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.
Elephant Car Insurance
Courtesy car with comprehensive cover
Save 29% on your car insurance. 10% of customers who provided a best alternative price saved 29% between January 2020 & June 2020.
MultiCar customers could save £255 (10% of customers who provided a best alternative price saved this during July-Dec 2019)
We update our data regularly, but information can change between updates. Confirm details with the provider you're interested in before making a decision.
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 are Elephant’s levels of cover?
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
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 (TPFT)
Popular with drivers of less valuable cars, TPFT 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.
Optional extras
At Elephant, 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.
Two 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 types of car insurance are available?
Elephant offers a discount for covering multiple cars in the household through its MultiCar Insurance.
What’s covered under my policy?
Cover
Third party, fire and theft
Comprehensive
Accidental damage
–
✓
Liability to others
✓
✓
Fire and theft
✓
✓
Windscreen damage
–
✓
Named driver bonus
–
✓
In-car entertainment
–
✓
Sports equipment cover
–
✓
European cover
✓
✓
Courtesy car
–
✓
How to save on your Elephant car insurance policy
Elephant prides itself on providing cheap, hassle-free car insurance. With a long list of policy upgrades, you may be able to save by opting for Elephant’s basic cover levels, and then adding only the extras you need.
If you’re a young driver, the less powerful and expensive your car is, the less you’ll pay. Elephant also offers a “Bonus Accelerator” policy, which lasts only 10 months, but still means you could earn a whole year’s no-claims discount, and save the next time you get a policy. However, this may cost more in the short term.
Alternatively, taking the Pass Plus test can help show that you’re a proficient driver in traffic, at night and on the motorways, and this can reduce your premium.
If you already have a good no-claims discount and can pay annually, Elephant’s full 12-month policies are cheaper, and opting to pay in one go rather than with its flexible payment options can save you a decent sum, too.
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.
What is the claims process for Elephant?
With Elephant, you can make a claim by phone during its opening hours (Monday to Friday 8am-9pm, Saturday 9am-5pm and Sunday 10am-4pm) by calling 0333 220 2039.
Elephant car insurance customer reviews
On customer review platform Trustpilot, Elephant as a company has 3.6 out of 5 stars and a rating of “Average”, based on more than 600 reviews.
On similar platform, Reviews.io, the company has 3.11 out of 5 stars, based on more than 120 reviews. 53% of customers say they would recommend the service.
Customers love the ease of purchase and helpful staff, but some report sub-par customer service and price hikes (updated December 2020).
Pros and cons for Elephant car insurance
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.
Verdict
Elephant is a great option for drivers looking for competitively priced car insurance with the features of a premium insurer. In their own words, they offer “great value, no nonsense and straightforward” car insurance which seems to resonate well with their customers.
Like most providers – Elephant offer third party only, third party, fire and theft and comprehensive policy options. Their comprehensive policy is bundled full of impressive features (included as standard) which makes their overall policy score strong. They’ve also recently upgraded their policy to include £300 sports equipment cover and a named driver no claims bonus. One downside is that the cancellation cannot be done in a simple click of a button and must be made via letter or phone call. In addition to this, some customers found a spike in prices when it came to their renewal.
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 providers based on your individual circumstances to see which one is best for you.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Elephant can arrange for an immediate start on your insurance once you’ve got a quote.
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.
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.
Only named drivers can drive the cars on your policy.
As long as the car is now registered in the UK, Elephant will do its best to find a policy for you.
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.
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.
Liz Edwards has been a consumer writer and editor for more than 20 years, spending most of this time at the testing and rating publisher Which?. She's covered everything from coffee machines to car insurance and has appeared frequently in national media. Liz loves to cut through waffle to give consumers the info they really need to make a good decision. Like all journalists, she loves nothing more than a great pun.
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