Flow is a relative newcomer to the world of car insurance. Its digital-first experience puts the customer in the driving seat when it comes to taking out policies. Its flexible car insurance can be paid monthly or annually, completed online with 24/7 customer support available. Its parent company LV underwrites its policy documents.
Whether you’re a new driver taking out your first car insurance policy or a seasoned driver – it’s always important to compare car insurance quotes. Comparing quotes allows you to snap up the best deals available. Our researchers have combed through Flow’s fine print, examining everything from policies to customer service – here’s what you need to know.
What car insurance policies does Flow offer?
Flow’s parent company LV underwrites its car insurance policies. Its car insurance is designed to be accessible and affordable, and is particularly aimed at younger drivers. With Flow, there are two policies – Flow Annual and Flow Monthly – with the latter bridging the gap in the market for rolling monthly car insurance.
Both Flow’s annual and monthly policies offer fully comprehensive cover, access to a 24/7 LV claims service and affordable premiums. With that being said, there are some stark differences between the two policies. Our researchers read Flow’s fine print, and this is what we discovered.
Flow Annual car insurance
Flow Annual car insurance is paid up front annually, as its name suggests. This policy offers comprehensive cover and offers extras such as motor legal expenses and a guaranteed hire car as standard.
Accidental damage cover
Flow Annual car insurance will pay for accidental damage such as dents and scratches. It also covers misfueling errors – if you have accidentally fill your car with the wrong fuel type, you’re covered for engine damage and draining and flushing your fuel tank – but you’ll need to pay your excess.
You’re also covered for:
- If you’re in an accident with an uninsured driver when you claim there’s no excess and your no-claims discount is covered
- If your car is vandalised, Flow will protect your no-claims discount but you’ll need to pay your excess
- Your policy covers new locks and keys if you’ve lost them or they’re stolen
- Windscreen and window glass replacement, including sunroofs
- When travelling in European countries, you’ll have the same level of cover – as long as your car is not abroad for more than 180 days in a given period of cover
Guaranteed hire car
If your car is being repaired by a Flow-recommended repair service, you’re entitled to a small hatchback hire car. This also applies to cars that are stolen or written off.
Motor legal expenses
As standard, Flow Annual car insurance comes with motor legal expenses cover. This is useful should you ever incur fees relating to legal action against another driver or defence against a motoring prosecution.
Fire and theft
If your car or its accessories are lost or damaged by fire, lightning, explosion, theft or attempted theft, your policy will cover you.
You’re not covered for:
- Breakdown cover does not come as standard but can be added as an optional extra.
- No-claims discount protection. Flow Annual offers a no-claims discount of up to nine years. However, protection of your no-claims discount is not included as standard – available as an optional extra
- There is no telematics option for Flow Annual car insurance
Flow Monthly car insurance
Flow Monthly car insurance is a flexible policy. The rolling monthly payment is likened to a subscription instead of traditional car insurance. It gives customers the option to cancel at any given time. There are no fees or deposits involved, nor do you require a no-claims discount – but bear in mind, you won’t earn one either.
Accidental damage
If your car or accessories are damaged by accident or vandalised, Flow will either:
- pay for it to be repaired
- replace what’s damaged
- pay the market value of your car if it’s written off – if you agree, you forfeit the ownership of your car
You’re also covered for:
- Misfueling your car. Your policy covers you for draining, flushing and fixing engine damage
- If you’ve been hit by an uninsured driver and make a claim, you won’t need to pay your excess if it can be proved that the uninsured driver was at fault
- Windscreen and window glass replacement, including sunroofs
- When travelling in European countries, you’ll have the minimum compulsory cover required by law, which is third party cover – as long as your car is not abroad for more than 180 days in any calendar year
Fire and theft
Your policy covers you if your car or accessories are lost or damaged by fire, lightning, explosion, theft or attempted theft.
You’re not covered for:
- No claims discount. There isn’t one available with this policy
- A guaranteed hire car is available as an optional extra
- Motor legal expenses is available as an optional extra
- Breakdown cover is not covered. It’s also not available as an optional extra for pay-monthly policies
Flow’s car insurance policies compared
| Policy name | Cover type | Age range | Courtesy car | Breakdown cover | Windscreen cover | Telematics |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flow Annual Car Insurance | Comprehensive | Any | Yes | Optional extra | Yes | No |
| Flow Monthly Car Insurance | Comprehensive | Any | Optional extra | No | Yes | No |
Flow’s additional features
Both Flow Annual and Flow Monthly allow customers to customise their policies with optional extras.
Flow Annual car insurance
- Protected no-claims discount
- Breakdown cover: You can choose from local, national or European breakdown cover to suit your individual requirements
- Family package add-on available: This package covers replacement child car seats as well as your in-car equipment. You’re also covered if your car is unusable up to 25 miles from home following a claim. Reimbursements of up to £500 can be given for travel or accommodation upon presenting receipts
Flow Monthly car insurance
- Guaranteed hire car: You’re guaranteed a small basic hatchback hire car if your own car is being repaired by a Flow-recommended repair service or if your car has been written off
- Motor legal expenses: This cover protects you in the event that you require legal help to take action against another road user or defend against a motoring prosecution
Flow car insurance customer service
When our researchers put Flow’s customer service to the test, we found the response times to be average. We also discovered there are multiple how-to guides, which you’re encouraged to explore before attempting to contact Flow.
