The Good Business Charter, and has a five-star rating for car insurance from Defaqto.

Read on below for our Aviva car insurance review, including which policies it offers, the standard of its customer service, and how it compares to its competitors. All of which can be incredibly useful information to bear in mind when you compare car insurance to find the best quote.

What car insurance cover is offered by Aviva?

While Aviva offers numerous car insurance products, its four main policies are comprehensive, third party, fire and theft, specific electric car cover, and telematics insurance provided by General Accident. 

Comprehensive

The comprehensive insurance policy is the top level of cover Aviva offers, and includes the following:

  • Loss or damage: this means Aviva will cover the cost of repairs to your car if you are in an accident, or pay to replace your vehicle if it is stolen
  • Liability: if you injure someone, damage their car, or even their personal property, Aviva will cover the costs
  • Uninsured driver cover: even if you get hit by an uninsured driver, Aviva will still cover the costs and refund any excess you pay
  • Vehicle recovery: if your car has been damaged to the extent it cannot be driven to the garage, Aviva will arrange for it to be towed to an approved repair shop
  • Driving other cars that aren’t your own: if you are over 25 years old when you first take out your insurance, you can drive someone else’s car using your comprehensive policy. However, you will only be covered for third party costs
  • Legal costs: were you to encounter any legal fees following an accident, your comprehensive Aviva car insurance would contribute towards your costs
  • Motor injury protection: cover for if you, or any other named drivers on the car, suffer a serious injury, or death, from a road accident
  • Vehicle-specific no claims discount: you will be able to build up a separate no claims bonus for each car insured under your comprehensive policy. This means if you make a claim on one car, it won’t affect your discount on the other

However, it is important to note that the following isn’t covered by comprehensive Aviva car insurance:

  • Electrical breakdown: if your onboard computer, or any other electrical parts, malfunction, you won’t be covered
  • Tyre repair: any cuts, bursts or punctures won’t be covered

Third party, fire and theft

With Aviva’s third party, fire and theft, you are covered for:

  • Loss or damage: Aviva will cover the cost of a stolen car or repairs resulting from fire damage 
  • Liability: Aviva will cover if you injure someone, damage their car, or their personal property
  • Vehicle recovery: if your car has been damaged in a fire
  • Legal costs: resulting from an accident
  • Individualised no claims discounts: for each car insured under the policy

This means that, with Aviva’s third party, fire and theft insurance, you are not covered for, among other things:

  • Repairs to you own vehicle for damage resulting from an accident
  • Vehicle recovery if your car is damaged in an accident
  • Uninsured driver cover
  • Driving other cars under this policy
  • Motor injury protection
  • Electrical breakdowns
  • Tyre repair

Electric car

Aviva offers specific electric car insurance, at both the comprehensive and third party, fire and theft level. 

In addition to the standard level of coverage listed above, with Aviva’s comprehensive electric car insurance, you are also covered for:

  • Loss or damage to your vehicle or battery (including damage from an electrical surge while charging)
  • Out of charge recovery, where an RAC mechanic will come and charge your battery so you can get to a charging station, or transport you home, whichever is closer
  • Liability
  • Uninsured driver cover
  • Vehicle recovery 
  • Driving other cars (if you are over the age of 25)
  • Motor injury protection

With Aviva’s third party, fire and theft electric car insurance, you are also covered for:

  • Loss or damage to your battery or vehicle, but only arising from fire, theft or attempted theft
  • Vehicle recovery (but not out of battery recovery)
  • Legal costs arising from an accident

Telematics/Black box

You can also take out telematics insurance via General Accident, a company that is part of the Aviva family. 

Depending on its make and model, you will either receive a self-install plugin device, or an engineer will install an alternative device in your car. This will then track your driving behaviour, giving each journey a score in the related app.

You need to aim for a score of 70 or above; anything under 50 will cause you to receive a warning. Three warnings within a 30-day period will cause your policy to be cancelled. A year’s worth of positive scores, on the other hand, can reduce your premium when it is up for renewal.

