Sheilas' Wheels

Sheilas' Wheels is a UK insurance brand best known for car insurance. It sells comprehensive car insurance in two versions, a standard policy and a cheaper Essentials policy, and it also sells home insurance, travel insurance and pest cover. When you get a quote direct with the brand, it gives you two prices, one for each version of the policy, so you can compare what each includes before choosing¹.

Sheilas' Wheels is an insurance brand offering car and home insurance, part of the esure Group alongside the esure and First Alternative brands². The firm behind it appears on the Bank of England's list of UK insurers authorised to carry out contracts of insurance³, and Companies House records it as an active company, incorporated in 1999⁴. What that means for you is set out at the end of this page, including how the Financial Services Compensation Scheme protects you if an insurer fails.

Sheilas' Wheels car insurance: Essentials or standard cover

Sheilas' Wheels car insurance is comprehensive cover, and the brand now sells it in two forms. When you get a quote direct, you are given two prices: one for Sheilas' Wheels Essentials Car Insurance and one for Sheilas' Wheels Car Insurance, the standard product¹. The idea is that you can see side by side what the cheaper Essentials policy includes and what the standard policy adds, and pick the balance of cover and cost that suits you.

The same two-product approach runs through the brand's home insurance. A direct quote for home insurance also gives two prices, one for Sheilas' Wheels Essentials Home Insurance and one for the standard Sheilas' Wheels Home Insurance, and both give you 24/7 access to your policy in your online Account⁶. Travel insurance comes in three levels of cover, Essential, Classic or Extra⁷. If you are comparing insurance generally, our insurance guide explains how the main types of policy differ.

What comprehensive cover includes

Comprehensive is the widest level of car insurance normally sold in the UK, and it is the only level Sheilas' Wheels offers. The Essentials policy already includes cover to repair or replace your windscreen if it is accidentally damaged¹. If your car is not driveable after an incident covered by the policy, the insurer will pay reasonable transport costs to take it to the nearest suitable repairer and to return it after repair¹.

The group's motor policy terms also describe features that apply across its comprehensive policies. Driving other cars, where your certificate of insurance says so, is restricted to third party only cover, so it protects other people but not the car you are driving⁹. For electric and hybrid cars, the group's electric car insurance includes power cable cover, which insures charging cables while they are used in connection with charging the vehicle, alongside legal liability cover¹⁰. If you drive an electric car, ask when getting a quote so the cover is set up correctly.

Optional extras you can add

Sheilas' Wheels sells a range of optional extras alongside its car insurance. Breakdown cover is offered in partnership with the RAC, with a range of breakdown cover options to choose from, and key cover is also provided through the RAC, which can help retrieve, repair or replace lost, stolen or damaged keys¹. The premium for breakdown assistance cover is collected by the esure Group firm behind the brand, which acts on behalf of RAC Motoring Services⁵.

Home insurance customers can add pest cover. This covers extermination of pests including mice, rats and grey squirrels, wasps and hornets' nests, and bed bugs, and the brand states that your No Claim Discount is not affected if you claim on it⁸. Pest cover is one product the brand sells but does not itself underwrite: it is underwritten by a separate insurer, so that cover sits with a different firm from the rest of your policy⁸. To add pest cover to a policy, you phone the insurer on 0345 045 9000⁸.

Sheilas' Wheels does not sell third party only cover

Third party only is the minimum legal level of car insurance, but not every insurer sells it, and the esure Group does not. Its guidance is blunt: "Unfortunately we don't sell customers this level of cover"¹¹. It explains that third party only cover "only covers the other driver, their car and property. Your car isn't covered in anyway"¹¹. The group also does not offer the related Road Traffic Act only level of cover¹².

That position matters because third party only insurance is often cheaper in name only. Official guidance explains what it covers and, more importantly, what it does not: "It does not cover any other costs like repair to your own vehicle"¹³. Northern Ireland's official guidance makes the same point: "It doesn't cover any of your costs as the result of an accident"¹⁴. Since Sheilas' Wheels sells comprehensive cover only, every quote from it covers damage to your own car as well as to other people and their property.

