Compare TV Insurance

Televisions are no longer large bulky appliances which take up an entire corner of your living room. Nor do they have screens which you need to squint to see any little detail.

With features such as 4K Ultra HD, inbuilt Smart Apps and Curved Designs, our modern televisions are not only integral parts of our homes but also pretty pricey.

They are often the core of household events, with everyone gathering around and watching the soaps or latest movies. You may even use yours to play games on or to help keep the kids quiet if you need some peace.

An unwanted breakdown can bring this all to a sudden halt. You can become out of sync with your favourite weekly dramas and reality shows, and any other additional appliances you have such as satellite boxes or DVD players are rendered useless while the TV is out of action. Insurance cover can help you out as soon as possible.

Which Models and Brands Can Be Covered?

We compare TV insurance for a wide range of television brands and most of their models, including:

Samsung
Panasonic
LG
Hisense
Philips
Sony
Toshiba

Why Insure Your Television?

If your appliance suffers from sudden mechanical or electrical breakdown, it can be an expensive issue to fix. Some may even be beyond repair, meaning that you have to entirely replace them if you simply can’t live without them.

Insurance takes care of a lot of this worry on your behalf. All plans vary, but they will cover a large chunk of the cost of repairs (including engineer call-out charges and parts). Some will even offer to replace your appliance with a like-for-like substitute if the engineer concludes it is irreparable.

This will all be done quickly and efficiently, with many providers promising to have sorted out the issue within a week. There may be extra charges incurred, such as an excess or having to make up the total cost beyond any limitations, but in general insurance saves you an awful lot of money compared to the full cost of sorting the problem out.

Always follow any relevant repair guidelines which appear in the manufacturer’s manual first before calling your insurance company, to prevent unnecessary charges which you may be responsible for paying.

What Will My TV Insurance Policy Cover?

Every policy is different, so something which is covered under one may not be protected under another. The price limitations also differ. However, they will fundamentally cover the cost of engineer call-outs, labour charges and parts replacement up to a certain cost boundary. The engineers who work with the insurance companies are experts in their field, so will know how best to repair your appliance.

Insurance companies also usually have helplines who you can contact first and foremost. They will be able to talk you through any diagnostics and try and resolve the problem before engineers are even notified.

Televisions are very internally-run appliances and it, therefore, can be difficult to fix them yourself. Most manufacturers recommend that you don’t attempt to repair any problems with your TV beyond performing a soft reset (turning the TV off and on again via the mains plug), checking the fuses or checking aerial signal.

If you have also verified that your electrics aren’t overloaded with Sky boxes, games devices and home cinema systems, then it is time to let the professionals help.

Your television may not switch on, and after performing all of the basic fuse/power/reset checks, you simply don’t know what the problem is. It may be tripping the power when it is turned on, even after the fuses and power leads have been checked.

There may be a constant ‘no signal’ message on-screen, despite the aerial and other televisions around your house all working fine. Sometimes, Scart and HDMI inputs can malfunction, requiring replacement.

Some television insurance can even cover you for accidental damage. So, if your device is wall-mounted and inexplicably comes free one evening, you may be able to claim for the cost of repairs or replacement.

Are There Any Incidents Not Covered?

Due to external aerials and wires, TV sets can be damaged by electrical storms such as lightning strikes. It is rare but has happened to a lot of people in the past. In this case, inside components are damaged, such as chips and wires.

Electronics can cope with an average amount of electrical power but become damaged due to surges. In some cases, insurance policies may prohibit repairs and replacements to items affected by weather or storm damage.

If your TV needs to be replaced, the cost of removing and disposing of the original product may not be taken care of under your insurance policy. A lot of retailers and delivery companies will offer this as an extra, but you will probably have to pay standard removal costs (or do it yourself).

While some insurers cover you for accidental damage, many may not. If you were a bit too exuberant while playing a game where you had to get up on your feet and the screen smashed, you might not be able to claim. This exclusion may also include cosmetic damage such as scratches and dents. Some companies do offer such cover as a separate extra.

