Axa car insurance review

When choosing between Axa Car Insurance and Car Insurance Plus, you can pick whether you want third party, fire and theft cover, or fully comprehensive insurance.

Axa Car Insurance

If you take AXA Car Insurance as a third party, fire and theft policy, your cover will include:

• Injuries to other people: if you’re in a car accident and injure someone else, your Axa policy will cover the costs
• Damage to someone else’s property: if you damage someone’s property, for example their vehicle, in a car accident, Axa will cover costs up to £20 million (with another £5 million for legal costs and expenses)
• Fire damage: you can claim up to the market value of your car if it is damaged by fire, lightning or an explosion
• Theft: you can claim up to the market value of your car if it is stolen, or damaged in attempted theft
• Manufacturer-fitted audio and sat-nav cover: you can claim for an unlimited amount for any manufacturer-fitted audio or sat-nav equipment that is stolen or damaged in an insured event
• Aftermarket audio and sat-nav cover: you can claim up to £1,000 for audio and sat-nav equipment fitted after your car was made that is damaged or stolen in an insured event
• Child car seat cover: if your car is in an insured event, you can claim up to £300 to replace your child car seats, even if there is no visible damage
• New car replacement: if you are the first registered keeper of a new car, you can get a like-for-like replacement if it is stolen and not recovered, or damaged in an insured event to the extent that it would cost more than 60 per cent of its list value to repair, as long as it happens within the first year of purchase
• Lifetime repairs guarantee: any repairs carried out by Axa-approved garages will be guaranteed for as long as you own the car
• Emergency treatment: your insurance will refund any payments related to emergency medical treatment that fall under the relevant road traffic legislation
• Driving other cars: if eligible, you’ll be able to drive other cars with third party only cover
• Driving abroad: you’ll be able to drive in any European country for up to 90 days under the level of cover you’ve taken out with Axa

If you take out AXA Car Insurance as a comprehensive policy, your cover will include everything mentioned above, as well as:

• Accidental damage to your car: you can claim up to the market value of your car if it’s damaged in a motor accident
• Personal belongings: if your personal belongings are lost or damaged due to an insured event, you can claim up to £150 per incident (exclusions apply)
• Key cover: if your keys are lost or damaged due to an insured event, you can claim up to £2,500 for the associated costs
• Windscreen cover: you can claim for repairs to, and replacements for, your windscreens and window glass
• Medical expenses: if you’re in a motor accident, you can claim up to £100 per injured person
• Personal accident cover: you’ll have up to £2,500 in personal accident cover for you and any other person in your car at the time of the incident
• Uninsured driver promise: if you make a non-fault claim against a driver who is uninsured, you won’t have to pay your excess, and your no-claims bonus won’t be affected

Axa Car Insurance Plus

If you upgrade your third party, fire and theft cover to Car Insurance Plus, it will include everything found at the standard level, as well as:

• Key cover: with third party, fire and theft cover at the Plus level, you’ll be able to claim up to £2,500 for replacement keys and locks in the event your ignition device is stolen or damaged in a fire
• Courtesy car: if your car is taken to an approved repairer following an insured event, you can get a temporary three-door replacement vehicle 

If you upgrade your comprehensive cover to Car Insurance Plus, your policy will include everything found in the standard policy, as well as:

• Personal belongings: with comprehensive Car Insurance Plus, you personal belongings claims limit is upped to £1,500 per incident
• Personal accident cover: your personal accident cover increases to £5,000
• Courtesy car: you’ll receive a three-door temporary replacement vehicle if your car is taken to an approved repairer following an insured event
• Wrong fuel cover: if you or a named drive fills your car with the wrong fuel, your cover will pay for it to be drained and flushed, whether that’s roadside or at an approved repairer

As well as the policies above, Axa also offers:

• Electric car insurance: when you insure your electric or hybrid vehicle using one of the Axa policies detailed above, you cover will also include your battery, charging equipment, and any injuries resulting from someone tripping over your charging cables
• Multi-car insurance: you can get a 15 per cent discount when you insure more than one car with Axa multi-car cover

