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Tesco Bank car insurance review

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With six main policies to choose from, and discounts for Clubcard members, Tesco Bank could be an option when you come to compare car insurance quotes

Operating since 1997, and with 5 million customers across its banking and insurance products, it’s the personal finance arm of its supermarket namesake. 

Read on below for our Tesco car insurance review, including the details of each major policy it offers, what its customers say, and how it stacks up against its competitors.

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What car insurance cover is offered by Tesco Bank?

Tesco Bank offers six different levels of cover. Four of those policies are fully comprehensive: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and black box insurance.

You can then also get Tesco Bank Silver-tier insurance for third party only, and third party, fire and theft cover. 

Bronze

With Tesco Bank Bronze fully comprehensive car insurance, you’re covered for the following:

  • Damage to your car: if you’re in an accident, you can claim for the costs of any repairs up to the market value of your car (excluding damage to your windscreen)
  • Fire damage: if your car is damaged by fire, you can make a claim up to the market value of your vehicle
  • Theft: if you car is stolen, or damaged in an attempted theft, you can make a claim on your Tesco Bank Bronze car cover
  • Third party liability: if you’re in an accident, Tesco will cover the costs incurred by any other drivers, up to £20 million
  • Death or injury to third parties: if someone else were to be injured or killed in an accident involving your vehicle, Tesco Bank will cover you, regardless of the cost
  • Emergency medical treatment: you can claim £100 per person for emergency medical treatment following an accident
  • Personal accident: if you or your partner is injured or killed while travelling in, or getting out of, your car, you can claim up to £1,000
  • Audio/visual/electronic devices installed by the manufacturer: if your manufacturer-installed electronic devices, including sat navs, are stolen or damaged, you can make a claim, up to their market value
  • Stolen keys: you can replace your lost or stolen keys, or any other ignition device, as well as your locks, up to a maximum cost of £300
  • Courtesy car cover: you can get a small temporary replacement vehicle while your car is being repaired at an approved garage following an insured incident that has resulted in a claim
  • Child seat cover: you can claim up to £300 to replace a child car seat damaged during an insured incident
  • Driving your car in Europe: you can drive your car abroad for 90 days in select European countries without taking out a new policy

Silver

Tesco Bank Silver car insurance includes everything in the Bronze level, as well as:

  • Personal accident: at the Silver level, you can make personal accident claims up to £5,000
  • Windscreen repair: you can claim the market value for repairing your windscreen if you use an approved repairer, or up to £40 for a non-approved repairer
  • Windscreen replacement: you can claim the market value for replacing your windscreen if you use an approved repairer, or up to £125 for a non-approved repairer
  • Aftermarket audio/visual/electronic devices: any aftermarket electronic divides that have been installed can be claimed for, up to £1,000
  • Stolen keys: at the Silver tier, you can claim up to £750 for stolen keys and other associated costs
  • Uninsured driver promise: this means that if you’re in an accident that’s not your fault, and the other driver is not insured, your excess will be refunded, as long as you meet Tesco Bank’s requirements
  • Driving other cars: you may be allowed to drive other cars on your Silver policy, with third party only cover, as long as you meet Tesco Bank’s age and occupation requirements
  • Personal belongings: if you make a claim following an accident, fire or theft, any personal belongings in the car will be covered up to £200
  • Replacement car: if your car is written off, or declared as a total loss, and it is less than 12 months old, you will receive a like-for-like replacement
  • Onward travel: in the event of an insured incident, you will be refunded for the cost of travel to get to your planned destination or home, up to £150

Gold

The Tesco Bank Gold car insurance policy includes everything found at the Silver level, as well as:

  • Personal accident: you can claim up to £7,500 with your Gold policy
  • Stolen keys: you can claim for the market value of replacing your stolen keys, and any other associated costs
  • Lost keys: if your keys are lost from anywhere other than your car, you can claim for the full market value of replacing them
  • Enhanced courtesy car cover: instead of a small car, you will receive a vehicle equivalent in size to the one being repaired
  • Personal belongings: your personal belongings will be covered up to £500
  • Onward travel: you will be refunded for travel costs, or the price of one night’s accommodation, up to £500
  • Misfuelling: if you accidentally fill your car with the wrong fuel, you can claim for the roadside drainage and flushing of the fuel tank, or the recovery of the car, as well as replenishing the fuel tank with 10 litres of the correct fuel
  • Vandalism promise: if your car has been vandalised, you can make a claim that won’t affect your no-claims bonus, as long as you meet Tesco Bank’s requirements 

Silver (third party only)

With Tesco Bank’s third party only Silver car insurance, you will have cover for:

