As you age it is common to see a reduction in your car insurance premiums as you are considered lower risk than younger drivers. There are a number of providers that can offer specialist policies to those over the age of 50 and in this independent review, we look at Saga car insurance. We take a look at what Saga car insurance covers, how much Saga car insurance costs and how it compares to other providers.
We recommend that you read the review in full, however, you can jump to specific sections of the article using the following links.
- What is Saga?
- Saga car insurance key features
- What does Saga car insurance cover?
- How much does Saga car insurance cost?
- What is the excess on Saga car insurance?
- How to make a claim on Saga car insurance
- How to cancel Saga car insurance
- Saga car insurance customer reviews
- Pros and cons of Saga car insurance
- Alternatives to Saga car insurance
- Summary
What is Saga?
Saga started life in the 1950s as a provider of quality travel experiences to the over 50s. Saga later branched into home and motor insurance and other financial services products in the 1980s and has now become the UK's specialist provider of products and services to people over the age of 50.
Saga has a panel of underwriters for its car insurance policies and therefore the underwriter for your individual policy can vary. Some of the insurers on the panel include Acromas, AXA, Covea, LV= and Zenith.
Saga car insurance key features
- Cover if you are hit by an uninsured driver
- Cover in the EU for up to 90 days
- 3 year fixed price with Saga Plus (as long as nothing changes during this time)
- Multi-car discount
- Electric car insurance policy
- A number of optional extras including car key protection and No Claims Discount
What does Saga car insurance cover?
There are three different types of car insurance; fully comprehensive, third party, fire & theft and third party but Saga only offers fully comprehensive car insurance policies on its website. This means Saga customers will be covered for damage to their own vehicle as well as any third-party vehicles in the event of an accident. Saga offers three types of comprehensive car insurance policies, Saga Standard, Saga Select and Saga Plus.
The following comparison table compares some of the cover you can expect with the three comprehensive car insurance policies on offer by Saga. There are also additional cover options available with more information detailed in the policy documents. If you would like third party, fire & theft or third party cover with Saga, you can call 0330 094 6166 for more information.
Saga car insurance policy comparison
| Benefits | Saga Standard car insurance | Saga Select car insurance | Saga Plus car insurance |
| Loss or damage to your vehicle |  |
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| Damage to another vehicle | |
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| Personal accident cover | |
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| Uninsured driver promise | |
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| Cover for trips to the EU | |
Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Guaranteed replacement car | |
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| Windscreen and windows cover | |
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| Protected No Claims Discount (NCD) | Optional | |
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| Vandalism promise |  |
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| Misfuelling | |
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| Key protection | Optional | Optional | |
| Claims promise | |
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| 3-year fixed price | |
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Saga car insurance optional benefits
It's possible for you to tailor your Saga car insurance policy to suit your personal circumstances. Below, we share the optional extras that can be added to your Saga car insurance policy.
Protected No Claims Discount (NCD)
Your No Claims Bonus is automatically protected if you have a Saga Select or Saga Plus policy as long as you have at least 4 years of No Claims. If you have a Saga Select policy you can choose to purchase No Claims Discount Protection. Your No Claims Bonus will then be protected as long as you have no more than two no-fault claims in a 3-year period.
Breakdown cover
You can choose to add breakdown cover to your Saga car insurance policy for a discounted price. You can choose between a number of breakdown policies that offer varying levels of cover and the breakdown service is provided by RAC. It is worth comparing the price of standalone breakdown cover elsewhere though to ensure that you are getting the best price.
Legal Protection
Legal cover provides up to £100,000 towards the legal costs of recovering losses after a no-fault accident in the UK, as long as the legal team believes that your claim has a good chance of success. If you have a Saga Plus policy you will have legal protection included as standard but legal cover can be purchased as an optional extra with Saga Standard/Select.
Replacement car extension
Having a courtesy car is included as standard with Saga car insurance policies however it only covers you for repairs to your damaged vehicle if you use a Saga-approved repairer. If your car is stolen or written off, you will not be covered for a courtesy car. This is when purchasing the replacement car extension can come in handy as you will be offered a replacement car in this instance.
Increased personal accident
Saga car insurance policies have up to £5,000 of personal accident cover as standard. This cover can be increased to £100,000 per person by purchasing the increased personal accident add-on. In the following table, we highlight the cover you can expect with the increased personal accident add-on.
| What's covered? | Cover amount |
| Accidental death | £100,000 (£25,000 for a child) |
| Permanent total disablement | £100,000 |
| Loss of limb | £100,000 |
| Loss of sight | £100,000 |
| Loss of, or permanent total and irrecoverable loss of use of one hand or one foot | £50,000 |
| Total and irrecoverable loss of use of the spleen | £7,500 |
| Fractured pelvis | £2,000 |
| Fractured collarbone | £2,000 |
| Facial scarring | £1,500 |
| Third-degree burns | £7,500 |
| Counselling therapy | Up to £1,000 |
Car Key Protection
You can cover your car keys for up to £2,500 per year with the car key protection optional extra. If you have a Saga Plus policy, this is already included as standard on your policy. If you need to make a claim there is no payable excess and your No Claims Discount will not be affected.
