Elephant claims to bring you low-cost car insurance with none of the faff, but what is covered by this no-frills insurer? Here’s our review.
Elephant offers the UK legal minimum cover – third party – through to comprehensive cover. It’s part of the Admiral Group of companies (along with Bell, Diamond and Gladiator) and Admiral underwrites Elephant’s policies.
Elephant Car Insurance
- Great value for money
- Courtesy car with comprehensive cover
- Optional extras to enhance your policy
- Claims can be made online
Compare Elephant policies
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.
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
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 (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 (Mon – Fri 8am – 9pm, Sat 9am – 5pm and Sun 10am – 4pm) by calling 0333 220 2039.
Alternatively, you can claim online via the Elephant website.
Frequently asked questions
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