Aviva revives General Accident brand for new motor offering

Aviva has revived its General Accident brand for a new online motor insurance offering.

The new General Accident service is designed to cater for internet shoppers who like to talk to their insurer over the phone before buying cover.

General Accident was originally the name of an Aviva predecessor company. General Accident merged with Commercial Union in 1998 to form CGU. CGU in turn merged with Norwich Union in 2000 to form CGNU, later renamed Aviva.

The new General Accident brand will offer comprehensive motor insurance on price comparison sites and its own website.

It will be supported by a 24/7 telephone service to offer help and advice from the first quote up to 35 days from when the policy begins. After this, customers will manage their policies online.

There is also a dedicated 24/7 claims helpline.

The company said the new brand was part of its strategy to let customers contact Aviva how they want. Customers now have three access points: direct through the Aviva brand, online-only on price comparison sites through the Quotemehappy brand, and a combination of online and phone through General Accident.

Aviva added that the launch builds on the success of Quotemehappy, and has more than 300,000 customers across motor and home insurance since its launch in August 2011.

Aviva found that although 75% of people now shop for car insurance on price comparison sites, 21% of people who started buying their insurance online ended up buying it offline.

Aviva retail director Steve Treloar said: “We know that there is more to play for in the price comparison market, and we believe that tapping into the price-savvy, online shopper who may want an element of reassurance before they buy is a great complement to the existing models we offer.

“Given the huge success of our online-only brand, Quotmehappy.com, we felt that there was an opportunity to use another recognisable brand from the Aviva family, with a strong customer heritage, especially in the motor insurance space. General Accident fits the bill perfectly. And because it is already well-known by consumers, General Accident’s strong brand will help us keep marketing costs – and premiums – low, which we know is what online shoppers are looking for.”