There may also be no way for you to claim should you damage the TV by not following manufacturer’s instructions or misusing the appliance for something other than its intended cause.

This may even mean that if you have modified your television using non-approved accessories and these have caused the malfunction of your appliance, you cannot get any help from your provider.

If you could have fixed the problem yourself, such as replacing plug fuses by following manufacturers guidelines, then you will probably not be able to claim, or may be charged.

Televisions aren’t just used in the home, so if you own one which is situated in a commercial environment, you will need to take out a policy which explicitly allows this in the certificate.

There may also be a limit on the number of callouts and repairs you can make for one piece of equipment, which could be particularly problematic if you have a multi-appliance plan.

FAQs

Is Television Appliance Insurance Worthwhile?

The price of most televisions starts at just over £100 for a 24” model. This can increase by quite a significant amount the larger the screen gets and the more added benefits your TV has. High-end devices now cost well over £1000.

It is unlikely you would be able to cover the costs of a repair or replacement at sudden notice. Insurance will cover a massive chunk of any expenses encountered, saving you a lot of stress and worry about having to save up, take out a loan or add more to your credit card.

You also likely intend to keep your TV for quite a few years, so insurance acts as an extended guarantee to prolong its life.

However, do consider the rapidly moving rate of technology. If you have quite a new model, it will be worth insuring it as there probably won’t be any massive jumps forward in technology for a few years. So, unless you always need the newest model of everything, insuring your television will give you peace of mind that you are taken care of should something happen.

If your model is a few years old, think about whether you want to spend money insuring it. Bear in mind that manufacturers can stop making specific models in no time at all, and there are updated versions continually being released. If you have to replace your television, would you want it replaced with a like-for-like model or one with all the latest specs?

Most insurance companies will only offer you the former option, so you may want to risk going with the most basic of cover for a few months and put the money you save towards a new one.

How Much Does Television Insurance Cost?

This depends on the insurance provider, the value and make of your television plus if there are any other appliances protected under the same policy.

Different providers may charge very different amounts for policies which do the same thing, so you need to shop about to get the best deal. It may also be more expensive to insure a TV over £1000 than one which cost £100.

Prices may also depend on the claims limit they have in place. The cheapest policy available may offer a maximum £500 per claim limit, but if you know it would cost more to replace or repair your appliance, you may want to spend more to get a plan with a higher claims limit.

It could save you money if you pay annually or quarterly as opposed to monthly, as some monthly plans aren’t fixed term. Some insurance providers may offer a month free, or charge interest on pay-monthly transactions. It may also work out cheaper if you take out a three- or five-year policy rather than 12 months but think about the implications of this first.

Providers usually have several different levels of care, too. Standard cover will protect you for the most basic of faults, but for an extra pound or two per month/year, you may be able to take out a tiered plan (Bronze/Silver/Gold plan for example), which would offer you a big step up in care for a little extra cost to you.

Does Home Insurance Cover My TV?

It may do, so check the terms and conditions before thinking about taking out separate insurance. However, the vast majority of home and contents insurance policies only cover your appliances for flood and fire damage. Electrical breakdowns are typically not taken care of and will require a separate dedicated cover.

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

Single-appliance policies are usually best suited to very high-end appliances, as the care plans will be dedicated to the technology involved. There may be a limit on the value of televisions which you can insure on certain non-dedicated policies, or a limit on the amount which they will pay out, but such restrictions are non-existent or higher on single-appliance plans.

But if you have many appliances which you would like to protect, taking out a multi-appliance policy may be the best option. These are often a lot cheaper than insuring everything separately, and you have peace of mind in that everything is covered under one insurance certificate – no last-minute panic renewing necessary.

A lot of providers offer discounts if you insure multiple gadgets and appliances under one plan, from 5% for one or two items up to 40% for over five items.