Hastings Essential car insurance review
Get the facts about no-frills car insurance available through Hastings Essential to see if it's right for you, and compare quotes.

If you don’t want to pay for extras you won’t use, it’s worth looking at the basic cover offered through Hastings Essential. The broker promises to keep costs to a minimum by offering a no frills policy (although you do get cover on trips to EU countries).
Launched in 2008, Hastings Essential is an insurance broker that works with a panel of insurance companies to offer no frills car insurance.
The parent company of Hastings Essential is the Hastings Insurance Group, which also operates Hastings Premier, Hastings Direct, Insure Pink and People’s Choice.
Hastings Essential only offers one level of cover and that is the Hastings Essential comprehensive cover. If you are responsible for causing an accident, you’ll be covered for damage to third party vehicles or property and will have protection against accidental or fire damage to your own car, or loss of it through theft.
The Hastings Essential car insurance policy is designed to cover the essentials but it does offer some optional extras. These include:
Check your policy for further details to confirm your cover is valid.
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 compulsory excess amount might vary depending on the age of your car and your driving experience.
A voluntary excess is normally an amount 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.
You’ll find details about any compulsory or voluntary excesses in your policy document.
You should call the Hastings Essential Choice claims line on 0333 321 9800 to register a claim. This is a 24-hour claim line open seven days a week. You’ll need to provide the following when making a claim:
It’s vital that you let your insurer know about an incident within 48 hours, even if it’s not your fault. Failure to do this could result in a rejected claim later on.
If you want a cheap and cheerful comprehensive car insurance policy, then Hastings Essential can help.
Just keep in mind that the policy is definitely a basic one so you won’t get all the bells and whistles that other comprehensive policies tend to offer. The only other perks are 90 days of comprehensive cover in Europe and a courtesy car if your car is being repaired.
While you will save money by not having to pay for a whole range of benefits that you don’t need, a no frills policy may not be for everyone. If you’re after a little more protection and peace of mind, it’s worth doing some research to find the policies that match your needs. You’ll then be able to compare these to find the best one for you.
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