Swinton car insurance review

Our verdict

Our verdict

Swinton has a good range of policies, with the Premier policy offering a very comprehensive level of cover. There is no third party only cover available, but the Essentials plan is equivalent of a third party, fire and theft policy.

Opinions regarding the company’s customer service are split. It has good reviews on Trustpilot, but only 63% of customers said they would recommend it in our customer satisfaction survey.

Get started by visiting Swinton’s website and sign up for a policy. If you have read this review and decided that Swinton car insurance is not for you, you can also compare other car insurance policies on the market.

Best for: Convicted drivers

Pros

• Excess refund available
• 24/7 claims helpline
• Extra car hire offered

Cons

• Protected no-claims and breakdown cover are optional extras
• No third party only cover available

6.2 Standard

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Courtesy car cover

Who is Swinton Insurance?

Swinton is an insurance broker that was founded over 65 years ago. By 1987, Swinton had grown to be a household name with over 220 branches across the UK. It aims to offer a personal approach to insurance, comparing policies for you to find you the best deal.

Who underwrites Swinton’s car insurance?

Swinton’s car insurance is underwritten by a range of insurers. The insurer that underwrites your policy will be named on your policy schedule and your certificate of motor insurance.

What’s covered under my policy?

Swinton offers 3 different car insurance policies which differ in price, benefits and cover.

Optional extras

Swinton offer a range of optional extras you can add to your policy to give you even more peace of mind.
Features of this include:

• Protected no-claims discount
• Breakdown cover

What are Swinton’s different policies?

Swinton provides 3 different levels of cover to choose from: Essentials, Classic and Premier.

• Essentials

  This is the most basic form of car insurance that Swinton offers and will cover you for all the basics.

  Features of this include:

  • Legal liability for damage to other people’s property (third party)
  • Courtesy car
  • Cover for audio, satnav and in-car equipment
  • Windscreen cover

• Classic

  The next level up offers features that include:

  • Comprehensive cover when driving others cars
  • Personal belongings cover
  • Replacement locks
  • Uninsured driver cover
  • Foreign travel
  • Personal accident
  • Medical expenses
  • Legal expenses

• Premier

  Provides the maximum protection and is designed for those who can’t be without a car. Includes all the features of Classic cover and several more:

  • Misfuel cover
  • New car replacement
  • Hire vehicle
  • Guaranteed excess refund
  • Excess insurance
  • Foreign travel
  • Personal accident
  • Windscreen cover
  • Medical expenses
  • Legal expenses

How do I make a claim?

If you need to make a claim on any Swinton car insurance policy then you can call the accident and claims line on 0333 035 9003. The Swinton team is available 24/7 for any motor accident, fire or theft, windscreen damage or any malicious damage.

What is my excess?

An excess is the amount of money you contribute to the cost of your claim. The amount of your excess will depend on the level of cover you have and the nature of your claim. Details of your excess amounts will be displayed in your policy schedule.

Sometimes more than one excess will apply and in this case, Swinton will add them together.

The types of excess are:

• Compulsory excess which is set by the insurer underwriting your policy. This is added to the voluntary excess you choose to give the total amount of excess you will pay if you make a claim.
• Voluntary excess which is in addition to any compulsory excess. You can set this as low as you want to reduce the amount you have to pay if you make a claim, or you can increase it which may reduce your premium.

Swinton car insurance customer reviews

Customers who took part in Finder’s 2024 customer satisfaction survey were fairly positive about Swinton, with many saying it was “easy to deal with” and highlighting its “friendly” customer service. But a few were unhappy about their renewal quotes.

One customer said: “When this company gave me my renewal quote for my car insurance it jumped from £150 the previous year to £500 the next year. They were unable to bring this down by much and not surprisingly I didn’t renew my car insurance with this company.”

In our survey, 63% of Swinton customers said they’d recommend the brand to a friend, placing it last of 11 insurers in the league table.

On the reviews platform Trustpilot, Swinton Insurance in general gets 4.3 out of 5 – classed as “Excellent” – based on 31,793 reviews (last updated: May 2024).

How to cancel Swinton car insurance

To cancel you need to call 0333 035 9278. Alternatively you can do it via live chat on the Swinton website.

Frequently asked questions

• How much does car insurance from Swinton cost?

  The cost of your car insurance will depend on a number of personal factors, like your age and location, what car you drive, how much you drive per year, where to and for what reason and your driving history.

  However, on its website, Swinton says its car insurance cover starts from £157 per year. This is based on 10% of new Swinton customers paying £157 for their comprehensive car insurance annually, between 1 December 2023 and 31 March 2024.

• What type of car insurance does Swinton offer?

  Swinton can find specialist cover for young drivers, drivers over 50, electric cars, modified cars, drivers looking for temporary cover and multi-car policies.

• What are Swinton's payment options?

  You can pay in one lump sum with a debit or credit car, or set up a direct debit and pay by instalments. Note paying monthly will cost you more as you’ll be charged interest.

• Am I covered to drive abroad?

  Yes, you are covered to drive in Europe for up to 90 days in the year if you have a Classic or Premier policy, with third party only cover (regardless of what level of cover you have in the UK).

• How do I check my Swinton car insurance expiry date?

  You can check all your policies details online if you log in to the My Account portal on Swinton’s website.

Written by

Danny Butler

Publisher

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Danny was a publisher at Finder specialising in insurance and investing. He previously worked at the global insurer Aon and has appeared in national media giving advice on insurance. Danny holds a BA in International Business from the University of Plymouth and has undying loyalty to his average-poor football team, Portsmouth FC. See full bio

Danny's expertise

Danny has written 292 Finder guides across topics including:

• Car, home and business insurance
• Helping people save money on their insurance
• Project management
• Giving valuable insights to website visitors

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