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15 Feb 2024

Churchill car insurance review

Name: Churchill car insurance review
Item: Churchill Car Insurance Policy
Rating: 64
Author: Maha Gadir

Read Which?'s expert review of Churchill's car insurance. Find out how we rate its car insurance policies against 27 other providers

Maha GadirMarket analyst

In this article

What does Churchill offer?

Churchill offers car, home, pet and travel insurance. It's part of Direct Line Group, which includes Direct Line, Privilege and Green Flag.

Churchill has three car insurance policies: its standard Comprehensive policy, Comprehensive Plus and Essentials.

Launched in 1989, Churchill was one of the UK's first direct car insurers. Its policies are underwritten by UK Insurance.

Please note that the information in this article is for information purposes only and does not constitute advice. Please refer to the particular terms and conditions of an insurer before committing to any financial products.

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Does Churchill offer the best car insurance?

Here's how Churchill scored in our latest survey:

66% customer score, placing it joint 5th out of 27 companies compared
64% policy score on its standard policy ‒ 13th out of 28 providers we reviewed
61% claims score, placing it 22nd out of 25 insurers rated by customers

See how this compares with the best car insurance.

We review a lot of policies - and our 'Best Buy' badge recognises the individual products that stood out as being the most comprehensive in our analysis. It doesn't reflect customer service. However, we won't give a provider a Best Buy badge where there's evidence - either from our surveys or from Financial Conduct Authority data - of poor service or a poorer-than-average record of paying claims.

Policies named as Best Buys must have a minimum policy score of 65%

Additionally, we look at how consistently good the cover is in policies. To make the cut, a policy needs to have scored at least three out of five points in two thirds of the areas we've rated.

Find out more: how we rate policies.

Lastly, all Best Buy policies must provide - either as standard or as an option - the following levels of cover as a minimum:

'Comprehensive' cover (meaning it covers third party claims, fire, theft and accidental damage to your car), a temporary courtesy car if yours is under repair or if it has been stolen or written off, a repairs guarantee period of at least 3 years, cover for damage to your windows or windscreen, legal expenses cover, liability cover of £20m or more and personal accident cover.

We analyse and rate 78 key elements of car insurance policies to come up with the overall policy score.

Initially, we score all of the product elements out of five, reflecting how competitive each provider is in this area compared with other insurers. We assess how important different policy elements are to drivers when choosing and using a car insurance, and weight different areas of cover accordingly to enhance/reduce their impact in the overall product score.

How good are Churchill's car insurance policies?

Churchill's standard policy score of 64% was exactly average in our analysis.

Its policies are among a minority that don't charge a cancellation fee if you change your mind and switch during the cooling-off period. It also provides £1,000 cover for stolen, damaged or lost car keys as standard.

We were less impressed by the relatively high cancellation fee of £54 if you cancel after the cooling-off period. Also, while courtesy car provision comes as standard with the policy, you'll need to pay extra for the availability of a car to be guaranteed during repairs, or for use of one if your vehicle is stolen or written off.

Vandalism promise

If your car is vandalised and you have a crime reference number, you won't lose your no-claims discount when you make a claim.

Churchill Comprehensive Plus and Churchill Essentials

The premium Churchill Comprehensive Plus policy earned a higher 69%, placing it in the top 40% of the 61 policies we examined.

The more basic Churchill Essentials policy scored a poor 52% ‒ one of the five lowest scorers in our analysis.

Churchill: key cover areas rated

Churchill key features

Churchill Comprehensive policy


Fire excess	Varies
Theft excess	Varies
Accidental damage excess	Varies
Windscreen replacement excess	£115
Is the policy holder's NCD affected if car is hit while parked	Yes
Windscreen damage - limit per claim	Market Value / £125
Window damage - limit per claim	Market Value / £125

Tables last updated February 2024. Next update January 2025. We recommend checking policies before buying.

How did customers rate Churchill's car insurance?

We asked Churchill customers who've recently made a claim how they felt about their car insurance.

When survey respondents fed back about their overall experience, Churchill received a decent 66% score ‒ fifth in our ranking.

However, policyholders weren't as positive when we asked how their most recent claim was handled. Churchill's claims score of 61% placed it near the bottom of our table.

Here's how customers rated Churchill in various areas of service:

Select a table:

Customer satisfaction


Application Process
Clarity of Policy (e.g. how easy it is to understand the policy documents)
Dealing with queries
Ease of managing your policy online (e.g. how easy it is to change your personal details online)
Fair treatment of longstanding customers	-
Dealing with complaints
Value for money

Table last updated in February 2024. Next update in January 2025. A dash '-' indicates insufficient sample size (fewer than 30) to generate a star rating.

How can you save money on Churchill car insurance?

Comprehensive and Comprehensive Plus are both available direct from Churchill and through comparison sites, but they're cheaper through comparison sites, on average.

Essentials is exclusively available on comparison sites. All can be bought on the following sites:

Compare the Market
Go Compare
Confused.com
MoneySuperMarket

With the Comprehensive policy, motor legal protection comes as standard if you're buying through a comparison site, but it's an optional extra if you buy direct on Churchill's website or by phone.

Churchill provides discounts if you're insuring more than one vehicle (known as multi-car insurance) or buying your car and home insurance together.

Above information correct as of December 2023.

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Churchill: How can I claim?

To make a claim with Churchill car insurance, call 0345 878 6261 or start a claim online.

Find out more: is it worth claiming on your car insurance?

Churchill: FAQs

Who owns Churchill Insurance?

Churchill Insurance is part of Direct Line Group.

How can I cancel Churchill car insurance?

The easiest way to cancel your policy is to call its customer service number on 0345 603 3551. Churchill's lines are open from Monday to Friday from 8am-9pm, on Saturdays and bank holidays from 9am-5pm, and on Sundays from 9am-4pm. You can also cancel by webchat via its website.

Does Churchill do multi-car insurance?

Yes. After you've insured your first car with Churchill, you can add more to the policy (up to 10) and will benefit from a multi-car discount for each additional car insured.

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Churchill car insurance review