Topic: Car Insurance

[ashleyrose-66]

 

Can someone PLEASE explain to me how the fuck this works?

I have a car (just a family motor, an 02 Reg Ford Focus). 3 kids means the doors often get opened in to lamp posts, bollards etc so it has it's fair share of bumps and scrapes but the car is generally in decent nick.

I have (touch wood) never made a claim on my insurance, and I don't use if to commute to work (never have done) and I don't have any convictions.

So each year, my car is a year older, my no claims is up by another year, and I have another year of experience on the road.  However, I have NEVER been offered a quote by my current insurers that is lower than last year!!  I am only 36, so my eyesight isn't going!!

Why do insurers increase the price when you haven't asked them for a single thing in the past year, but the value of the car is decreased (more miles on the clock, another dent in the door due to one of my kids opening it in to a lamp post!)
I have never stayed with the same company for more than a year as a quick search on one of the comparison sites finds me a better quote.  But that's a ballache, and on top of that, you then have to send off your no claims stuff to prove yourself!!

[WorldChampions]

They do it because a big percentage of people renew without checking the price. They asume it would be cheaper.Plus i bet some of the insurance companies auto-renew.

[TepidT2O]

Can someone PLEASE explain to me how the fuck this works?

I have a car (just a family motor, an 02 Reg Ford Focus). 3 kids means the doors often get opened in to lamp posts, bollards etc so it has it's fair share of bumps and scrapes but the car is generally in decent nick.

I have (touch wood) never made a claim on my insurance, and I don't use if to commute to work (never have done) and I don't have any convictions.

So each year, my car is a year older, my no claims is up by another year, and I have another year of experience on the road.  However, I have NEVER been offered a quote by my current insurers that is lower than last year!!  I am only 36, so my eyesight isn't going!!

Why do insurers increase the price when you haven't asked them for a single thing in the past year, but the value of the car is decreased (more miles on the clock, another dent in the door due to one of my kids opening it in to a lamp post!)
I have never stayed with the same company for more than a year as a quick search on one of the comparison sites finds me a better quote.  But that's a ballache, and on top of that, you then have to send off your no claims stuff to prove yourself!!

They hope you are too lazy to go elsewhere.


If you do find a better quote (you will) then they are too lazy to beat it.

I tend to get a really good deal and then an absolutely terrible deal the next year so I upticks and move.....

Had a really good admiral multicar policy, they quoted for it next year and it was more expensive for each car than most normal car deals, they wouldn't budge on price either.....

Bastards

[TepidT2O]

Btw, you can't be paying more than £300 for fully comp on that can you?

[gazzam1963]

I'm nearly 50 got max no claims bonus , drive a van ( work for myself ) five years old, insurance was probably £400odd when I bought it brand new , just got my renewal and it's £ 690 comparison sites have got it down to £650 but the vans worth less than five years ago and I'm nearly of the age where your considered a low risk driver . I think it's all down to the ambulance chasing now . Everyone knows someone who has claimed for a whiplash injury and got a couple of grand  herein lies the problem ,every claim for whiplash is accompanied by a doctor saying you have an injury ( he gets a fee ) then the solicitor ( he gets his wedge ) one claim on against you and thats best part of five years premiums the insurance has to lay out .
The only way I can see it coming down is to outlaw soft tissue injuries , stop all the silly claims because doctors and solicitors are complicit in this huge fraud and that's what it is legalised corruption .I'd hate to be 18 again trying to get on the road

[TepidT2O]

I'm nearly 50 got max no claims bonus , drive a van ( work for myself ) five years old, insurance was probably £400odd when I bought it brand new , just got my renewal and it's £ 690 comparison sites have got it down to £650 but the vans worth less than five years ago and I'm nearly of the age where your considered a low risk driver . I think it's all down to the ambulance chasing now . Everyone knows someone who has claimed for a whiplash injury and got a couple of grand  herein lies the problem ,every claim for whiplash is accompanied by a doctor saying you have an injury ( he gets a fee ) then the solicitor ( he gets his wedge ) one claim on against you and thats best part of five years premiums the insurance has to lay out .
The only way I can see it coming down is to outlaw soft tissue injuries , stop all the silly claims because doctors and solicitors are complicit in this huge fraud and that's what it is legalised corruption .I'd hate to be 18 again trying to get on the road

Doctors aren't really complicit, it very very difficult to tell if people are faking back problems or whiplash......it's very easy to fake and they aren't inquisitors or there to accuse their own patients of lying.

[gazzam1963]

Doctors aren't really complicit, it very very difficult to tell if people are faking back problems or whiplash......it's very easy to fake and they aren't inquisitors or there to accuse their own patients of lying.