Depending on your level of cover, you can add the following optional extras to your Axa car insurance policy:

• Courtesy car cover: for £9.99, you can add a three-door courtesy car to your standard Axa Car Insurance policy
• Courtesy car upgrade: you can upgrade your courtesy car cover so you receive a similar car to the one being repaired, and up to £25 a day in travel expenses if a courtesy vehicle can’t be provided
• Breakdown cover: with Axa breakdown cover you can choose between local recovery or national recovery, while also picking either personal or vehicle cover
• Legal expenses cover: with Axa’s motor legal protection, you can get up to £100,000 in legal fees to help you get back any uninsured losses from the at-fault driver
• Personal injury and rehabilitation cover: with this policy upgrade, your personal accident cover will increase to £100,000. You’ll also be able to claim up to £5,000 for rehabilitation therapy, and up to £500 for cosmetic and reconstructive dental treatment
• Protected no-claims discount: if you choose to protect your no-claims bonus, you can make one claim in a year, or two claims across three years, without affecting your discount

If you need to make a car insurance claim through Axa, you should follow these steps:

• Check the safety of everyone involved: first, make sure everyone involved in the accident, including you, your passengers and any third parties, are safe and secure
• Exchange details: if another driver is involved in the accident, you’ll need to swap details, including registration and insurance policy numbers
• Take notes and photos: you should also make a note of key details, such as the location of the incident, the time of day and the weather conditions, and take photos as evidence of any damage
• Contact Axa: even if you don’t want to make a claim, you should inform Axa of the incident as soon as possible. You can either make a claim online through your Axa Account, or call one of its 24/7 claims phone lines. If you’re in the UK, call 0330 024 1305, and if you’re outside of the UK, call +44 1217 520 685
• Wait for the next steps: once you’ve informed Axa of what type of claim you want to make, the provider will arrange the next steps. That could be driving to an approved garage, or sending a recovery vehicle to your location

In most cases, you should be able to cancel your Axa motor cover through your online account.

When you cancel your Axa car insurance policy, you’ll be refunded for the time left on the premium (as long as you haven’t make a claim), minus the following fees:

If you need to contact Axa car insurance about your policy, rather than a claim, you can:

• Live chat (8am to 8pm Monday to Friday; 9am to 5pm Saturdays; 9am to 3pm Sundays)
• Phone (England, Scotland and Wales): 0330 024 1158 (8am to 8pm Monday to Friday; 9am to 5pm Saturdays)
• Phone (Northern Ireland): 0289 002 0104 (8am to 8pm Monday to Friday; 9am to 4pm Saturdays)

If you want to make a complaint, meanwhile, you can:

• Fill out an online contact form
• Phone: 0330 024 1158 (8am to 8pm Monday to Friday; 9am to 5pm Saturdays)

Axa has an ‘Excellent’ Trustpilot rating of 4.3 out of five, based on more than 20,600 reviews.

It is important to note, however, that this score is for Axa as a whole, and not just its motor insurance products.

Of its five-star reviews that mention car insurance, there is praise for Axa’s customer service, whether that’s making changes to a policy, or dealing with a claim.

However, there are some complaints about how long it takes to get in contact with a real person on the other end of the phone, even if the eventual service is good.

Alongside its ‘Excellent’ Trustpilot score, Axa also has the following ratings from Defaqto:

• Car Insurance: ★★★ (both third party, fire and theft, and comprehensive)
• Car Insurance Plus: ★★★★★ (both third party, fire and theft, and comprehensive)

Axa has an ‘Excellent’ Trustpilot score, alongside a five-star Defaqto rating for its Car Insurance Plus policies, which means it’s a decent option if you’re searching for cover.

However, there are some elements of Axa’s car insurance to be aware of. With three stars from Defaqto, its standard level of car insurance – whether third party, fire and theft, or comprehensive – isn’t too impressive.

Even at the Plus level, it has a relatively low personal accident cover limit. And while its Trustpilot page is full of praise for its customer service, you may have issues getting hold of someone in the first place.