Contact us form
Flow’s website has a contact page located in the footer. You’re advised to browse how-to guides before contacting. However, if you scroll down you’ll find a contact form – essentially an email address.
You can use this method of communication to ask whatever you need. The form asks for your name, policy number, and address, but since it’s not a fillable form, if you don’t have these to hand you can send without those pieces of information.
Flow states that you should receive a response within 24 hours; our researchers found this to be true.
How-to-guides
Flow’s contact page also contains various how-to guides relating to payment, policy documents and how to make changes to your policy. Throughout these guides you should be able to find the answer to your question. If you can’t, you can use the contact form as mentioned above.
For a digital-first company, it was surprising to not find a live chat service. Our researchers found the lack of immediate communication would not be suitable for some customers. It really depends on your communication style, and how important your request is.
Flow car insurance phone number
Flow is not like other insurance companies. It’s digital-first, which means there is no physical office and therefore no phone number for general enquiries. It does, however, have a dedicated UK-based call centre for claims only.
Claims phone number: 0800 030 4897, available 24/7, seven days a week.
Flow opening hours
Flow doesn’t have a physical office and its team is based nationwide. Our researchers found that its website claims you can contact Flow 24/7, seven days a week via its Contact Us form and claims phone line.
Cancelling Flow car insurance
Our researchers found there are just four steps to cancel any of Flow’s policies.
- Log into your account and select ‘cancel policy’
- Select a date to cancel your policy
- Select a reason for cancelling your policy
- Pay your outstanding balance if you have one
Cancellation fee
The cancellation fee differs between Flow’s two policies. Flow Annual customers will incur a £40 cancellation fee, and Flow Monthly cover can be cancelled for free.
Customer reviews
Flow car insurance receives 4.5 out of a possible five stars on Trustpilot. Our researchers read dozens of reviews and found that customers gave praise for Flow’s detailed how-to guides, stress-free application process and affordable prices.
However, a few negative reviews did mention the lack of communication methods and not having a phone number causing difficulty resolving matters quickly.
“Everything was as it should be. Great online experience. It has been so well devised that it seems to leave nothing to chance. To me, it is clear why your premiums are reasonable and huge savings on costs which do not add value in any way.”
- Arthur Pentz, via Trustpilot
“It was such an easy process from start to finish, also the quote was very competitive. I’m pleased I found you. My previous company tried to nearly double my renewal quote, which actually shocked me.”
- Alan McTeer, via Trustpilot
Flow compared to competitors
Our researchers compared Flow car insurance to its competitors and discovered that it scored highly. We looked at both its Trustpilot and Defaqto score. Defaqto is an independent financial researcher specialising in comparing, analysing and rating financial products.
Its Trustpilot score was higher than Admiral’s, esure and AXA. However, its Defaqto score was on par with other providers.
| Provider name | Trustpilot score | Defaqto score |
|---|---|---|
| Flow car insurance | 4.5 | 5 |
| Admiral Group | 4.4 | 5 |
| AXA | 4.3 | 5 |
| esure | 3.1 | 5 |
Summary
Overall, Flow car insurance had multiple pros, but we did discover a few downsides. Even though Flow is considered affordable, you should always shop around. Whenever you’re choosing a car insurance premium, it’s best to shop around and compare three or more quotes – this way you can be sure you’ve got the best deal for you.
The car insurance provider offers comprehensive cover and offers two flexible policies. One of those can be paid monthly, mimicking a subscription service, which you are free to cancel at any time. This is quite revolutionary for the world of car insurance. We also found that its policies provide a good level of cover as standard. In particular, its annual policy includes perks such as guaranteed hire car and breakdown cover.
Flow is a digital-first company and everything, from taking out a policy to making amendments and renewing, are all actioned online. This removes admin fees, but it also means there is no contactable phone number (except a claims line), and this can be problematic for customers who require an immediate response.
Flow car insurance certainly is not for customers who can’t do without a contactable phone number. Even for customers who prefer digital communication, there are times when this may not suffice. Despite this, it does offer affordable premiums and a flexible pay monthly rolling policy. It’s ideal for those whose circumstances may change regularly.
Flow car insurance FAQs
No, Flow does not have a customer service phone number. Flow is a digital-first company, and has ditched the age-old method of communication. All of Flow’s policies can be set up online and changes made via its online platform. However, for customers who need to make a claim on their insurance, Flow does have a claims-only UK-based call centre.
Flow car insurance’s parent company is LV, a leading UK insurance provider. LV created Flow to appeal to an audience that requires flexible insurance. The provider has two policies, Flow Annual and Flow Monthly, with the latter customers can pay monthly on a rolling contract, much like a subscription service.
Flow, like most car insurance companies, will ask about the last five years of your driving history. This could involve your accident history and any claims you have made. They’ll also want to know your driving habits, as well as your mileage and car’s security. It’s best to be completely transparent to avoid any unwanted consequences at a later date.
Rachel Sadler is a seasoned journalist and content creator with a multi-year track record in both print and digital media.
Rachel is an expert in renewable energy, particularly solar panel solutions for UK households. She investigates the most effective solar panels for domestic use, emphasising cost savings and the potential for households to produce their own electricity. Her interests extend to home insulation, specifically the role of windows in enhancing energy efficiency, aesthetic appeal, and cost reduction. She delves into the best materials for durability, maintenance, and affordability, crafting informative guides and articles.
