UK car insurance comes in three legal tiers: third party (the legal minimum, covers others only), third party, fire and theft (TPFT) (adds cover if your car is stolen or burns), and comprehensive (covers your own car's damage too, plus usually extras like windscreen and courtesy car). Counterintuitively, comprehensive is now often cheaper or similarly priced to TPFT for many drivers, because insurers treat TPFT-only buyers as statistically higher risk. All three carry 12% Insurance Premium Tax on top of the premium.
At a glance
| Cover level | What it pays for |
|---|---|
| Third party (legal minimum) | Injury/damage you cause to other people, vehicles or property |
| Third party, fire and theft (TPFT) | Third party cover + your car if it's stolen or damaged by fire |
| Comprehensive | All of the above + damage to your own car, even if the accident is your fault |
| Common add-ons | Breakdown cover, legal expenses cover, courtesy car, windscreen cover, GAP insurance |
Third party: the legal floor
This is the minimum required by the Road Traffic Act 1988. It pays for injury or damage you cause to other people, their vehicles or their property — it pays nothing at all towards your own car, whether it's stolen, damaged, or written off. Very few insurers now market pure third-party-only policies to ordinary drivers, since it's typically priced close to or above TPFT for a lower level of protection.
Third party, fire and theft (TPFT)
TPFT adds cover for your own car if it's stolen or damaged by fire, but still pays nothing for accident damage you cause to your own vehicle. It sits historically between third party and comprehensive on price, and used to be the default choice for owners of lower-value cars where full comprehensive repair cover felt like overkill. That pricing logic has shifted, though (see below).
Comprehensive: the modern default
Comprehensive covers everything TPFT does, plus repairing or writing off your own car after an accident, regardless of fault, and usually bundles in extras like windscreen cover, personal accident cover and sometimes a courtesy car while yours is repaired. Comprehensive has become the most commonly bought policy in the UK, and — perhaps surprisingly — is now frequently cheaper than TPFT for the same driver and car. Insurers have found that drivers who specifically choose the lower TPFT tier are statistically more likely to make a claim, so they price TPFT accordingly; always get a quote for both before assuming comprehensive costs more.
Worthwhile add-ons to consider
- Breakdown cover — recovery if your car fails mechanically; not included by default on most policies
- Legal expenses cover — pays legal costs of pursuing a claim against an at-fault third party
- Courtesy car — a replacement vehicle while yours is being repaired after a claim
- GAP insurance — separate from motor insurance; pays the difference between your insurer's payout and what you still owe on finance if the car is written off
- Windscreen cover — often included in comprehensive but worth checking the excess, since windscreen claims are common
How to choose the right level
For almost every driver, the sensible default is to get quotes at all three levels rather than assuming comprehensive is more expensive — the pricing quirk described above means it very often isn't. TPFT can still make sense for a very low-value older car where you genuinely wouldn't want to pay for repairs even if comprehensive covered them, but always compare the actual numbers rather than picking by name.
Don't assume the cover names guarantee identical protection between insurers — always check the policy document for excess levels, exclusions (e.g. named drivers, modifications) and claim limits, which vary even within the same "comprehensive" label.
Frequently asked questions
Is comprehensive car insurance more expensive than third party?
What does third party, fire and theft cover that third party alone doesn't?
Does comprehensive insurance cover me if the accident is my fault?
Do I need breakdown cover as well as car insurance?
What is GAP insurance and is it the same as car insurance?
Sources & further reading
- gov.uk — Vehicle insurance
- Association of British Insurers — Motor insurance
- Which? — Car insurance types explained
Figures, prices and policy details were current at the last-updated date above. Automotive pricing, incentives and regulations change frequently — verify time-sensitive details with the linked primary sources. Read our editorial policy and fact-checking standards.