  • Third party liability: up to £20 million
  • Death or injury to third parties: this cover is unlimited
  • Emergency medical treatment: up to £100 per injured person
  • Driving other cars: if you meet the eligibility requirements
  • Driving your car in Europe: for up to 90 days

Silver (third party, fire and theft)

As for Tesco Bank’s third party, fire and theft cover, it includes:

  • Fire damage: up to market value 
  • Theft: up to market value
  • Audio/visual/electronic devices installed by the manufacturer: up to market value
  • Aftermarket audio/visual/electronic devices: up to £1,000
  • Third party liability: up to £20 million
  • Death or injury to third parties: this cover is unlimited
  • Emergency medical treatment: up to £100 per injured person
  • Driving other cars: if you meet the eligibility requirements
  • Child seat car: up to £300
  • Driving your car in Europe: for up to 90 days

Black box insurance

Tesco Bank’s black box insurance is a comprehensive policy for drivers aged between 17 and 35 looking to reduce the price of their car insurance long-term. Tesco Clubcard members can receive a guaranteed discount when taking out a policy. 

A black box or telematics device will be installed in your car that will monitor how you drive. At the outset of your policy, you will choose the maximum number of miles you’ll drive a month: 6,000, 8,000 or 10,000. If you find you need more, you can buy additional miles online or over the phone. 

You can earn up to 100 additional miles a month if your black box shows you’ve been driving safely. 

At renewal, you may then be able to get a reduced premium, if you’ve proven yourself to be a safe driver.

Tesco Bank car insurance policies at a glance

Bronze Silver Gold Silver (third party only) Silver (third party, fire and theft) Black box insurance
Age range All All All All All 17 to 35
Level of cover Fully comprehensive Fully comprehensive Fully comprehensive Third party Third party, fire and theft Fully comprehensive
Injuries to other people Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Damage to other people’s property Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Theft Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes
Fire damage Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes
Repairs to your own car following accident Yes Yes Yes No No Yes
Legal costs Optional Optional Optional Optional Optional Yes
Your medical expenses Emergency medical treatment up to £100 per person Personal accident costs up to £1,000 Emergency medical treatment up to £100 per person Personal accident costs up to £5,000 Emergency medical treatment up to £100 per person Personal accident costs up to £7,500 Emergency medical treatment up to £100 per person Emergency medical treatment up to £100 per person Personal accident costs up to £7,500
Driving other cars No If eligible If eligible If eligible If eligible No
Breakdown cover Optional Optional Optional Optional Optional Optional
Courtesy car cover Yes Yes Yes (enhanced) No No Yes
Hire car cover Can upgrade courtesy car cover Can upgrade courtesy car cover Can upgrade courtesy car cover No No Can upgrade courtesy car cover
Windscreen replacement No Yes Yes No No Yes
Personal belongings No Up to £200 Up to £500 No No Up to £150
Replacement locks and keys Up to £300 if stolen Up to £750 if stolen Market value, if stolen or lost No No Optional
Protected no claims bonus Optional Optional Optional Optional Optional Optional
Cancellation fee £25 (within 14 days) £40 (after 14 days) £25 (within 14 days) £40 (after 14 days) £25 (within 14 days) £40 (after 14 days) £25 (within 14 days) £40 (after 14 days) £25 (within 14 days) £40 (after 14 days) £25 (within 14 days) £40 (after 14 days)

Tesco Bank car insurance optional extras

With your Tesco Bank car insurance policy, you can add a number of optional extras, including:

  • Motor legal protection up to £100,000
  • Breakdown cover
  • Upgraded courtesy car cover to ensure a similar-sized vehicle to the one being repaired
  • Additional key cover, including a 24-hour helpline
  • No-claims bonus protection

How to claim with Tesco Bank car insurance

If you need to make a car insurance claim through your Tesco Bank policy, you should:

  1. Ensure that you, and anyone else involved in the incident, are safe and secure
  2. Contact Tesco Bank about the incident as soon as possible, regardless of whether or not you want to make a claim. You can do this online via the Your Insurance Account portal, or over the phone (0345 677 3377). You have seven days to contact Tesco Bank, according to the terms of its policies. It’s useful to have your car insurance policy number to hand
  3. Let Tesco Bank know what kind of claim you want to make. For example, whether your car has been damaged in an accident or fire, or if it has been stolen
  4. Tesco Bank will take the relevant course of action. For example, that could be contacting a third party involved in the incident, arranging for an approved repairer to look at your car, or sourcing a like-for-like replacement

How to cancel Tesco Bank car insurance

To cancel your Tesco Bank car insurance policy, you will need to ring the provider on 0345 246 2895.  Your cancellation can take effect immediately, or from a chosen later date, but cannot be backdated.

