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Third party, or third party only insurance is a type of car insurance that offers the minimum level of coverage you’ll need to legally drive on UK roads. It offers financial protection when you cause damage or injury to other people, their vehicles, or their property. However, it doesn’t cover any costs for damage or loss of your own car or any injuries you might suffer. Third party only (TPO) insurance is designed to meet UK legal requirements while offering you basic protection on the roads. This insurance can be useful for drivers looking for a simple and cost-effective insurance option.
Add-ons are still available on third party insurance policies. These can help you tailor the coverage to your exact needs. Options include:
Despite having similar, or often higher premiums than comprehensive insurance policies, third party policies are still favoured by some drivers.
Those who are happy to ‘self insure’ by covering the cost of potential repairs to their own car.
Drivers with particularly low value cars that would cost less to replace than they would to insure with a comprehensive policy.
Where the cost of comprehensive insurance is prohibitively high. This can happen with high value cars with expensive repair costs such as classic, modified, or high-performance cars.
People who only don’t drive often. This can be the case in their own car, or when they are additional drivers on others’s vehicles and third party insurance helps lower costs.
Our research has revealed a false economy for third party car insurance. Because it offers the lowest level of coverage, it has long been assumed to be the cheapest car insurance option. But this isn’t the case.
Third party car insurance is now 73% more expensive than fully comprehensive car insurance for an average driver. This could be because it has been such a popular option for risky drivers who choose it in an attempt to lower premiums.
Regardless of the reason, this is why it is always best to compare a range of insurance options before you commit to a single policy.
If you are looking for cheap third party car insurance in the UK, there are a few measures that could potentially improve your premiums. However, always remember that the cheapest option is not always the best. Be sure to weigh up costs with coverage and reliability before you buy.
This could work to lower the risk of accidents on the roads.
These can be particularly helpful for lowering premiums if you are a young or convicted driver.
Insurers could lower premiums to compensate for higher voluntary excesses.
Practising safe driving could help you avoid claims and build up a no claims bonus.
Shopping around means you are less likely to miss out on cheaper third party car insurance providers.
| Third party only car insurance | Third party fire and theft insurance | Fully comprehensive car insurance |
| Covers accidental damage and loss you cause to others and their property. | TPFT insurance covers third party claims as well as damage or loss to your own car from accidental fire or theft. | Comprehensive cover provides a wide range of protection. This includes third party claims, fire, and theft, but will also protect your car from other accidental damage, even if you cause the accident. |
Whether you choose TPO, TPFT, or comprehensive car insurance is your choice. It will mainly depend on your preferences, insurance needs, and budget. Some things to consider before making your choice include:
Although comprehensive policies are more common, some short term car insurance providers could offer third party only options. This is another option that could help save drivers who are opting for third party cover because they only drive once in a blue moon.
Straightforward details about your car, you, and the cover you want to include on the policy.
Our online insurance comparison service does the hard work for you. We allow you to compare over 120 trusted UK car insurers with one form, so you don’t miss out on deals
Simply fill in our user-friendly quote form, and we’ll match you with a range of UK insurers who can meet your needs. We give you the cheapest options first so you can compare third party car insurance quotes side by side.
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United Kingdom
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*51% of consumers could save £523.47 on their Car Insurance. The saving was calculated by comparing the cheapest price found with the average of the next six cheapest prices quoted by insurance providers on Seopa Ltd’s insurance comparison website. This is based on representative cost savings from August 2024 data. The savings you could achieve are dependent on your individual circumstances and how you selected your current insurance supplier.
