Child car seat insurance

Do all policies have child seat cover? 

According to Defaqto, 15% of 325 comprehensive car insurance policies wouldn’t cover the replacement cost of a child seat following an accident.
The level of cover wasn’t the same on all policies either. 30% of policies would pay out a fixed amount while 42% would fully reimburse the cost of a car seat.^[1] 

If you’ve got a particularly expensive car seat, check your car insurance policy to make sure you have adequate cover for it. 

Also check whether you’re covered for your child seat being stolen from your locked vehicle.

How to get car seat insurance 

Although some car insurance policies automatically include car seat cover, you might need to pay to add it as an optional extra, or it might not be offered at all by your provider. 

A number of tailored women's car insurance policies offer child car seat cover, as well as other targeted benefits such as handbag insurance.  

It’s illegal to use gender to calculate car insurance premiums, but some insurers still target their advertising and products at women - which is perfectly legal. 

Don’t worry, dads and grandpas – these companies won’t stop men taking out a policy, even if it’s marketed towards women. 

Child car seat cover checklist 

Here’s a checklist for parents and carers to think about when choosing their motor insurance:

• Does your policy cover child car seat replacement as standard? 
• Does your insurer provide a replacement seat, or do you receive a cash sum? 
• Is the cash sum enough to cover the cost of an equivalent seat? 
• Will your insurer replace the seat following an accident even if there’s no visible damage? 
• Does your policy cover the replacement of more than one seat? If so, is there a limit to how many? 

Consider excess levels, and how much your no-claims bonus will be affected after an incident, too. 

Car insurance for child minders 

If you work as a child minder or in another job where you transport children in your vehicle, you'll need to tell your insurer - you may need business car insurance 

Find out how your job affects your car insurance and how to insure your car for work use so you know what to look out for when comparing policies

Insuring child car seats and other children's accessories could save you money in the long run, and you should be prepared to be asked about insurance by the parents of children in your care

Child seats and car hire 

If you need to hire a car, the fees charged by rental firms for including a car seat can be expensive.  

Think about taking your own seat, renting one from somewhere other than the car hire firm, or even buying a seat at your travel destination to use for the duration of your trip.