Car insurance - the key question

A survey of 5,000 consumers about motor insurance conducted on behalf of independent financial research company Defaqto has found that women motorists are far more concerned about their insurance policy covering the cost of replacing car locks in the event of keys being lost or stolen.

Mike Powell, Insight Analyst for General Insurance at Defaqto comments "replacing the locks of the vehicle if the keys were lost or stolen is seen as one of the most important cover elements for women, but for men, the survey highlighted that this cover feature was far less significant".

"Where cover is given, most policies will pay for the costs of replacing the locks, subject to any policy limit. Other policies also include cover for the costs of replacing the vehicles lock transmitter and central locking interface, and the affected parts of the alarm and/or immobiliser".

Mr Powell concluded: "be careful to check the cover provided because the levels of cover can vary between policies. Also check the policy wording as cover is usually subject to the policyholder being able to establish that the identity or garaging address of their car is known to any person who is in possession of the ignition keys".