When cancelling, you will need to pay an exit fee:

Cancellation period Fee
Within 14 days of taking out your policy £25
After 14 days £40

If you cancel outside the 14 day cooling off period, and haven’t made a claim, you will be refunded the cost of your premium for the time left on your insurance minus the £40 exit fee. This is unless you have made any claims on your policy; if so you must pay the full premium, plus the exit fee.

How to contact Tesco Bank car insurance 

If you need to contract Tesco Bank car insurance about anything, you can call the following numbers:

  • Customer service: 0345 673 0000 (8am to 8pm Monday to Friday, 9am to 2pm Saturdays and Sundays)
  • Making a claim: 0345 677 3377 (8am to 8pm Monday to Friday, 9am to 2pm Saturdays and Sundays)

Tesco Bank car insurance customer reviews

Tesco Bank has a ‘Great’ Trustpilot rating of 4.1 out of five stars, based on more than 15,500 reviews (as of 15 November 2023). 

It’s important to note, however, that these reviews are for the Tesco Bank brand as a whole, and not just its car insurance products.

Of those related to car insurance, many of Tesco Bank’s five star reviews mention the quality of its over-the-phone customer service, and the discounts available for Tesco Clubcard members.  

However, some of the brand’s negative reviews mention frustrations with the fact Tesco Bank only really offers customer service over the phone, and the hike in renewal quotes once their initial policy had finished.

icons8-review-96

“I had tried to make a change to my insurance details after changing my car. Everything went well until I tried to pay for my increased premium. I tried three times but for whatever reason it wouldn’t frustratingly take my card payment. I decided to ring customer services and received exactly that, good customer service. My problem was resolved quickly by a very competent Tesco representative. Well done and thank you.”

 

“Just a thanks to the two lovely guys I spoke to on the phone over the past three days trying to renew my insurance policy. Their names were Chris and Scott, and I spoke to them both separately over the three days and both were so helpful and willing to put themselves out in order to sort the problem of my cards not working for renewing my insurance. Their manners and customer service are awesome and can’t thank them enough, as I was very stressed. Thank you to them again!”

 

“Tesco car insurance [is] cheap enough, but [they] asked for no-claims bonus proof but [when] you try and email them back even when you’re signed in to your Tesco insurance account it’s nonexistent. You can only phone, but I have trouble on the phone so couldn’t use it, plus the emails they sent me were no reply. Why? Subsequently, pretty sharpish they cancelled my policy. They don’t make it easy.”

What is the Defaqto rating for Tesco car insurance?

Tesco Bank’s car insurance policies having the following ratings on Defaqto:

  • Bronze: ★★★
  • Silver: ★★★★★
  • Silver (third party, fire and theft): ★★★
  • Gold: ★★★★★
  • Black box insurance: ★★★

How does Tesco Bank compare to its competitors?

Provider name Trustpilot score Defaqto score
Tesco Bank 4.1 stars 5 stars (3 stars for black box insurance, Bronze, and Silver third party, fire and theft)
Admiral Insurance 4.4 stars 5 stars (4 stars for Telematics, 3 stars for Essential)
Aviva 4.0 stars 5 stars (3 stars for Third party, fire and theft)
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

Conclusion

Tesco Bank might be an option if you don’t want the most feature-rich cover available, but still want comprehensive cover. Its Silver level, in particular, has a five-star rating on Defaqto – of interest if you don’t want the costs associated with the fuller Gold policy. 

Loyal Tesco customers may want to consider it, simply for the fact that Clubcard members are eligible for a discount on their premium.

If you appreciate being able to speak to someone over the phone when you have an issue, then Tesco Bank’s Trustpilot reviews suggest it could be a good fit. However, if you’d rather communicate with your provider via email or live chat, Tesco Bank might not be for you.

Frequently asked questions about Tesco Bank car insurance

Tesco Bank car insurance is underwritten by Tesco Underwriting Ltd.

Since 2008, Tesco Bank, including its car insurance arm, has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Tesco PLC.

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.

Molly Dyson

Editor

After growing up with a passion for writing, Molly studied journalism and creative writing at university in her home country of the United States.

She has written for a variety of print and online publications, from small town newspapers to international magazines. Most of her 10-year career since relocating to the UK has been spent in business journalism, writing and editing for admin professionals at PA Life magazine and business travel managers at Business Travel News Europe and representing those titles at conferences around the world.

Now an Editor at the Independent Advisor, Molly is an expert in a broad range of consumer topics, that include solar panels and renewables, home improvements and home insurance, and consumer technology such as home security and VPNs.

In her free time, Molly can usually be found exploring the outdoors with her husband and their young son or gardening.