To be eligible for GA telematics cover, you need to be:

  • Between 17 and 24 years old
  • Hold a British or European Union (EU) driving licence
  • A resident of Great Britain

Other Aviva car insurance products

Aviva also offers the following products:

Aviva car insurance policies at a glance

Comprehensive Third party, fire and theft Electric car G4 telematics
Age range All All All 17-24
Level of cover Fully comprehensive Third party, fire and theft Fully comprehensive or third party, fire and theft Fully comprehensive
Injuries to other people Yes Yes Yes Yes
Damage to other people’s property Yes Yes Yes Yes
Theft Yes Yes Yes (including battery) Yes
Fire damage Yes Yes Yes (including battery) Yes
Repairs to your own car Yes Yes (only arising from fire damage) Yes (fully comprehensive only) Yes
Legal costs Yes Yes Yes Yes
Your medical expenses Yes No Yes (fully comprehensive only) Yes
Driving other cars Yes (provides third party cover only, must be 25 or over) No Yes (fully comprehensive policy, must be 25 or over, providers third party cover) Yes (provides third party cover only, must be 25 or over)
Breakdown cover Optional Optional Optional Optional
Courtesy car cover Optional No Optional (fully comprehensive only) Optional
Hire car cover Optional No Optional (fully comprehensive only) Optional
Windscreen replacement Yes No Yes (fully comprehensive only) Yes
Personal belongings Yes No Yes (fully comprehensive only) Yes
Replacement locks and keys Yes No Yes (fully comprehensive only) Yes
Protected no claims bonus Optional Optional Optional Optional
Cancellation fee £38 £38 £38 £38

Aviva car insurance optional extras

With most Aviva car insurance policies, there will be a number of optional extras you can include at extra cost.

Optional cover for comprehensive policies

If you take out comprehensive Aviva car insurance, you can add on:

  • UK breakdown cover
  • Courtesy car insurance
  • Motor injury protection plus (standard motor injury protection is included already)
  • Protected no claims discount
  • Extended continental use cover
  • Motor legal protection

Optional cover for third party, fire and theft policies

With Aviva third party, fire and theft cover, your optional extras are more limited:

  • UK breakdown cover
  • Protected no claims discount
  • Motor legal protection

How to claim with Aviva car insurance

If you want to make a claim with your Aviva car insurance, once you have made sure you and any other parties are safe, you should complete the following steps:

  • Contact Aviva as soon as possible after the incident, whether that’s online or via the phone (0345 030 6925). You should have your policy number to hand. The claims service is available 24/7, every day of the year. 
  • Confirm what type of claim you are making, for example if you’ve been in an accident, your car has been stolen, or your windscreen is broken.
  • Depending on your claim, Aviva will arrange the relevant course of action. For example, they may send vehicle recovery and repair for your car, book for your windscreen to be replaced, or manage the claim against you from a third party.

How to cancel Aviva car insurance

If you want to cancel your Aviva car insurance, and you are still in the middle of your policy, you will need to fill out a form online.

Similarly, if you want to cancel your Aviva auto-renewal, then you will need to complete a different online form.

There may be a fee attached to cancelling your policy. Aviva’s cancellation fees can be found below:

Cancellation period Fee
If you want to cancel within the 14-day cooling off period, and your cover hasn’t started. Free
If you want to cancel within the 14-day cooling off period, and your cover has started. £38
If you want to cancel at any point after the 14-day cooling off period. £38

How to contact Aviva car insurance

Aside from making a claim, or cancelling your car insurance, you can contact Aviva at the following:

  • Phone: 0345 030 6984 (8am to 8pm Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5pm Saturdays, and 10am to 4pm Sundays and bank holidays)
  • Email: avivamotorclaims@aviva.com 
  • Address: Cruan Business Centre, Westerhill, Business Park, 123 Westerhill Road, Bishopbriggs, Glasgow G64 2QR
  • Live chat (between 8am and 6.30pm, subject to availability)

Aviva car insurance customer reviews

Aviva has a ‘Great’ Trustpilot rating of four out of five stars, based on over 30,700 reviews (as of 6 November 2023).

It is important to note, however, that these reviews cover the Aviva brand as a whole, and not just its car insurance products. 

Of those that are related to car insurance, many of the brand’s five star reviews mention Aviva’s competitive pricing when switching, and the ease of the sign-up process. These five star reviews represent 73 per cent of Aviva’s rating.

However, of the 16 per cent of reviews rated one or two stars, a repeated complaint is the customer service, and difficulties when making a claim.

