Zixty

Zixty temporary car insurance review

We've delved into temporary car insurance from Zixty, which offers to carbon-offset your driving emissions. Find out if it's right for you.

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By

Ceri Stanaway

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Eco-friendly, new-ish kid on the block Zixty is unlikely to be the best choice if you want ongoing cover for a car you own. But if you need short-term cover to take a car you’re thinking of buying for a spin or to borrow a friend’s car for a few days, it could be worth a look. We’ve highlighted the key features, pros and cons.

Who is Zixty?

Launched in 2022, Zixty is an app-based, short-term car insurance provider that prides itself on its eco credentials and offers cover from an hour up to 28 days. It makes a big deal on its website about helping people to reduce their environmental impact. It does this by carbon offsetting up to 100 miles of driving per day when you take out a policy with it, download its app and opt in to its free “Zixty Miles” scheme.

What is Zixty Miles?

The Zixty Miles scheme is aimed squarely at those who care about the environment and want to avoid their driving having more of a negative impact than it needs to. The Zixty Miles part of its app measures your driving distances and behaviour while you have your smartphone with you in the car, in a variant of “black box” car insurance. No matter what car you drive, if you opt in to the scheme, Zixty will carbon offset up to 100 miles of your driving per day.

It does this by:

  1. Using DVLA data to calculate the carbon emissions from the specific car you drive. It even offsets a little (25g/km) from electric vehicle (EV) driving. EVs are emission-free from the tailpipe, but the creation of the electricity they use for fuel has some carbon cost.
  2. Using the Zixty Miles part of its app, Zixty records the miles travelled and calculates your EcoScore based on driving behaviour. It uses this to calculate total emissions.
  3. In partnership with Eden Reforestation, it plants trees to offset your emissions. The higher your EcoScore, the greater your chance that your driving will be carbon-neutral (or even carbon-negative).

If your EcoScore isn’t as high as you’d like, Zixty will send you tips for driving more economically (and saving fuel – and money – in the process).

Who underwrites Zixty car insurance?

Zixty car insurance is an Appointed Representative of Wrapper Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Its car insurance policies are underwritten by a panel of insurers, including First Underwriting Limited and KGM Underwriting Services Limited.

Zixty is also a member of the British Insurance Brokers Association (BIBA), the UK’s main trade body for insurance brokers. BIBA’s voluntary code of conduct provides guidelines to help its members treat customers fairly.

Can anyone take out Zixty’s temporary car insurance?

Most, but not all, drivers will be able to take out Zixty’s temporary car insurance cover.

Drivers must:

  • Be aged 19 to 75
  • Have held a full UK DVLA-issued licence for 6 months or more
  • Have been a UK resident for 12 months or more
  • Not have been banned from driving in last 5 years, and not have more than 6 points on their licence
  • Have not made more than 2 claims in the last 3 years.

Certain occupations are excluded, and only one driver can be insured on the policy.

The car must:

  • Be a private, UK-registered, right-hand drive car, aged no more than 20 years old
  • Have a valid MOT
  • Be in insurance groups 1-45 out of 50
  • Have no after-market modifications
  • Not be a rental/hire car
  • Have the owner’s consent to use it, if applicable.

What are Zixty’s cover options?

Zixty only offers temporary car insurance that will cover you for anything from an hour up to 28 days.

Its temporary car insurance is comprehensive and includes social and domestic driving, plus commuting to and from your normal place of work, plus Class 1 business use. This covers driving to and from other business locations in your normal course of work for your main occupation but excludes using your car as a taxi or delivery vehicle.

Unlike third-party cover, which only covers you for damage to other people and their property following an incident that you caused, comprehensive cover also covers damage to or theft of your own car.

What’s included in Zixty’s car insurance?

Key features of Zixty’s comprehensive policies include:

  • Foreign travel, to the minimum cover required in the destination countries
  • Legal liability cover
  • Medical expenses cover
  • New vehicle replacement on vehicles up to 12 months old
  • Replacement lock/key cover

What optional extras does Zixty offer?

Zixty offers a few policy bolt-ons that will cost a bit extra if you choose to include them. Other than Zixty Miles and carbon offsetting, the two main ones are:

  • Breakdown cover. Provided by Call Assist Limited, this includes home-start, roadside and nationwide recovery.
  • Excess protect. This allows you to claim back £250 of your excess (or £350 if you use Zixty Miles) if you make a claim that’s your fault.

What is Zixty’s excess?

A car insurance excess is the amount of money you will need to pay towards a claim. Your insurer won’t pay out for a claim that costs less than this amount.

Most car insurers split their excesses into two parts: a compulsory, or standard, excess that is set by the insurer, and a voluntary excess. You can typically adjust the level of your voluntary excess during the quote process. A lower voluntary excess will usually increase your premium, while a higher excess will decrease it. Just don’t be tempted to set it so high that you can’t afford to pay it if you need to claim.

You’ll find details about any compulsory or voluntary excesses in your policy document.

What is the claims process for Zixty?

Because it’s an app-based insurer, any claims should also be initiated within the Zixty app.

If you are still within the policy period, click on the SOS icon in the app and then select “Report Incident”. You’ll be directed to call the insurer that underwrites your policy. This is Zixty’s preferred way for you to report an incident and make a claim.

The app also gives you access to your policy documents, which contain details of your cover and the insurer claim contact details.

Before you call, get key details of your policy and the incident ready, including:

  • Your name and contact details
  • Your policy number
  • The time, date and location of the incident
  • The vehicle registration numbers for all vehicles involved
  • Details of the third party’s insurer and policy details
  • A brief description of what happened

It’s vital that you let an insurer know about an incident as soon as possible, even if it’s not your fault. Failure to do this could result in a rejected claim later on.

Zixty car insurance customer reviews

Zixty’s pretty new – it’s only been around since 2022 – so customer reviews are limited. As of March 2024, there are jut a handful of reviews on Trustpilot, for example, but they’re for the most part positive.

As of the same date, it’s got a handful of reviews on Google Play (~5 reviews), which are almost universally positive. Most ratings are five stars, with one recent user rating it 3 stars out of 5. Reviewers praise the app’s ease of use, which lets you set up a policy in minutes, with a couple of comments on Zixty’s competitive pricing and appreciation for the carbon offsetting. As one user puts it, it “Does what it says on the tin”.

Pros and cons of Zixty car insurance

Pros

  • Offers flexible cover from as little as 1 hour – so you only pay for what you need.
  • Class 1 personal business use included as standard.
  • Carbon-offsets your emissions if you sign up for its Zixty Miles scheme.
  • All policies include replacement key cover.

Cons

  • No option to add a named driver to your policy.
  • Doesn’t offer annual insurance.
  • Cover not available for under-18s.
  • Cover does not include a courtesy car.

Our verdict on Zixty car insurance

With its carbon-offsetting scheme, Zixty certainly seems to be putting a new spin on temporary car insurance that could appeal to sustainability-minded drivers. And the fact that it automatically covers you for Class 1 business use is fairly unusual for standard car insurance and a nice extra if your work often takes you to different destinations.

User reviews are limited but typically very positive, so if you’re willing to take a punt on a new company in exchange for the carbon offsetting benefits it offers, it could well be one to add to your shortlist.

Or, if you’ve read this review and decided that Zixty isn’t quite right for you, you can also compare other temporary car insurance policies on the market.

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