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Academy Insurance Services car insurance review
Here's what you need to know about the car insurance through Academy Insurance Services, which specialises in higher-risk drivers and cars.
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We’ve checked out Academy Insurance Services to analyse what it says are quality policies at great rates. Here’s our analysis of this broker’s offering.
Who is Academy Insurance Services?
Academy Insurance Services was established in 1995 and provides car, home, boat, motorbike, business and pet insurance.
With its car insurance, it caters to young drivers as well drivers of specialist vehicles, such as 4x4s and prestige or high performance cars.
Academy Insurance Services is a trading name of Insurance Factory Limited, which is part of the Markerstudy Group of companies.
What are Academy Insurance Services’ levels of cover?
Academy Insurance Services’ Third Party cover
Third party cover is the minimum level of cover that is offered by Academy Insurance Services. To be on UK roads, all drivers are legally required to have at least this level of car insurance. If you are responsible for causing an accident, you’ll be protected for damage to third party vehicles or property. You won’t be protected for any damage to your own car.
Don’t assume this is the cheapest option because it offers the least protection. Sometimes, this cover may work out more expensive than comprehensive. Check each cover level to see which offers the best value for you.
Academy Insurance Services’ Third Party, Fire and Theft cover
You’ll get the same level of cover as third party but this will also provide protection against any fire damage or theft of your car.
Academy Insurance Services’ Comprehensive cover
This is the greatest level of cover on offer and will provide the same protection as the other levels as well as insuring your vehicle against accidental damage and vandalism.
It’s always worth getting a quote for comprehensive cover, as in some cases, it can be cheaper than lower levels of cover due to the risk profile of customers who choose them.
Optional extras
Academy Insurance Services has some additional benefits that you can add, including:
- UK breakdown cover
- European breakdown cover
- Legal and claims assistance cover
- Guaranteed vehicle cover
- Key cover
What is covered under my policy through Academy Insurance Services?
| Cover benefits | Third party | Third party, fire and theft | Comprehensive |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liability to other people and property | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Fire and theft | – | ✓ | ✓ |
| Accidental damage | – | – | ✓ |
| Courtesy car | – | – | ✓ |
| Windscreen cover | – | – | ✓ |
Check your policy details carefully to ensure you have the right cover for your needs.
General exclusions
Any cover arranged through Academy Insurance Services is likely to become invalid if any of the following arises:
- Your car is being driven by an unnamed driver on your policy or by a person that does not have a valid driving licence.
- Your car is used for rallies, races or competitions.
- You fail to pay for your premium.
- You are paid to carry passengers.
- You change your car during the policy term to a car that the insurer cannot cover.
- You do not provide the correct documents to support your application.
Check your policy document for further details to confirm your cover is valid.
How to save on your car insurance policy through Academy Insurance Services
- Check comprehensive. Contrary to what you might think, comprehensive cover can often be cheaper than third party, fire and theft so it’s always worth checking. This is because of the risk profile of many drivers who choose third party or third party, fire and theft.
- Park securely. Cars kept in a garage or on a secure driveway are usually cheaper to insure.
- Reduce mileage. If you start working part-time or your long commute becomes much shorter, letting your insurer know about a reduction in your mileage could result in cheaper insurance.
- Increase the excess. Agreeing to pay a bigger voluntary excess could make your overall premium cheaper. But remember that your insurer won’t pay out for a claim that costs less than your excess. So be careful about making it too high, as it could leave you out of pocket if damage occurs.
- Pick a smaller car. Choosing to drive a small and safe car is likely to lower your premium.
What is my excess?
Your insurance excess is the amount of money you have to pay towards a claim. Your insurer won’t pay out for a claim that costs less than this amount.
A voluntary excess is usually an amount that can be set by you when taking out a policy. You’ll have the option of adding or increasing a voluntary excess, which could in turn reduce your premium.
Meanwhile, a compulsory excess amount might vary depending on the age of your car and your driving experience.
You’ll find details about any compulsory or voluntary excesses in your policy document.
What is the claims process for Academy Insurance Services?
Call the Academy claims line 0800 731 4984. This is open Mondays – Fridays, 9am – 5.30pm and Saturdays, 9am – 1pm.
Outside of these times, call the Academy Assist claims helpline on 0333 3600 860 to report your claim. This is a 24-hour claims line open 7 days a week.
You’ll need to have your vehicle registration and insurance policy numbers, as well as all details relating to the incident.
And it’s important that you let your insurer know about an incident as soon as possible, even if it’s not your fault. A delay in reporting an incident or failure to report it could result in a rejected claim later on.
Frequently asked questions
Please take reasonable care to answer all the questions honestly and to the best of your knowledge. If you don't answer the questions correctly, your policy may be cancelled, or your claim rejected or not fully paid. The offers compared on this page are chosen from a range of products we can track; we don't cover every product on the market...yet. Unless we've indicated otherwise, products are shown in no particular order or ranking. The terms "best", "top", "cheap" (and variations), aren't product ratings, although we always explain what's great about a product when we highlight it; this is subject to our terms of use. When making a big financial decision, it's wise to consider getting independent financial advice, and always consider your own financial circumstances when comparing products so you get what's right for you.
*51% of consumers could save £200. Quote aggregator Seopa split the insurers on its comparison systems into different categories. It then selected quotes from the most popular providers as well as quotes from other providers which returned a price. It then selected providers, weighting them according to UK insurance market share (data from the Association of British Insurers), choosing the cheapest of either the most popular providers or other providers ("the cheapest selected quote"). Seopa then compared the cheapest quote on its system against this "cheapest selected" quote. The company then took the savings figure which 51% or over could have saved, using that formula. The savings you could achieve will depend on your individual circumstances and how you selected your current insurance supplier.
