Elephant car insurance review

Our verdict

Our verdict

Elephant is a great option for drivers looking for competitively priced car insurance with the features of a premium insurer.

It offers third party only, third party, fire and theft and comprehensive policy options. Its comprehensive policy is bundled full of impressive features (included as standard) which makes its overall policy score strong.

All in all, Elephant is a very good choice for most when it comes to looking for an affordable provider with a range of features included. However, as always, it’s important to compare other car insurance providers based on your individual circumstances to see which one is best for you.

Pros

• 24/7 UK-based claims helpline
• £5,000 of personal injury cover for you and your spouse incase of an accident
• Up to £300 cover for lost or stolen keys
• Free courtesy car included as standard

Cons

• Some customers found it difficult to cancel the policy as it cannot be done online
• Some customers reported a spike in their premiums upon renewal

Get a quote

Elephant is part of the Admiral Group of companies (along with Bell, Diamond and Gladiator) and claims to bring you low-cost car insurance with none of the faff. But is it good value for money? We’ve compared the policies to find out.

Compare Elephant policies

3 of 3 results

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Courtesy car cover	New car replacement	EU cover	Personal accident cover	Multi-car discount
Elephant Comprehensive				£5,000 of personal injury cover for you and your spouse		Get a quote More info Compare product selection Compare	loading
Elephant Third party, fire and theft				Optional		Get a quote More info Compare product selection Compare	loading
Elephant Third party				Optional		Get a quote More info Compare product selection Compare	loading

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Showing 3 of 3 results

Who is Elephant?

An online car insurer that trumpeted into existence in 2000, Elephant, unlike its namesake, is known for policies that are small and easily shifted. It has highly customisable cover and some of the lowest prices on the market.

Who underwrites Elephant car insurance?

Elephant car insurance policies are all underwritten by Admiral, meaning you could get the service associated with a big-name insurer, but without necessarily paying the big-name premium.

What’s covered under my policy?

See the table below for what’s included in each option.

What are Elephant’s different policies?

Elephant offers a range of different insurance options, and whether you’re looking for the most basic or want to get the highest level of protection for your beloved car, Elephant cover options have some useful benefits.

• Third party

  This is the most basic cover. But at Elephant, third party insurance has the added bonus of 90 days’ European cover and flexible payments, too.

• Third party, fire and theft

  Popular with drivers of less valuable cars, third party, fire and theft is the same as third party insurance, but also covers damage done to your car if it is stolen or set on fire.

• Comprehensive

  This includes all of the above, plus it will pay out for damage done to your own car in the event of an accident. Elephant’s comprehensive cover also has some good extras like stereo cover, courtesy car and sports equipment cover.

• MultiCar Insurance

  Elephant offers a discount for covering multiple cars in the household through its MultiCar Insurance.

Optional extras

There’s a range of useful extras and higher levels of cover you can add to a basic policy. These include:

• Motor legal assistance, which means you can claim for any legal expenses that result from an accident.
• 2 extra levels of personal injury insurance, meaning you can choose how much cover you want in the case of injury done to you (and your earnings) on the road.
• Hire car cover, for refunding the cost of hiring a car while yours is repaired or written off after an accident.
• Breakdown cover, so you won’t be left out of pocket if you break down and need to call for roadside assistance.

What is my excess?

Your excess is the amount you will be expected to pay towards the costs of any claim you make. There will be the mandatory excess, and then you can reduce your premium by opting to pay a higher voluntary excess, but this means you’ll have to fork out a larger amount towards fixing your car if anything happens.

How do I make a claim?

You can make a claim by phone during Elephant’s opening hours (Monday to Friday 8am–6pm, Saturday 9am–4pm and Sunday 10am–4pm) by calling 0333 220 2039 or +44333 220 2039 if you’re abroad. The other option is to start a claim online or with the Elephant app, with both available 24/7.

Elephant car insurance customer reviews

As of May 2024, on customer review platform Trustpilot, Elephant as a company has 1.7 out of 5 stars and a rating of “Bad”, based on more than 800 reviews.

On similar platform, Reviews.io, the company has 3.0 out of 5 stars, based on more than 130 reviews. 52% of customers say they would recommend the service.

How to cancel Elephant car insurance

You can cancel your policy online in the MyAccount portal or over the phone, by calling 0330 134 3259.

Frequently asked questions

• Can I get insurance that starts immediately?

  Yes. Elephant can arrange for an immediate start on your insurance once you’ve got a quote.

• What payment options are available?

  Elephant accepts full payment through Visa, Mastercard, Maestro and American Express, and it is also able to take direct debits in instalments as long as this is set up before your policy begins or when you renew.

• Am I insured to drive other people’s cars?

  This depends on your policy, and will be covered in section 5 of the policy wording. If you are covered, it will be third-party only, however.

• Who can drive the cars on my policy?

  Only named drivers can drive the cars on your policy.

• Does Elephant insure imported cars?

  As long as the car is now registered in the UK, Elephant will do its best to find a policy for you.

• What kinds of licences does Elephant accept?

  To get insurance through Elephant, you’ll need one of the following:

  • UK full driving licence
  • UK provisional licence
  • EEC full licence
  • A full licence from certain other countries – check with Elephant directly for the list.

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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. Most of the data in Finder's comparison tables is provided by Defaqto. In other cases, Finder has sourced data directly from providers.

• Sources

  Finder writers are subject matter experts and use primary sources, in-depth research and interviews with other experts to ensure you're getting accurate, up-to-date information. Articles are fact checked in line with our editorial guidelines.

  1. Elephant policy books
  2. Trustpilot
  3. Reviews.io

Written by

Liz Edwards

Editor-in-chief

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Liz Edwards has been a consumer writer and editor for more than 20 years. She led award-winning teams at the campaigning publisher Which?, and has covered a range of consumer rights and personal finance topics including pensions, credit, banking and insurance. Liz has appeared frequently in national media such as The Sun, Metro, HuffPost and The Independent. She loves to cut through waffle to give consumers the real lowdown. And she loves puns. See full bio

Liz's expertise

Liz has written 52 Finder guides across topics including:

• Consumer rights and protection
• Saving money
• Buy now, pay later
• Insurance
• Consumer trends

Co-written by

Jason Loewenthal

Senior writer

Jason is a writer and editor. He worked as a senior subeditor for Finder for 5 years and in that time became familiar with a wide range of financial products and services. Before that, he worked for Australian Associated Press. He has a BA from Macquarie University in Australia. Jason loves to help other people find new ways to save money. See full bio