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Part of Hastings Direct since 2002, People’s Choice is a back-to-basics car insurance provider offering just three policies.
If you appreciate that level of simplicity, you might want to consider it as a provider when you compare car insurance quotes. But is it any good?
Read on for our People’s Choice car insurance review, including what cover it offers, how it compares to its competitors, and what its customers think of its service.
There are few bells and whistles with People’s Choice car insurance. It offers three levels of cover: third party only, third party, fire and theft, and comprehensive car insurance.
Every level of cover allows you to build a no-claims bonus. However, you will have to add no-claims discount protection as an optional extra.
You can also choose to cover your vehicle as part of a multi-car insurance policy.
Third party
If you take out a People’s Choice third party insurance policy, you will only be covered for:
Third party, fire and theft
With a People’s Choice third party, fire and theft policy, you get everything included with third party only, as well as:
Comprehensive
If you opt for People’s Choice comprehensive insurance, you get everything included with third party and third party, fire and theft, as well as:
| Third party only | Third party, fire and theft | Comprehensive | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age range | All | All | All |
| Level of cover | Third party | Third party, fire and theft | Comprehensive |
| Injuries to other people | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Damage to other people’s property | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Theft | No | Yes | Yes |
| Fire damage | No | Yes | Yes |
| Repairs to your own car following accident | No | No | Yes |
| Motor legal protection | Optional | Optional | Optional |
| Your medical expenses | No | No | Medical expenses up to £500 per injured person; personal accident claims up to £5,000 |
| Driving other cars | Yes (if eligible, third party only cover) | Yes (if eligible, third party only cover) | Yes (if eligible, third party only cover) |
| Breakdown cover | Optional | Optional | Optional |
| Courtesy car cover | No | Yes | Yes |
| Hire car cover | Optional | Optional | Optional |
| Windscreen replacement | No | No | Yes |
| Personal belongings | No | No | Up to £300 |
| Replacement locks and keys | No | Up to £500 | Up to £500 |
| Protected no-claims bonus | Optional | Optional | Optional |
| Cancellation fee | £0 (within 14 days); £45 (after 14 days) | £0 (within 14 days); £45 (after 14 days) | £0 (within 14 days); £45 (after 14 days) |
On top of your People’s Choice car insurance policy, for an additional cost you can chose the following optional extras:
If you need to make a car insurance claim through People’s Choice, you can do so online via your MyAccount portal, or over the phone (0333 321 9800 in the UK, 00 44 1424 738 585 outside the UK).
In the event you do need to make a claim, you should:
To cancel your People’s Choice car insurance policy, you can call the provider on 0333 321 9679.
When cancelling your policy, People’s Choice will work out how much of your premium you’ll be refunded, minus the exit fee (outlined in the table below). However, if you have made a non-recoverable claim – that’s any claim where People’s Choice has made a payment to a third party it can’t recover in full – you won’t be entitled to a refund.
| Cancellation period | Fee |
|---|---|
| Within 14 days of your policy start date | £0 |
| After 14 days, or if People’s Choice needs to cancel your policy | £45 |
If you want to contact People’s Choice about your car insurance, aside from making a claim, you can do so by calling 0333 321 9679. That line is open 8am to 7pm Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm on Saturdays and bank holidays, and 9am to 1pm on Sundays.
You can also make general enquiries and changes through your MyAccount login portal.
If you want to make a complaint, meanwhile, you can:
People’s Choice has a ‘Bad’ Trustpilot rating of 1.4 out of five. While this is significantly lower than many of its competitors, you should bear in mind that it is also only based on 128 reviews.
Similarly, these reviews don’t just cover People’s Choice car insurance, but everything the brand offers.
Of the few positive reviews that focus on car insurance, people mention the cover being relatively cheap.
However, the negative reviews complain about the customer service at People’s Choice, as well as sky high renewal quotes.
“[I’ve] been with them two years and [they’ve] been excellent. [I] changed my car twice with a very small fee. [The] insurance has been relatively cheap. Third renewal coming up in July and [I’m] hoping they keep bringing it down.”
“The customer service response from People’s Choice has been absolutely horrendous. My car was taken in for repair at the beginning of May 2023 and the repair has still not been resolved to date (it is now 21 September 2023). It took two months for a courtesy car to be sorted, leaving me without a vehicle during that time. I have not been kept appropriately updated about what is happening or when my car will be fixed. This has been a very terrible experience. It takes calling up and being on hold for anywhere between 20 minutes to an hour at a time for me to have any update about what is happening. There needs to be a customer service review.”
“[This company] doesn’t even deserve one star! [I] had a renewal quote through, and as it was so high compared to the previous years, I ignored it and found cheaper cover elsewhere. [I] just received a letter saying that they’d cancelled my insurance and I owed them £73.34 for a policy that had expired, and if I didn’t pay they would pass my information onto a debt collection agency! After 29 minutes on the phone I managed to get it written off, not that I was going to pay it anyway! Disgraceful service!”
Despite its less than stellar Trustpilot reviews, People’s Choice has positive ratings on Defaqto, although its third party policy does not have a rating:
| Provider name | Trustpilot score | Defaqto score |
|---|---|---|
| People’s Choice | 1.4 stars | 5 stars (4 stars for third party, fire and theft) |
| Hastings Direct | 4.1 stars | 5 stars (4 stars for Third party, fire and theft, 3 stars for Telematics, 2 stars for Essential) |
| Admiral Insurance | 4.4 stars | 5 stars (4 stars for Telematics, 3 stars for Essential) |
| Aviva | 4.0 stars | 5 stars (3 stars for Third party, fire and theft) |
| Direct Line | 3.7 stars | 5 stars (3 stars for Third party, fire and theft and Essentials) |
| AXA | 4.3 stars | 4 stars (5 stars for Plus) |
| LV= | 4.5 stars | 5 stars (3 stars for Third party, fire and theft) |
| esure | 3.3 stars | 5 stars (4 stars for Third party, fire and theft) |
| Ageas | 4.1 stars | 5 stars (3 stars for Essentials, and Telematics) |
| NFU Mutual | 4.4 stars | 5 stars |
People’s Choice is a no-frills car insurance provider, offering just three main levels of cover, and a handful of optional extras.
Its policies closely match those of parent company Hastings Direct, but without some of the flexibility that comes with that brand. It also has a far worse Trustpilot score than many of its competitors.
However, its car insurance policies are still well-reviewed by Defaqto, with a five-star rating for its comprehensive cover, and four stars for third party, fire and theft.
Since 2002, People’s Choice has been owned by Hastings Direct, the trading name of Hastings Insurance Services Ltd.
A five-star Defaqto rating for its comprehensive car insurance policy gives legitimacy to People’s Choice as a provider. However, a ‘Bad’ Trustpilot score may mean it’s not for you if you want good customer service.
