Car Insurance FAQs

Following the ratification of the UK/EU Withdrawal Agreement on Friday 31 Jan 2020, the UK are no longer a member of the EU. Since 31 December 2020 a UK licence held by residents of Ireland is no longer valid to drive here in Ireland.

Proof of your car insurance e.g. a valid Irish insurance disc will act as proof of insurance when driving an Irish registered vehicle in the UK, including Northern Ireland. A separate Green Card is not required. If you already have a Green Card, check the expiry date and if still in date this will also be accepted as proof of valid insurance.

• Check for injuries, starting with yourself and then other passengers in your car.
• Don’t move any injured parties unless they are in immediate danger from oncoming vehicles.
• Call the emergency services, giving as much detail about the car crash as you can such as the location of the car crash, number of people and vehicles involved, and any injuries sustained.
• Do not admit, deny, negotiate or settle a claim without your insurer’s permission.
• Take note of the following third-party details: names, addresses and phone numbers. The address of the owner of the vehicle you are driving if it’s not your car. The car insurance company name and the insurance policy number as well as the driver’s licence numbers. Vehicle’s registration numbers car’s year, make, model and colour. Keep a record of the name, address and phone number of any witnesses. Take photos of the position of and damage to each vehicle involved in the collision.
• Notify the local Gardai immediately.

Please call our customer care team on 081 8800 222 as soon as possible after the accident occurs.

Breakdown Rescue Cover typically includes cover for roadside assistance with usually up to one hour’s free labour in the event of a mechanical breakdown, malicious damage, punctures, lost or stolen keys, keys broken or locked in your car, etc. It also covers towing your car to the nearest repairer or getting you home if it can’t be repaired. Driveway assistance is included in some policies – please refer to your policy documents for full details.

You should check your policy documents or insurance disc for the insurance underwriter relevant to you and call the corresponding number. A full list of emergency numbers can be found on our website here.

D.O.C. means “Driving Other Cars”.

Dependent on the licence type and occupation, driving of other cars extension may apply to your policy, on a third party basis only. Please refer to your policy documents for full details of what’s covered.

Your car insurance policy will automatically provide you with cover within the EU. Please refer to your policy documents for details of number of days covered under your policy.

Anyone who is named on your policy can drive your car.

If Open Driving is on your policy, depending on specific terms, any person free from accidents, claims, disqualifications, endorsements and convictions, aged from 25 to 70 years holding a full EU or UK driving licence. Some insurers exclude drivers with penalty points. Please check your policy documents for full details.

Excess is the amount you, as the policyholder, must pay towards any claim you make. You have the option to increase the excess, which will reduce your premium or you may decrease the excess, which will incur a slight additional Premium. 

No excess applies to windscreen claims or to third party fire & theft cover.

If there is a break between policies this is known as a Gap in Cover. Reasons for this gap must be given and if applicable proof of no accidents or claims will be required. Normally the maximum period an insurer will allow a gap to be is 2 years.

If you have misplaced your car  keys, you should call your insurer emergency number as soon as possible and within 45 days of the insured event.

To make a claim call 091 894426 and we can help you.

Voluntary excess – Consider how much you’d be prepared to pay out if you have to make a claim. The voluntary excess is the amount you volunteer to pay in the event of an accident. Simply, the higher your voluntary excess, the lower your quote will be.

Open driving is an optional cover available on your insurance. Open driving allows other drivers to drive your car, with your permission, as long as they are aged from 25 to 70 years and hold a full EU/UK licence. Driver/vehicle eligibility criteria and restrictions may apply.

Windscreen damage constitutes accidental breakage of the windscreen or any other car window (excluding sunroof) and scratching of bodywork resulting solely and directly from such breakage.

This relates to any changes to your car outside of the manufacturer’s specification that may have been made e.g. modification for a wheelchair, spoilers, alloy wheels etc.

This applies to persons who use their car in connection with their job. The employer will in some cases require a letter of indemnity from the insurance company. This means that if the insured has an accident while driving the car for work, the employer will not be held liable. This applies to those who use their car for work in some cases.

This optional extra allows you to Step-Back your No Claims Discount, which means that in the event of a single claim, you keep part of your discount. 

For an extra premium, this option allows you to make a claim in a three year period, without losing your No Claims Discount. Some insurers allow up to two unlimited claims within a three year period without loss of your No Claims Discount. Please refer to your policy documents for full details.

Once you have arranged payment terms and returned all of the necessary documentation to Acorn Insurance, your certificate of insurance will be issued.

Acorn Insurance premium payment plan allows you to pay your premium over monthly instalments. Your monthly instalments are taken  automatically by Direct Debit from your Bank Account and is subject to a service fee of 7.9%.  Certain terms and conditions apply.

Yes, simply call us on 081 8800 222 and we can look after this for you.

If your payments fall into arrears we will send you an SMS to the mobile number you provided advising you of this. A missed instalment will be represented to your bank and a €5 fee will apply.  If this representation subsequently fails again a payment by card is required and an additional €15 fee will apply.  If we are unable to contact you, cancellation proceeding will be initiated.

Every customer is issued with a renewal notice prior to the end of their current policy. Our renewals team will contact you before your renewal to discuss your renewal options.  Your policy will NOT automatically renew even if you were previously on a direct debit. 

If you want or need to cancel your policy, you must return your cert and disc of insurance with written instruction to Acorn Insurance.

You must contact Acorn Insurance at the earliest possible stage. Any changes that are made may increase /decrease your premiums. Please note some adjustments to your policy may incur a fee.

You will need the following:

• Your car Insurance policy number.
• The end date of your insurance policy.
• The underwriter of your insurance policy – It is important you check who the Underwriter of your policy is, Acorn Insurance is not the correct answer here.

All the above information can be found on your certificate of insurance or on your insurance disc displayed in your car window.

We are always grateful for feedback and are dedicated to ensuring our customers are satisfied with the service they receive. Please contact our customer care team and we will be happy to resolve any issues.

In order to create an account/access the MY ACORN INSURANCE portal you will require your policy number, phone number and email address which must match what Acorn Insurance has on file for you. If you have issues with creating/accessing your account please contact our customer care team.