Collingwood Insurance Services is a specialist car insurance provider for drivers who are considered a higher risk.
Defaqto rating: 2/5 stars
Collingwood’s Young Driver and Learner car insurance earned just two stars, while it’s Bespoke Cover and Over 50’s policy scored just one star.
Note: Not all Defaqto products with the same star ratings have the same covers and terms.
Trustpilot rating: 4.7/5 stars
Trustpilot has given Collingwood a rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars and a rating of Excellent, based on more than 1,200 reviews.
Collingwood Insurance Services is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. All insurance is underwritten by motor insurer Collingwood Insurance Company, which is licensed and regulated in Gibraltar by the Financial Services Commission.
Collingwood Insurance considers learner drivers, taxi drivers, those under the age of 25 or those with a previous conviction to be high-risk motorists and specialises in catering to their insurance needs. It also provides black box car insurance for young drivers.
See a range of car insurance quotes in just a few minutes when you compare with Uswitch
Contact Uswitch: 0800 688 8557
Collingwood provides three types of cover:
Comprehensive
Third party fire and theft
Third party only
Third party cover is the minimum level of cover legally required by all drivers in the UK and is the minimum level of cover offered by Collingwood. If you cause an accident, you’ll be covered for damage to third party vehicles or property. It will not, however, cover any damage to your own car.
Third party, fire and theft is the same level of cover as third party, but includes the added protection against any fire damage to your car or theft of it.
Comprehensive is the highest level of cover you can have. It has the same protection as the other two levels, but your vehicle is also covered against accidental damage and vandalism.
Collingwood Insurance offers multi-car cover however, you will require a separate policy.
Taking out a multi-car insurance policy can help reduce your insurance costs:
if you own more than one car
if you’re a family with more than one driver
if you’re a couple with more than one vehicle
Collingwood offers temporary car insurance to existing policyholders.
Compare quotes for short-term or temporary car insurance
Compare a range of short-term insurance policies with Uswitch and money.co.uk*
Yes, it's part of its Young Driver cover (see below)
If you have a provisional driving licence and are learning to drive, it is essential that you have the right type of motor insurance - especially if you are not taking professional lessons but rather practicing with a family member or friend in their car.
With Collingwood Insurance Learner Driver Cover, you can choose from either a short-term or annual car insurance policy for your own car.
This means that you can make a claim if necessary and the car owner’s no-claims bonus on their own insurance policy will not be negatively impacted.
What’s more, if you pass your driving test before your insurance term elapses, you will be able to cancel and be reimbursed for any remaining unused cover.
Young drivers (17-24 years old) are at a much higher risk of crashing than older drivers. Figures from Brake show that drivers aged 17-19 only make up 1.5% of UK licence holders, but are involved in 9% of fatal and serious crashes where they are the driver.
As a result, car insurance premiums for younger drivers are costly.
However, young drivers can help lower their premiums by choosing a telematics or ‘black box’ insurance policy, which monitors their driving, will help young drivers prove that they can drive safely, and it could reduce their premium - but the named motorist will be the only person that can drive the car under this policy.
If you opt for comprehensive cover, this policy will include:
Windscreen repairs
No curfew
Unlimited mileage
A reduced excess if an approved repairer is used
Courtesy car
GPS theft tracker
Despite having more driving experience in later life, some insurers consider those over 50 to be a higher-risk group because of the assumptions that insurers tend to make.
If this sounds like you, it is worth checking out this specialised insurance policy for drivers aged 50 – 75.
If you opt for comprehensive cover, this policy will include:
Windscreen repairs
A reduced excess if the incident is reported within 24 hours and an approved repairer is used
Courtesy car
For drivers that have three or more points on your driving licence or have an unspent non-motoring (criminal) conviction, you will be pay high car insurance premiums - and that is if you can get cover at all.
Collingwood offers insurance specifically tailored for drivers with convictions and may be able to cover you at a competitive price.
If you opt for comprehensive cover, this policy will include:
Lower excess applied if an incident is reported within 24 hours
Courtesy car
Windscreen repairs
As well as the standard levels of cover, Collingwood offers a range of value-added benefits that you can add to your policy at an additional cost.
For instance:
AA breakdown cover
Accidental death benefit and personal accident cover
Claims assist service
Excess protection cover
Windscreen cover
Key cover
As well as the standard levels of cover, Collingwood offers a range of value-added benefits that you can add to your policy at an additional cost.
For instance:
AA breakdown cover
Accidental death benefit and personal accident cover
Claims assist service
Excess protection cover
Windscreen cover
Key cover
Like any insurance provider, there are likely to be exclusions on motor insurance policies offered by Collingwood Insurance.
For instance, your cover could become invalid if any of the following arises:
You miss premium payments
You are using your vehicle for races, rallies or competitions
You earn an income from driving passengers
Your car is being driven by an unnamed motorist on your policy or one that does not have a valid driving licence
You change your car during the policy term and fail to update the insurer
You do not inform the insurer of a change in address
If you are involved in an accident or the victim of theft and need to make a claim, call the Collingwood Claims helpline on 0345 370 0008 which is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Alternatively, you can email the details to claims@collingwood.co.uk
You will need to provide the following information:
Details about the incident
Names and contact details of everyone involved in the incident such as third parties, passengers and witnesses
Details about the damage or injuries sustained
Photographic evidence, if available
Even if you don’t have all the above information to hand, you can still report the incident and make a claim.
This is the amount of money you have to pay towards a claim. Your insurer won’t pay out for a claim that costs any less than this amount. A compulsory excess amount might vary depending on the age of your car and your driving experience. While a voluntary excess is normally an amount set by you when taking out a policy. You may 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.
If you are considered a higher risk driver.
The Financial Ombudsman Service received fewer than 10 car insurance complaints about three Collingwood companies (possibly just one each) in the first half of 2020. To put complaints in context, 67 firms had 10 or more complaints each and those totalled 4,550 complaints. Nearly 200 firms had fewer than 10 each, sharing just 479 complaints between them.
See a range of car insurance quotes in just a few minutes when you compare with Uswitch