Motorists across the UK could mistakenly believe that their car insurance policy covers them for some of the most common incidents - but a new report from a major consumer champion has pointed out many have gaps in their cover.

The research by Which? looked at a wide range of elements across 39 seperate motor insurance policies and found some startling omissions from many policies.

According to the data published this week, 46 per cent of motor insurance policies will not cover your mobile phone if it is damaged or destroyed in your car, while only 18 per cent of insurance policies will pay out on laptops or tablets and just two of the 39 insurance policies cover loss of cash.

And if you’ve ever had the misfortune of filling your vehicle with the wrong fuel type you might already know about the pitfalls of trying to make a claim through your insurer. Just 54 per cent of policies include mis-fuelling cover, and a little over one in three provide no cover at all in the event of this accident.

The Which? research also focused on which were the best performing insurers according to customer satisfaction, with LV coming out on top, with a total score based on customer and policy scores of 79 per cent. Four providers, Ageas, Admiral, RAC and Tesco Bank performed badly on the survey.

“When things go wrong drivers should be able to count on their insurer, but it is concerning that a large number of policies don't cover incidents or possessions you might assume they do, leaving customers with potentially eye-watering bills,” said Jenny Ross, Which? Money Editor.

“We would urge policyholders to read the small print. If you're comparing two similarly priced policies, the bills you can rack up by falling foul of car insurance potholes could dwarf the extra amount you would pay for the more expensive cover.

“It's always worth shopping around when it's time to renew, but that's especially true for anyone who's unhappy with how their insurer has handled a claim.”

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