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How long are car insurance repairs guaranteed?
A survey of the market by the NimbleFins car insurance experts has found that even cheap car insurance companies offer workmanship guarantees on repairs—but in some cases they differ significantly from company to company. What should you look for in a good guarantee?
To help you understand what is standard across the industry and how these guarantees can vary, we've dug into policy wordings from dozens of car insurance companies to see what is actually offered across the market. Here's what we found out.
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What is a good repair guarantee?
Our review of over a dozen top car insurance companies found two broad repair guarantee: 5 years and lifetime. There are a few important nuances to note, that are typical restrictions:
1) You'll only get the repair guarantee if you use an approved repairer—that is, a repair shop that is in the insurance company's network of approved repairers. These might also be referred to by other names, such as "recommended repairers" or "nominated repairers". If you use a repair shop that is not in the approved repairer network then any work would not be guaranteed through your car insurance.
2) Most policy wordings state that the 5-year or lifetime repair guarantee lasts for as long as you own the vehicle—but if you sell the car (or end your lease) then the repair guarantee ends. So, for example, let's say your car was involved in a covered accident, repaired by your insurance company's approved repairer, and given a lifetime guarantee on work. If that guarantee only lasts while you own the car, then if you sell the car a year later, the next owner does not have a guarantee on the repair work.
Here are details for a range of popular car insurance providers, including some language from their policy wordings, so you can see how they compare:
| Brand | Repair guarantee duration | Repair guarantee wording |
|---|---|---|
| Admiral | lifetime | "All repairs carried out by our approved repairers are guaranteed for as long as you own the vehicle. Any parts used during the repair are covered under the manufacturer’s guarantee. In the unlikely event the repairs are considered unsatisfactory, the approved repairer will have the option to rectify their work. Should the repairs still be considered unsatisfactory, you may use another repairer providing we agree for the work to be carried out." |
| Ageas | lifetime | "As long as you own the car, workmanship by approved repairers has a lifetime guarantee. Any repairs carried out by an approved repairer have a workmanship guarantee for as long as you own the car. Defective parts will be replaced without charge as long as they are covered by the part manufacturer’s warranty. This is subject to the vehicle being maintained in accordance with the manufacturer routine maintenance schedule (in the event of a claim against this guarantee we may ask for documentation / invoices as evidence of this). Failure of components (such as tyres, exhaust, brakes) or bodywork damage will not be covered if failure or deterioration is through normal usage. To help assist in maintenance of the car, the Repairer will be happy to discuss arrangements for an annual bodywork inspection." |
| Allianz | lifetime | "When using our Recommended Repairer Service, the labour on repairs is guaranteed for the life of the car as long as you’re the owner. Parts are subject to their own guarantee periods from the manufacturer." |
| Aviva | lifetime | "We will provide a lifetime guarantee on repair quality carried out on your car by our approved repairer for as long as you continuously insure your car with us. If you no longer insure your car with us, we will continue to guarantee the repair quality carried out on your car by our approved repairer for a period of three years from the date of completion of the repairs, or for the remainder of the original manufacturer’s warranty for your car if greater than three years. Repair quality means bodywork repairs, paint repairs and ‘workmanship’ which is the work carried out by skilled technicians. All parts fitted to your car by our approved repairer will be covered for the duration of the guarantee provided by the part manufacturer/supplier." |
| AXA | lifetime | "All repairs carried out by our approved repairers are guaranteed throughout the time that you own your car." |
| Chubb | lifetime | "The lifetime warranty specifically warrants the repair work and paint on the damaged parts of your vehicle for as long as you own the vehicle. Any parts replaced during the repair, will have either the same warranty period as the manufacturer’s warranty (if the vehicle is still under the warranty period) or the part manufacturer’s warranty, whichever is longer." |
