Buying 3rd party cover
Third party car insurance used to be a cheap option for motorists and motorcyclists who needed to buy insurance but who didn't have a lot of money to spend. Times have changed. Often 3rd party, or third party, fire and theft cover can not only be a poor bargain but it can actually be dearer than comprehensive cover. This is partly because a lot of insurers don't like it, and some simply won't offer these policies at all, or do so only sparingly.
Whilst comprehensive cover should recompense you for most of the cost of repairing or replacing your own vehicle if it is damaged or destroyed in an accident, for which you were judged to be at fault, the lower levels of cover will not.
TPFT cover should, of course, cover you if the vehicle is stolen and not recovered, or damaged by fire. Some policies will cover damage to the car caused by break-ins to steal goods in the car, such as fitted radios etc. They will not usually provide indemnity, however, for personal goods which are left on display, and an insurer may refuse to pay for entry damage too, on the grounds that the owner was negligent in leaving stealable goods in the car, where they were visible.
It should, however, pay most of the cost of damages or injuries caused to other people in a car accident that you were held responsible for (subject to policy conditions).