Best Car Insurance - In General

One of the main things that people worry about when looking for the best car insurance is whether their insurance will cover them in all circumstances that are not their fault. Amongst these is the situation where keys are lost accidentally, as this can reasonably happen to anybody. However, there is scope for abuse of this cover for criminals to easily have their car 'stolen' by an accomplice, and put in a fraudulent claim. It is for this reason that cover for lost car keys is not normally included within a standard insurance policy, it being too much of a risk for insurers. Another aspect of this is the fact that people losing car keys is largely seen as more 'preventable' than other aspects of car insurance cover (e.g. being hit by another driver). For example, in many of the cases in which keys are 'lost', it is where the car owner has left the keys in the vehicle to go into a shop, or put petrol in, and the car has been easily stolen.

Where there is evidence that car keys have actually been stolen, rather than merely lost, certain insurers (e.g. The Co Operative) may be able to help under your normal car insurance policy. Some insurers will not include this service within their basic cover, but it may be available under their best car insurance packages. It is worth remembering that, if you do need to claim from your insurer, you may need to pay for the replacement costs yourself first, and claim them back later.

Best Car Insurance - Other Options

However, it is possible to take out specialist insurance for an additional fee, if you feel you are likely to lose your keys in future (for example, if it has happened more than once before). This will cover a set amount of the cost of things like a locksmith, replacement locks or keys, hiring a temporary car, and resetting of immobilisers, alarms or key fobs. Amongst the benefits of this type of car insurance cover is that they will also cover any other keys lost within the same bunch, up to the maximum cover value (e.g. £1000 or £2000). As this car insurance cover is usually provided separately to the main policy, there is no excess required, and it will not affect your car's no claims bonus. It can be claimed from an unlimited number of times, whilst still allowing you to search for the best car insurance.

Alternatively, some breakdown assistance providers will also help you if you lose your keys whilst you are out. With some providers, this is stated as part of the cover (e.g. Admiral), although others will judge the situation on a case by case basis (e.g. RAC). Therefore, the specialist car insurance cover mentioned above is more reliable and provides more comprehensive reassurance, if you consider yourself to be particularly 'at risk' from losing your keys. Of course, another sensible option is to make sure you have a spare set of keys, which alone can be made very cheaply compared to the cost of changing all the locks if they get lost. These should be kept in a separate place or with a different person to your main set.

Visit www.car-insuranceuk.com regularly for the latest and best car insurance news and links to the best car insurance providers. Please follow the links on this page to obtain your own personalised best car insurance quote and make your own comparison.

© April 2009