| Churchill | 5 years | "If our approved repairer carries out the repairs, you do not need an estimate, and you will benefit from our 5-year Guarantee. This means parts, materials and workmanship provided by our approved repairer are guaranteed for five years, unless you sell your car or end your lease. Your car will not qualify for repair under our 5-year Guarantee if the cause is a lack of maintenance, wear and tear, or a subsequent incident." |
| Diamond | lifetime | "All repairs carried out by our approved repairers are guaranteed for as long as you own the vehicle. Any parts used during the repair are covered under the manufacturer’s guarantee. In the unlikely event the repairs are considered unsatisfactory, the approved repairer will have the option to rectify their work. Should the repairs still be considered unsatisfactory, you may use another repairer providing we agree for the work to be carried out." |
| Direct Line | 5 years | "If our approved repairer carries out the repairs, you do not need an estimate, and you will benefit from our 5-year Guarantee. This means parts, materials and workmanship provided by our approved repairer are guaranteed for five years, unless you sell your car or end your lease. Your car will not qualify for repair under our 5-year Guarantee if the cause is a lack of maintenance, wear and tear, or a subsequent incident." |
| Elephant | lifetime | "All repairs carried out by our approved repairers are guaranteed for as long as you own the vehicle. Any parts used during the repair are covered under the manufacturer’s guarantee. In the unlikely event the repairs are considered unsatisfactory, the approved repairer will have the option to rectify their work. Should the repairs still be considered unsatisfactory, you may use another repairer providing we agree for the work to be carried out." |
| esure | 5 years | "If you need to make a claim for damage to your car and choose to use one of our recommended repairers, the following benefit is available to you: Repair work is guaranteed for 5 years. The repair guarantee covers labour costs and not parts. Parts are subject to the manufacturer’s warranty." |
| Hastings Direct | 5 years | "The repairs will be guaranteed for five years." (If you use the Nominated Repairer service.) |
| LV= | lifetime | "Our recommended repairers also provide you with a Lifetime guarantee on repairs (when using our recommended repairer service, for as long as you own the vehicle. Labour only, excludes parts)." |
| NFU Mutual | lifetime | If you use an Approved Repairer: "A lifetime guarantee for the workmanship of the repairs to YOUR CAR. In addition, any areas worked on will be guaranteed for the balance of the manufacturer’s rust proof warranty. A guarantee certificate will be issued upon completion of the repairs." and "The lifetime guarantee for the workmanship of the repairs is not transferable to a new owner of the CAR." |
| QuoteMeHappy | lifetime | "We will provide a lifetime guarantee on repair quality carried out on your car by our approved repairer for as long as you continuously insure your car with us. If you no longer insure your car with us, we will continue to guarantee the repair quality carried out on your car by our approved repairer for a period of three years from the date of completion of the repairs or for the remainder of the original manufacturer’s warranty for your car if greater than three years. Repair quality means bodywork repairs, paint repairs and workmanship which is the work carried out by skilled technicians. All parts fitted to your car by our approved repairer will be covered for the duration of the guarantee provided by the part manufacturer/supplier." |
| Swinton | 5 years | "All repairs carried out by our approved repairer will have a workmanship guarantee for 5 years so long as you own your car." |
It's also worth mentioning another related question. Do you have a choice of car repairer, or do you have to use an approved repairer? As far as we can tell, in most cases you could use a repairer of your choice, even if they are not in the list of "approved repairers" supplied by your insurer. But there are usually repercussions to using a non-approved repairer, including but not limited to:
- No guarantee on repair work (as discussed above)
- A higher excess
- No courtesy/replacement car (if one would otherwise be offered under your policy when using an approved repairer)
- No guarantee the repairer will pick up and return the car (this is often included when using an approved repairer)
- The repair could be delayed (e.g. you may need to submit an estimate for approval from the insurer before work can begin)
We've also done a similar look into policy wordings to learn which, if any, insurance companies will repair with original equipment manufacturer (OEM) parts. If you're interested, read more about this here.