Welcome to my top tips for insurance in the UK!
Car Insurance
If you’re going to need to drive, there are a whole lot of logistics that go with that, one of which is getting car insurance. I recommend using something like the website compare the market to see what kind of rates you can get, but some of them will be astronomical if you are starting out on just your US drivers license.
We were lucky enough to get a good deal with Admiral Insurance, and we can highly recommend them as a company. I was in a car accident in February of 2025 and they were incredible to work with. We will be customers for life and will always recommend them. You can read more about our experience here.
One thing I will note specifically for ministers - you do need business use coverage if you are going to be driving around churches for your work. This is a key difference from the US where most basic car insurance will cover you for any kind of driving. Here, if you are driving for work in any capacity that is more than a regular commute between an office and home, you need business use coverage. We made this mistake and thankfully, Admiral still covered us!
Renters Insurance
We also get our renters insurance through Admiral as they had a good bundling deal. We were able to add on our electric bikes so they are specifically covered as well.
Travel Insurance
We get our travel insurance through Lloyds Bank as it is a perk of a specific kind of account I have. I never had travel insurance before living in the UK, but you will definitely want this so your health care is covered for any travelling back to the US!
Health Insurance
Welcome to UK, baby, you’ve got the NHS!
Some people get separate, private vision or dental insurance, we haven’t found this to be necessary. When Joel needed new glasses, it was very economical to get an exam at Specsavers and then he shopped around and found a local independent shop for the actual glasses. We have both been to local dentists for one-off checkups and found the prices to be very reasonable. If you don’t have regular problems, I don’t think you will need it, though it’s probably worth researching the prices for both in your area.
XOXO, Bethany