How premiums are paid and what shows on your bank statement

For travel insurance, you can choose to pay your premium in a lump sum by Direct Debit, debit card or credit card⁷. For breakdown assistance cover added to a motor policy, the premium is collected by the esure Group firm behind the brand⁵. The name on your bank statement may differ from the brand name you bought from: the insurer states that your statement will show its company name or company name and type of insurance, plus your policy reference number. If a Direct Debit name changes unexpectedly, check with your bank and with the insurer before cancelling anything, since cancelling a payment does not by itself cancel the policy or the obligation to pay.

Getting a quote and proving your No Claim Discount

When you get a quote, you declare the No Claim Discount (NCD) you have built up, and you then have to prove it. The insurer requires evidence of the discount you declared, such as your latest renewal invitation or a letter from your previous insurer⁵. The accepted documents are the page of your renewal invitation that shows your NCD years, or a letter from your previous insurer confirming those years¹⁵.

There are conditions and deadlines to be aware of:

• The proof must be dated within two years of your new policy's start date¹⁵.
• It should be sent to the insurer within 28 days of the policy's start date¹⁵.
• You can send a PDF or a photo of the document by email, or send it by post¹⁵.
• Include your new policy number so you can be identified quickly¹⁵.

Your No Claim Discount is shown in your schedule of insurance, which you can view or download by logging in to your Account¹⁵.

Managing your policy online and renewing

Once your policy is live, you manage it through your online Account, with 24/7 access to your policy documents⁶. Your schedule of insurance, which shows your cover and your No Claim Discount, can be viewed or downloaded there¹⁵.

Renewal works on an automatic basis if you pay by Direct Debit, which is the eligibility condition for automatic renewal¹⁶. You can set this up by contacting the customer service team via live chat¹⁶. Two points to watch:

• If your policy is set to renew automatically, you need to contact the insurer at least 4 days before your renewal date to stop it renewing¹⁶.
• Annual travel insurance cannot currently be renewed online⁷.

Making a claim with Sheilas' Wheels

If you need to claim, start by contacting the insurer, and have your policy number to hand: it is shown in your schedule of insurance, which you can view in your Account¹⁵. For car insurance claims, the policy covers reasonable transport costs to take a car that is not driveable to the nearest suitable repairer, and to return it after repair¹.

For travel insurance, the contact numbers depend on the policy you hold. For policies that are not connected to home insurance, the claim line is 0203 829 6604. For policies connected to home insurance, the number for any other matter is 0345 604 3563⁷. Travel policies have a maximum age of 79 for multi-trip policies⁷.

Complaints record and how to complain

The firm behind Sheilas' Wheels publishes its complaints data. For insurance and pure protection products, between 1 January and 30 June 2026 it opened 12,179 complaints and closed 12,496, equal to 2.76 complaints opened per 1,000 policies in force¹⁷. Of the complaints closed, 45.3% were closed within 3 days and a further 49.1% were closed after 3 days but within 8 weeks. The proportion of complaints upheld in the customer's favour was 67.3%, and the main cause of complaints was general admin and customer service¹⁷.

To complain, write to Customer Relations, esure, The Equinox, 19 Cadogan Street, Glasgow, G2 6QQ¹⁸. The firm aims to sort things out within 3 days of receiving your complaint, and it will write to you with its view within eight weeks of the date you first complained, known as a final decision¹⁸. If eight weeks pass without a final decision, or you are unhappy with the outcome, you can approach the Financial Ombudsman Service, which is free to use¹⁸.

How your policy is protected if the insurer fails

Sheilas' Wheels policies are covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS)⁵. The esure Group firm behind the brand appears on the Bank of England's list of UK insurers authorised to carry out contracts of insurance, dated 1 September 2026³, and Companies House records it as an active company, incorporated on 29 November 1999⁴.

The FSCS is the UK's compensation scheme of last resort for customers of financial services firms. If an insurer covered by the scheme were unable to pay claims, the FSCS can step in to protect policyholders, subject to the scheme's rules and limits. You can check the firm's status yourself on the FCA Register². One exception to note: pest cover is underwritten by a different insurer, so that cover sits with a separate firm⁸. For more on how the UK's protection system works, see our consumer protection guide, and for other insurers in the market, our insurers directory.