Santander car insurance review

High street bank Santander's car insurance policy is underwritten by ABC, Ageas, Aviva, AXA, Co-op, Covéa Insurance, Highway Clear, Highway Insurance Company Limited, Sabre and Zenith Insurance plc.

Santander also offers home insurance. 

• Read our reviews of all the insurers who took part in our car insurance analysis

What does Santander car insurance cover?

Elements marked with a ✓ are covered as standard, those marked with a ✘ are not covered as standard. Elements marked with a £ can be added to a policy as optional extras for an additional cost.

Does Santander offer the best car insurance?

Here's how Santander scored in our latest car insurance survey:

Car Insurance

Santander review

Overall Which? score

%

Our total score score combines both the Which? Customer Score, ratings from real customers of the provider, and our expert analysis of the provider's policies. The total score is made up of 50% of the Customer Score and 50% of the car insurance policy score.

Which? customer score

%

Which?'s rating for customer satisfaction, based on feedback from real customers. The score is made up of a customer's overall satisfaction with the brand, and how likely they are to recommend that brand.

Policy score

%

Which?'s rating of the quality of this company's car insurance policy. We analysed 73 features of its cover to calculate the policy score.

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First month only £5, then £9.99 per month, cancel any time.

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£5 for first month then £9.99/month unless cancelled

To help you find the best car insurance policy, Which? goes the extra mile to sort the best from the worst.

Santander's car insurance policy: is it good or bad?

We've rated hundreds of policy details and picked out the best and worst elements of this cover.

Members can log in to read our full policy analysis. If you're not already a member, join Which? and get full access to these results and all our reviews.

In detail: every part of Santander's car insurance rated

Core coverExcessesNo claims discount (NCD)Additional coverMisc coverPayment, fees and admin

Weighting	Policy element	Details	Rating
Most important	Courtesy car - included?
Most important	Courtesy car - guaranteed availability?
Secondary	Courtesy car period
Other	Courtesy car provided if car is stolen?
Most important	Windscreen damage - limit per claim (Approved Repairer / Non-approved repairer)
Most important	Window damage - limit per claim (Approved Repairer / Non-approved repairer)
Secondary	Sunroof damage - limit per claim (Approved Repairer / Non-approved repairer)
Secondary	Personal belongings - limit per claim
Secondary	Medical expenses - limit per claim
Other	Physio treatment included under medical expenses?
Other	Prescription costs included under medical expenses?
Other	Dental treatment included under medical expenses?
Other	Audio equipment - Limit per claim (Manufacturer fitted / Non-manufacturer fitted)
Other	Sat Nav - Limit per claim (Manufacturer fitted / Non-manufacturer fitted)
Other	Child car seat - Limit per claim
Secondary	Misfuelling cover - included?
Secondary	Misfuelling cover - what's covered?
Secondary	Misfuelling cover - limit per claim

Weighting	Policy element	Details	Rating
Most important	Fire excess (standard compulsory)
Most important	Theft excess (standard compulsory)
Most important	Accidental damage excess (standard compulsory)
Secondary	Non-approved repairer excess (standard compulsory)
Secondary	Windscreen repair excess (standard compulsory)
Secondary	Windscreen replacement excess (standard compulsory)
Secondary	Driver under 21 excess (standard compulsory)
Secondary	Driver 21-24 excess (standard compulsory)

Weighting	Policy element	Details	Rating
Most important	Number of claim-free years required to attain maximum NCD
Most important	NCD affected - Non-Fault accident
Most important	NCD affected - 3rd party uninsured
Secondary	NCD affected - Vandalism
Secondary	NCD affected - Hit while parked
Secondary	Can other drivers earn NCD on this policy?
Most important	NCD protection included?
Most important	NCD protection claims (number per year)

Weighting	Policy element	Details	Rating
Most important	Motor legal protection - included?
Secondary	Motor legal protection - limit per claim?
Secondary	Motor legal protection - covered if driver uninsured?
Other	Motor legal protection - covered if vehicle cloned?
Other	Motor legal protection - recovery of clamping and towing fees covered?
Most important	Personal accident cover - included?
Secondary	Personal accident cover - limit per claim in the event of death
Secondary	Personal accident cover - limit per claim in the event of disability
Other	Personal accident cover - maximum eligible age
Most important	Theft of keys - Included?
Secondary	Theft of keys - limit per claim
Most important	Loss of keys - Included?
Secondary	Loss of keys - limit per claim
Secondary	Total loss courtesy car - included?
Secondary	Total loss courtesy car period

Weighting	Policy element	Details	Rating
Most important	Repairs Guarantee Period
Secondary	Keys in car exclusion
Most important	Liability limit for property damage (including legal expenses)
Other	Onward travel costs in the event of an accident - limit per claim
Other	Accommodation costs in the event of an accident - limit per claim
Secondary	Driving other cars extension - level of cover
Other	Driving other cars extension guaranteed?
Other	Driving other cars - emergency cover only?
Other	Driving other cars - covered in Europe?
Secondary	Comprehensive cover to drive overseas - included?
Secondary	Driving abroad - Days per trip limit
Other	New car replacement - damage
Other	New car replacement - period

Weighting	Policy element	Details	Rating
Most important	Interest charged on payment by instalments (APR)
Most important	Renewal Fee
Secondary	Adjustment Fee
Secondary	Duplicate Documents Fee
Secondary	Cancellation fee within cooling off period
Secondary	Cancellation fee after cooling off period
Secondary	Payment Default Fee
Other	Claims helpline
Other	Windscreen helpline
Other	Legal advice helpline
Other	Notice if insurer cancels

Table last updated in February 2021. Next update in January 2022.

How can you save money on Santander car insurance?

Santander's car insurance policy is available on the following price comparison websites:

• Compare the Market
• Confused.com
• Go Compare
• Money Supermarket

Above information correct as of December 2020

What is Santander's car insurance claims number?

If you need to make a claim with Santander car insurance call 0344 854 9823.

For windscreen damage call 0330 018 4248.

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

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