The COVID-19 pandemic has caused disruption and distress for many people across the UK. For those who have had their household income either reduced or stopped completely, it has led to even further distress with paying their bills.

We are talking to customers in this situation to understand options to keep their car insurance going. If you are in financial difficulty, please get in touch as soon as possible.

• Online chat (select the COVID option).
• Or email via [email protected] and put "COVID" in the subject title.

What we can do to help

We will need to understand how you are currently impacted and then we’ll talk you through the options available. We don’t have a one-size-fits-all approach, so Hedgehog will look to offer a workable option for you without risking your longer-term financial wellbeing. If you prefer, you can ask us to talk to a relative or friend about your policy.

We can look at options such as making sure you are correctly covered, reduced fees to change the policy, then possibly the delaying or rescheduling of a monthly payment to help you through your temporary financial difficulty.

Your Direct Debit mandate

Cancelling your Direct Debit instruction via your bank can cause your policy to be cancelled. If you are worried about your financial state, please try to speak to us before cancelling your mandate. It can cause you to lose options we have to help you.

Recommended information and advice about financial difficulties caused by COVID-19

Financial Conduct Authority – Dealing with financial difficulties during Coronavirus

https://www.fca.org.uk/consumers/dealing-financial-difficulties-coronavirus

The Money Advice Service – Money Navigator Tool

https://www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en/tools/money-navigator-tool?utm_source=FCA&utm_medium=Leaflet&utm_campaign=Money_Navigator

The Money Advice Service – How to prioritise your debts

https://www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en/articles/how-to-prioritise-your-debts

If we've asked you to provide proof, upload this via the Your Account. Your proof must be from the most recent insurer and within the last 2 years. This must be on a private car policy showing you as the policyholder. Your proof must show the up-to-date cumulative total of years and match what you have told us. You must not continue to use the No Claims Discount on a separate policy after the policy with us starts.

We do not accept:

• Do not send us documents called 'Statement of Fact' or 'Schedule', we will not accept these and it will delay confirming your discount.
• We do not accept proof earned on any form of commercial, trade or fleet policy.
• We do not accept proof as a named driver or from a policy outside of the UK.
• We do not accept proof earned on a motorbike, van over 3500KG, pickup, lorry, campervan or motorhome.

To help us confirm your discount, please make sure your proof has the minimum of:

• Dated
• Shows the company name
• Policy dates/end date shown
• Number of years
• Policy number

We offer the Driving Other Cars extension on most Comprehensive policies. This is an extra cover we automatically give you if you qualify and we do not charge for it. This cover is for the policyholder only. Please read the information to understand how to check if you have the extension and what it covers you for.

Existing customers

• Policyholders can check via Your Account. Open your 'Policy Certificate' in 'Documents' and look at section 5.
• If you have the Driving Other Cars extension, you will see the statement: "The Policyholder may also drive a Motor Car not belonging to him/her and not hired under a hire purchase agreement.".

Not yet a customer

• If you have not bought a policy yet, then the quote review page will tell you if you qualify before you buy.

What am I covered for?

You can drive other cars not belonging to you only. The cover is third party only. This means you cannot claim if you damage the car.

When driving the other car, the cover is only valid if the following are true:

1. You have the owner’s permission to drive the car. They must also have their own car insurance place, and you must not be listed on their policy as a named driver.
2. The car is not owned by (or hired under a hire purchase agreement by or leased to) you or your partner.
3. You will only drive the car in Great Britain, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands.
4. You still have your car, and it is not a total loss, stolen or SORN.
5. You are not using the cover to remove the car from a Police Compound.

Other important information

• As we restrict this cover to Third Party only liability cover, damage to the borrowed car is not covered. You will need to add yourself as a driver on the borrowed car’s policy if you want to be covered for damage to the car in an incident such as a road accident.

We don't extend Driving Other Cars cover to:

1. cover a commercial vehicle, a motorcycle or a car used for public or private hire.
2. other drivers named on your policy.
3. If you are aged under 25 at the start of the policy. You cannot add this during the policy.

All changes to the policy can be done via Your Account. This includes changing the car, registration, drivers, address, the use of the vehicle and more.

1. Log in and click 'Quote for change'.
2. Edit and update the details you need to and then click quote.
3. We will show you a price to make this change from the point you need to until the end of the policy. We don't offer temporary changes or cover.

The change only comes into force once you either accept the refund or pay the extra premium. If you pay monthly, we will often be able to spread some or all of the payment over your remaining instalments.

It is your responsibility to keep the policy updated. Failure to do so could cause a claim being refused or your insurance voided.

You can cancel your policy in full or an optional extra via Your Account. Click 'cancel' and you will be shown the cancellation fee, any outstanding money you owe or if a refund due. You can then choose to carry on with the cancellation. For the full cancellation terms please read the Terms of Business Agreement in your 'Documents'.

We aim to pay refunds within 14 working days.

Cancelling Renewal

You can turn the auto-renewal off on your policy via Your Account.

We send you a renewal invite 28 days before your renewal date. In the invitation will be your price for the upcoming year - we cannot give you an idea of the price until this date.

I've had my renewal invite - what do I do next?

Log into the Your Account area and check through the details. Things change over the year so to get the best price, check through your details.

Do you price match?

The price of our renewal invite is the best we can offer. Make sure your details are correct by signing in and checking.

My proof of no claims discount from Hedgehog

Sign in to see your renewal invite and this will tell you how many years No Claims Discount we are using to discount your price for next year. If you choose not to stay with us, you can download your proof once the policy ends.

On rare occasions, we have to resort to issuing a cancellation notice. This means we cannot continue the policy. This could be various reasons like non-payment or we cannot offer insurance for the change to the details. If we issue you a cancellation notice, we will explain why and if there is a way to keep the policy going. Please check the emails we have sent you. It is important to check the deadline given to take action.