Insurance jargon

If you have a car that you will not be using for an extended period of time, and you don’t want to tax or insure it, then you have the option to declare a SORN. To make a Statutory Off-Road Notification (SORN) is something that needs to be thought through, so we have an in-depth article on What SORN is and when you can declare it.

A No Claim Discount (NCD) is a way of saving money on car insurance through careful driving (and to some degree, luck). In our Guide to No Claim Discounts, we look at how they are earned, how they can be lost, and whether they apply to short term car insurance.

Driving Other Cars (DOC) cover is frequently misunderstood, and historically abused. As part of a car insurance policy that you have, it allows you to drive someone else’s car for a short-period time in specific circumstances that are normally emergencies. Our detailed Guide to Driving Other Cars insurance lifts the lid on this.

In general terms Driving Other Cars (DOC) cover cannot be used to drive someone else’s car for a short-period time except in specific circumstances that are normally emergencies. Read our Guide to Driving Other Cars insurance to learn more.

Fronting is a way by which insurance premiums can be lowered by making a declaration to an insurance company that is untrue. By stating that an older, or more experienced driver is the main driver, you may benefit from lower car insurance premiums. But fraud detection mechanisms are increasingly able to spot this, and you may suffer significant consequences that could leave you seriously out of pocket. In our detailed Guide to Fronting we look at what it is, why you shouldn’t do it, and the real consequences of being caught.

Breakdown cover is designed to keep you moving in the event that you break down. It’s an optional add-on available with every Zixty temporary car insurance policy, and is designed to give you additional reassurance – particularly if you’re driving someone else’s car, or a car that you’ve just bought. Check out the details of our Breakdown Cover.

A standard part of car insurance in the UK is the Excess, and there are many types including compulsory, driver specific excess, car specific excess, age specific excess, glass excess, and voluntary excess. Excesses are the amount, or amounts, that will be deducted from any payment made in the event of a valid claim against a car insurance policy in the UK. Excesses are generally cumulative, which is to say that in the event of a claim, the total amount withheld from a payment for a claim will be the sum of all applicable Excesses. The insurance company will generally apply the Excesses that it chooses to, while as a customer you can generally choose a voluntary excess – which is designed to lower your premium.

At Zixty we’ve kept it super simple, having just one Excess. If you add Excess Protect to your Zixty temporary car insurance policy then you’re insuring £150 of your excess. So, in the event of a claim against your Zixty short term car insurance policy, you can claim back £150 of your Excess. And, if you add Zixty Miles to your policy alongside Excess Protect we’ll increase your Excess Protect by a further £100.

The Motor Insurer’s Database (MID) is the central record of all insured vehicles in the UK. It’s managed by the Motor Insurance Bureau (MIS) and is used by the Police and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) to enforce motor insurance laws. You can check to see whether your car is insured by visiting the Ask MID website.

Insurance Premium Tax (IPT) is a tax that was introduced by the government in the Finance Act 1994. It’s applied to most general insurance risks, such as temporary car insurance, in the UK. Insurance companies pass this money straight to the government.

If you add Excess Protect to your Zixty temporary car insurance policy then you’re insuring £150 of your excess. So, in the event of a claim against your Zixty short term car insurance policy, you can claim back £150 of your Excess. And, if you add Zixty Miles to your policy alongside Excess Protect, we’ll increase your Excess Protect by a further £100.

There are many types of black-box, or telematic, car insurance policies available in the UK. Initially designed to help younger and/ or less experienced drivers save money on their car insurance, their use has expanded significantly, allowing insurance companies to reward safe and environmentally considerate driving. While you can opted to add Zixty Miles to your Zixty policy for free, Zixty short term car insurance doesn’t apply any restrictions to when or how you drive. In this article we take a look in detail at what black-box policies are, and how you can benefit.

The answer to this question is that if you own a car in the UK, unless you have made a SORN for this car, you are legally required to insure it. For a more detailed explanation, please have a read of our primer on do I need car insurance? 

There are some key differences between annual car insurance and short term car insurance, and it pays to know the difference. Our easy to digest read sets out what is short term car insurance and what does it cover.