Compare Freezer Insurance

To some, your freezer can be more vital than your fridge. Many people use their freezer to stock up on meat and other foods when it is on offer in the supermarkets, or to bulk buy which cuts down on food bills in the long run. You may even have a separate chest freezer in a garage or outbuilding to store any excess food.

Your freezer suddenly breaking down can leave you in the dark and without this convenience, so you’ll want to get it up and running again as soon as possible. Insurance can help you with this.

We compare the best and cheapest appliance insurance for your:

Integrated freezer
Freestanding freezer
Chest freezer
Tall Freezer
Undercounter freezer

Benefits of Insuring Your Freezer

Insurance providers take a lot of the legwork out of organising repairs, as well as covering a big chunk of the costs.

You can contact their support centres for expert guidance on how to diagnose your problem, and possibly even fix it if possible. Failing this, they will get in touch with expert engineers who can come to your home when convenient and repair your appliance. The idea of not having to contact several engineers yourself and trying to get the cheapest quote is an appealing bonus alone.

Any costs which this may involve, such as labour and callout charges and parts, will be covered up to a limit. This saves you from having to suddenly find the costs yourself, which most people don’t have their immediate disposal – particularly if your freezer was very costly when you bought it.

What Will My Insurance Policy Cover?

Each one is different, but insurance policies will likely offer protection against breakdowns (including parts, labour and call-out) as standard.

This includes costs encountered in the process, which can quickly add up beyond the price of replacement parts. Callout and labour charges could well be over £100 alone. Insurance plans will cover a large chunk, if not all, of the costs faced, which you’d otherwise have to pay in full.

The engineers who work with insurance providers are experts in their field who will be able to diagnose and repair your problem as soon as possible. Failing this, if they deem the appliance irreparable, most current policies offer to replace it with a similar model currently on the market which at the very least saves the hassle of having to arrange a new one to be delivered and installed.

Freezers have the job of keeping your food frozen and preserved, but their most commonly encountered fault is that they start becoming unable to regulate their temperature. This means your food is not kept in optimum conditions and would be unsafe to eat (and also can’t be refrozen if defrosted). There could be some simple causes of this, but if you have tried basic repairs by following manufacturer’s guidelines and the problem persists, it will require specialised help.

Thermostats or compressors may have to be replaced, or there may be a more serious problem to do with the electrics, condenser coils, fan or ventilation. Either way, an engineer can talk you through the best course of action to get your freezer back up to its maximum potential.

If your freezer is a self-defrosting model, the inability for it to be able to do this for some reason could be problematic as the excess water doesn’t drain away. The drain tube or water inlet valve may need unblocking, but if it doesn’t solve the problem, an electrician can take a closer look.

It may even be something as simple as needing to replace the door if it will not seal and close correctly, which allows cold air to escape. This may be simple enough to do yourself in theory, but the cost of such repairs and parts could be as much as the current value of your appliance. Insurance policies will likely cover this.

Are There Any Incidents Not Covered?

You must always follow manufacturer’s guidelines when using and maintaining any appliances or electrical devices. Don’t use sharp metallic objects to scrape excess ice away or use strong cleaners which may damage the internal structure of your freezer.

Likewise, if you don’t keep on top of general maintenance such as defrosting your freezer, you may have any claims invalidated if it causes a more severe fault. Build-ups of ice could result in fans being unable to motorise, or vents being unable to remove warm air. Regularly clean and preserve all appliances according to the manufacturer’s guidelines.

Bear in mind the room which your fridges and freezers are in, as well. If the temperature is too warm or cold, it could affect the effectiveness of the appliance, but this could be classed as you declining to look after it correctly. The same goes if it was installed near a heat source such as an oven or radiator, and this has led to the early demise of the unit.

Any cosmetic damage won’t be covered. For example, if the door has become dented or scratched. Insurance only covers the mechanical side of things.

If you need a new appliance installing, costs such as delivery and removing the old one may be classed as extra expenses. Some retailers and delivery companies will offer to remove the old appliance immediately for an additional fee, or you can contact the local council and see if they can help. Charges encountered will still be less than the overall cost of the replacement.

FAQs

Is Freezer Insurance Worthwhile?

Your freezer is pretty essential, and the time you spend going without it while you contact local engineers for price quotes and try to save up for all the costs you will encounter can be hard to adjust to. Insurance helps you out with all of this.

You may need to take out cover if:

Your manufacturer’s guarantee is about to run out. Leaving your appliance uninsured can be costly should something abruptly go wrong.
Your freezer was expensive. Compare the overall cost of your chosen extended warranty policy against replacing your appliance, bearing in mind what a similar model would cost in a few years’ time. If you wouldn’t be able to exchange it for a much lesser price, insurance provides you with added security. This is particularly relevant to high-end freezers, as these can cost hundreds of pounds.
You’d need it again ASAP. Insurance would prevent you having to save up for a new appliance, which could take a while. You can have a good-as-new or even a brand-new appliance before you even start to miss it.

How Much Does Freezer Insurance Cost?

The price of plans vary greatly, but depends on the aftercare offered, the price and age of your freezer and the maximum limit that a policy will pay out if you make a claim.

Single-appliance freezer insurance can cost anywhere between £2 and £20 per month as a guide. Multi-appliance insurance often starts at £5 per month.

Providers usually have several different plans available, each offering different levels of care (standard/premium/deluxe or bronze/silver/gold, for example). The cheapest option may sound like a good deal but think about the price differences first – paying just £2 more per month could get you a substantial amount of extra aftercare.

Why Doesn’t My Home Insurance Cover My Freezer?

Your home contents insurance will probably cover the contents of your freezer, either as standard or an optional extra. Appliances are also protected from flood or fire damage as well as theft. However, it does not consider the electrical or mechanical components of your machines, so extra protection is needed.

Is a Single- or Multi-Appliance Policy Best for my Freezer?

Multi-appliance policies can help you concerning organisation, so you don’t have to keep on track of all of the direct debits, renewal dates and providers which may come with insuring all of your appliances separately. For a set price, you can cover a number of appliances across your home.

Kitchen-only policies may be best if you only want to cover your white goods. The providers of these policies will often work with engineers best suited to working with kitchen goods, as well as knowing best how to sort out your problem.

The only downside to multi-appliance policies is that cover limits may be lower. So, there could be a maximum claims limit of £500 per claim as opposed to the £2000 offered by a single-appliance policy, or you may be unable to insure your high-end freezer worth thousands of pounds on specific multi-appliance policies.

If you do have any high-end appliances which would be very expensive to repair, a single-appliance plan may be the best option for you. These are offered by both retailers and manufacturers, as well as a lot of insurance providers. Don’t be pressurised into thinking it is the best option for you, however; always shop around before you make any decisions.