What is Windscreen Cover?
Windscreen Cover (also known as Windscreen Insurance) covers the costs of repairing or replacing your car windscreen if it gets chipped or cracked. While a chip in your windscreen may not seem like a big problem, it can cause your car to fail its MOT and, left unattended, can quickly get worse.
With a Swinton Windscreen Cover policy, you won’t have to pay for repairs or replacements. Instead, you’ll just need to pay a small excess of £25 for chip repairs, and an excess of £75 for a windscreen replacement.
Why do I need Windscreen Cover?
Even the most careful drivers can get a chip in their windscreen, through no fault of their own. Depending on their size, chips can usually be fixed, but without insurance, this can sometimes cost hundreds of pounds to fully repair.
Driving with a chip in your windscreen can be distracting, affecting your vision and making dazzle from the sun worse. And, if they are not repaired quickly, small chips can grow and crack until your entire windscreen needs replacing, which can be costly.
Is Windscreen Cover included in my Car Insurance policy?
The good news is that all Swinton comprehensive car insurance policies include Windscreen Cover as standard, so policyholders can have chips repaired for just a £25 excess charge.
A Third Party, Fire & Theft policy with Swinton does not include windscreen cover, so you are likely to have to take out separate windscreen cover or upgrade your cover to comprehensive to be covered in the future.
Why choose Windscreen Cover with Swinton
There are several advantages in choosing Swinton Insurance to provide your Windscreen Cover. Benefits include:
- Included as standard — Windscreen Cover is included in all of our Comprehensive Car Insurance plans, so you don’t need to worry about having to purchase it separately.
- Low excess on glass repairs — If you use our approved repairer, you only need to pay an excess of £25 for windscreen repairs or £75 for replacements when you have a Car Insurance policy with Swinton.
- Doesn’t affect your No Claims — With Swinton, windscreen claims will not count towards you No Claims Bonus, no matter how many times you need them.
How to claim for windscreen repairs or replacements
If you know you have Windscreen Cover included in your policy, you can make a claim for repairs or replacements whenever the need arises. Here are a few simple steps you can take to make the claims process as easy as possible:
- Have your policy document to hand — This contains all the information our claims team needs to get your claim settled.
- Call the claims helpline — You can reach our team 24 hours a day using our claims helpline
- Book a repair — An advisor will let you know when it’s okay to contact a windscreen repair company, or they may even arrange for repairs on your behalf.
For more information, go to our Car Insurance claims information page
Find out more about our car insurance cover options
Windscreen Cover FAQs
- Claims over £150 (on certain policies) — On our Essentials package, Windscreen Cover is limited to £150 per incident. However, there are no limits for Classic and Premier options.
- Sunroofs — You won’t be able to use Windscreen Cover to make a claim for sunroof repairs.
- Repairs made by unapproved suppliers — For full cover to apply, all repairs must be carried out by the insurers own supplier. If you choose not to use one of our approved glass repairers, a higher excess will apply as shown on your schedule, and we will limit the amount we pay under this section to £100 after you have paid the amount of your excess.
You cannot legally drive a car if it has a chip in its windscreen over a certain size. This is because Section 40 of the Road Traffic Act states you must ensure your vehicle is roadworthy, and windscreen cracks violate this rule.
Motorists caught driving with cracked windscreens can face substantial fines issued by the police. You could also receive three penalty points on your license as a result.
Most insurers will pay for chip repairs in full, even if there is more than one chip, though some may ask you to pay a small excess charge. With Swinton, the excess for windscreen repair is £25.
If the damage is worse and your windscreen needs replacing, then you will probably have to pay an excess. With Swinton, the excess for a windscreen replacement is £75.
If you have a comprehensive car insurance policy with Swinton, then you already have windscreen cover included as part of that policy.
If you are unsure whether your policy includes windscreen repair cover, check your insurance documents or contact your provider.
How to look after your windscreen
What causes windscreen chips?
One of the most common causes of windscreen chips is loose stones on the road that are thrown up by other vehicles, particularly heavy lorries.
By slowing down and keeping your distance from other vehicles, especially on roads where there are loose surfaces like newly-laid and re-surfaced roads, you can cut your chances of getting a windscreen chip.
Will a chipped windscreen pass an MOT test?
In the vast majority of cases, a car with a chip in the windscreen will not pass its MOT. Cracks of 40mm or more in length mean an automatic MOT failure on your car, as do cracks of 10mm or more in the area of the windscreen in the driver's direct line of vision.
What should I do if my windscreen is damaged?
If you have windscreen cover, call your insurance company. Most insurers will have a 24-hour telephone claim line and will be able to arrange for your windscreen to be repaired by an approved company in good time.
If you don’t have windscreen cover, there are a number of reputable local and national companies that specialise in fixing windscreen chips and cracks.
Many have mobile technicians who can fix your windscreen at a time and location that is convenient for you.
The repair company will fill the chip with a clear resin that sets hard. The repair probably won’t be completely invisible, but it should be much less noticeable and will stop the damage getting any worse.
What is a windscreen repair kit?
Windscreen repair kits work in a similar way to a professional repair. You apply a see-through resin to the chip which, once dry, should make the chip less noticeable and stop it spreading across the windscreen.
Windscreen repair kits are available to buy from car accessory stores or online for around £10-15. You don’t need any special experience and it should only take around 30 minutes.
You should always let your insurance provider know about any incidents affecting your car but most won’t invalidate your No Claims Bonus for a chipped windscreen, especially if you carry out the repair work yourself.