“For Aviva’s premium policy, very competitively priced considering many other top rated insurers were quoting me several hundred pounds more for their standard cover. Very simple set up, all aspects of policy clearly explained and set up through MyAviva means access to all policy documents held within easy reach in one place. Very pleased.”

“I recently purchased car insurance with this company and beginning to wonder if I made the right choice. All I want to do is change the registration to a private plate. Took me five minutes to complete with DVLA online, but trying to inform Aviva is a complete nightmare! Can’t get to talk to anyone, I’ve filled out online forms, contacted them via social media and not one reply. So until they contact me I guess I can’t use my car. Never have I experienced this with a company.”

“Everything is a complete hassle and they don’t care. Insured my old car then sold it and switched the [licence plate] number. Not difficult to process, you would think, but they make it so. Nobody to speak to so I have a car that I can’t use because they can’t confirm it’s insured under the new number when it was insured under the old one. Pathetic service.”

How does Aviva compare to its competitors?

Provider name Trustpilot score Defaqto score
Aviva 4.0 stars 5 stars (3 stars for Third party, fire and theft)
Admiral Insurance 4.4 stars 5 stars (4 stars for Telematics, 3 stars for Essential)
Direct Line 3.7 stars 5 stars (3 stars for Third party, fire and theft and Essentials)
Hastings Direct 4.1 stars 5 stars (4 stars for Third party, fire and theft, 3 stars for Telematics, 2 stars for Essential)
AXA 4.3 stars 4 stars (5 stars for Plus)
LV= 4.5 stars 5 stars (3 stars for Third party, fire and theft)
esure 3.3 stars 5 stars (4 stars for Third party, fire and theft)
Ageas 4.1 stars 5 stars (3 stars for Essentials, and Telematics)
NFU Mutual 4.4 stars 5 stars

All scores are correct as of 6 November 2023.

Conclusion

With a range of policies on offer, from fully comprehensive car insurance to specific electric car insurance, Aviva may have the right cover for your needs.

Limited optional extras, and a three star rating from Defaqto, makes Aviva’s third party, fire and theft policy less appealing than its comprehensive cover. However, you should always draw up a list of what exactly you are looking for from your policy as to avoid overinsuring yourself. 

Trustpilot reviews frequently mention the competitive nature of Aviva’s quotes – although always make sure to compare a wide range of providers before signing the dotted line – but with customer service a potential area of concern.

Aviva car insurance FAQs

With four out of five stars on Trustpilot, and a five-star rating for many of its policies on Defaqto, there is evidence that Aviva is a reliable car insurance provider. In addition to this fact, it is the third biggest car insurer in the country. However, online complaints about customer service are something to keep in mind when considering an Aviva policy.

Across the board, car insurance has become much more expensive in the last year or so, with inflation and rising labour costs partially to blame. For example, the Association of British Insurers (ABI) reported in September 2023 that vehicle repair costs had risen 46 per cent year-on-year. This makes the cost of your claim more expensive for your insurance provider, an increased expense that is then passed onto new or renewing customers down the line.

You can make payments, and manage your policies, online using the MyAviva portal, as long as your car insurance policy was purchased directly from Aviva.

Connor Campbell

Finance Writer

Connor Campbell is an experienced personal and business finance writer who has been producing online content for almost a decade. 

Connor is the personal finance expert for Independent Advisor, guiding readers through everything they need to know about car insurance and home insurance. From how much it costs to the best insurance providers in the UK, he’s here to help you find the right policy for your needs. 

In his capacity as writer and spokesperson at NerdWallet, Connor explored a number of topics close to his heart, such as the impact of our increasingly cashless society, and the hardships and heroics of British entrepreneurs. His commentary was featured in sites such as The Mirror, the Daily Express and Business Insider

At financial trading firm Spreadex, meanwhile, his market commentary was featured in outlets such as The Guardian, BBC, Reuters and the Evening Standard

Connor is a voracious reader with an MA in English, and is dedicated to making life’s financial decisions a little bit easier by doing away with jargon and needless complexity.

amy

Amy Reeves

Editor

Amy is a seasoned writer and editor with a special interest in home design, sustainable technology and green building methods.

She has interviewed hundreds of self-builders, extenders and renovators about their journeys towards individual, well-considered homes, as well as architects and industry experts during her five years working as Assistant Editor at Homebuilding & Renovating, part of Future plc.