How much does Saga car insurance cost?
How much you will pay for your Saga car insurance policy will vary depending on your age, where you live and the type of car you have. However, according to the Association of British Insurers (ABI) the average price of private motor insurance in the last quarter of 2022 was £470.
For more information on car insurance costs and factors that can affect how much you pay for your car insurance can be found in our article, 'How much does car insurance cost?'
Are there any admin fees with Saga car insurance?
Saga does not charge any admin fees if you wish to make a change to your policy during the policy term however your policy cost may increase depending on insurable risk. If you want to cancel your policy there is no cancellation fee for Saga Plus customers however Saga Standard and Select policyholders will be subject to a £50 charge if outside of the 14-day grace period (reduced to £5 if within 20 days).
What is the Saga car insurance policy excess?
The excess is the amount payable if you wish to make a claim on your policy. How much you will have to pay will vary depending on what you are claiming for. Excess on car insurance policies is usually split into two types; voluntary and compulsory. Voluntary excess is usually chosen by the customer when obtaining a quote and the excess on a Saga policy can be chosen in increments of £50 ranging from £0 - £1,000. The compulsory excess amount may vary depending on your individual policy but an example of a compulsory excess amount is £150 which means that if a voluntary excess of £100 is chosen, £250 will be payable if you make a claim.
How to make a claim with Saga car insurance
If you wish to make a claim on Saga car insurance you can do so by calling 0800 001 5424 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you need to make a claim for damaged glass you will need to call 0800 092 3304. It is important that you contact Saga as soon as possible to notify them of the claim and it will help the claims process if you have your policy number and details of the claim to hand.
How to cancel Saga car insurance
If you wish to cancel your Saga car insurance policy you can do so by calling 0800 056 9167. You may be entitled to a full refund of your premium if you cancel within a certain timeframe. The following table shows the cancellation periods, charges and whether you will be entitled to a refund.
| Cancellation period | Cancellation fee | Refund amount |
| Before policy starts |  |
Full refund |
| Within 14 days of policy start date |  * |
Pro-rata refund based on cover received |
| After 14 days of policy start date | * |
Pro-rata refund based on cover received if no claim is made |
*excludes Saga Plus policies
Saga car insurance customer reviews
Saga is listed as 'Excellent' on the consumer website Trustpilot with a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars. 76% of reviewers have rated it 5 stars while 5% of reviewers rate it as 1 star. It is worth noting, however, that not all of the reviews are for Saga car insurance directly but for the company as a whole. Those that did review Saga car insurance commented on high renewal prices and problems with claims. Others noted great customer service, good value for money and a user-friendly website.
Saga car insurance pros and cons
Pros
- Specialist insurance for over 50s
- Option to fix the price for 3 years with Saga Plus
- Cover in the EU for up to 90 days
- No mid-term admin fees
Cons
- Only offers comprehensive car insurance online so have to call if you would like something less comprehensive
- Cancellation fee may be payable on Saga Standard and Select policies
Alternatives to Saga car insurance
In this section of the review, we compare Saga car insurance to two other car insurance providers. The easiest way to compare car insurance policies, however, is via a comparison site as you can compare multiple providers at once to find the best deal. We have partnered with Quotezone* so that you can search and compare quotes from over 110 UK car insurance providers. However, not all comparison sites are whole of market which can mean you miss out on deals offered by other insurers.
In the following comparison table, we compare Saga car insurance to Admiral and Direct Line.
Saga vs Admiral vs Direct Line
| Saga | Admiral | Direct Line | |
| Policy Types |
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| Uninsured driver protection | |
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| Multi-car insurance discount | |
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| Temporary car insurance | * |
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* |
| Optional breakdown cover | |
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| Policy amendments admin fee | |
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| Defaqto rating | 5 stars | 5 stars (3 star rating for Essential policy) | 5 stars |
*You can temporarily add a named driver to your policy but you cannot purchase a specific short-term policy
Summary
If you are aged 50 or over it may be worth obtaining a quote from Saga car insurance as its policies include a comprehensive list of features that are not always available with other providers. In particular, the option to fix your policy for 3 years gives financial certainty as long as there are no claims or changes throughout that period. However, it could mean that your car insurance premium is slightly higher than it would be for just 12 months of insurance.
As with all car insurance policies, it is important to shop around to find the best policy that suits your personal circumstances at the best price. Also always ensure you read the policy documents carefully to understand exactly what you are and are not covered for.
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