I apologise you are correct , my mate edged at about one mile per hour at a roundabout a few years ago. No damage at all to either car but was astounded that the fella put a claim in for whiplash for him and his son. He was onto the insurance company telling them to fight it but they just said he has a medical of a doctor and there is nothing we can do in court , stinks to high heaven maybe that's why they should be outlawed .does a soft tissue injury do you long lasting damage ?

[TepidT2O]

I apologise you are correct , my mate edged at about one mile per hour at a roundabout a few years ago. No damage at all to either car but was astounded that the fella put a claim in for whiplash for him and his son. He was onto the insurance company telling them to fight it but they just said he has a medical of a doctor and there is nothing we can do in court , stinks to high heaven maybe that's why they should be outlawed .does a soft tissue injury do you long lasting damage ?

Can do, it's just so bloody difficult to prove one way or another

[Barneylfc∗]

I'd an awful pain in my neck for about 5 days last week. Could hardly turn my head or lift my arm much. Fuck all to do with a car crash though.

Been checking out insurance quotes on money super market for my first car. Not getting anything under £1000. An absolute shaft this is

[jaffod]

Insurance companies' policy on renewal quotes have been likened to boiling a frog. If you throw a frog into a pan of boiling water it will more than likely try to get out. However, if you place it into a pan of cold water and gradually turn the heat up it will stay in longer...and possibly until it's too late.
 Same with car insurance. They entice you in with a cheap rate to begin with and then 'turn up the heat' by throwing 30 quid onto the premium each year. Then 50 quid etc. Before you realise what's happening you're fucked!

[Kez]

I apologise you are correct , my mate edged at about one mile per hour at a roundabout a few years ago. No damage at all to either car but was astounded that the fella put a claim in for whiplash for him and his son. He was onto the insurance company telling them to fight it but they just said he has a medical of a doctor and there is nothing we can do in court , stinks to high heaven maybe that's why they should be outlawed .does a soft tissue injury do you long lasting damage ?

Can do, it depends on the injury.

I used to think whiplash claims were a load of crap until some tosser on his phone drove into the back of me on the approach to a roundabout a couple of years ago. I had stopped due to the queue of traffic, had the handbrake on and was leaning forward as I was faffing with the radio. He went into the back of me at maybe 15mph. No damage to either vehicle and I thought I was OK (this was about 8am) until lunch time and I had to be driven home from work at 3pm because I couldn't move. It felt like my whole back was in spasm, I couldn't move and I was in agony for about a week.

I'm certain (as a blood sucking PI/clin neg lawyer) that some people ham up their injuries in the belief that it will get them a higher payout but sometimes, when you get whiplash, it really effing hurts!

I see people have blamed doctors and lawyers but the insurance companies are also complicit. If more insurance companies demanded greater levels of proof from an independently, mutually appointed expert physician then less claims for soft tissue injury might get through. If enough questions are asked at the claimant end it might also put people off lying, or at least cause them to get their story sufficiently confused that their insurer/solicitor realises they're up to something.

I don't think it's solely whiplash etc cases that are responsible for the hike either. Most female drivers are likely to see an increase in due course due to EU rules regarding discrimination on the grounds of gender and the price of everything is going up generally, and inusrance is no exception.

For the record, I never actually made a claim despite having several days off work. It's a standing joke in the office that I only sue for other people's problems.

[jaybeezay]

If you ring them and say you have a cheaper quote they will normally reduce it significantly. I've never really given these things much thought as had them on direct debit but we went on an economy drive before Christmas so I checked the renewal this year for home insurance and was absolutely horrified at what we were being charged.
Got straight on to cancel and they chopped it down straight away by over a third. Which actually pissed me off even more because it shows they could have done it at the reduced rate for years. A tip would be to get on to all these companies, if you tell sky you want to leave they automatically give you half price tv for 6 months. Then you say still leaving and they keep doing it. Shows you how much the shower of bastards could afford to do it for.

[rob1966]

Similar situation to Kez, I was approaching a T junction, left hand lane performing a legal undertake of traffic turning right. Some woman did a U turn through the traffic and hit my rear door. Usual neck pain etc. Solicitors rushed through a whiplash claim (not interested in me, just the money). When I eventually got to see a physio, turns out I'd ripped the root of a nerve out, 7 years later I still suffer problems with it.

Theres a lot wrong with the insurance industry, from the claims for injuries to writing off cars. Why do they always used new, factory parts? In the incident above, they wrote my car off as uneconomical to repair and allowed me to buy it back for £100. Needless to say I never repaired it. In 2003 I bought a 5 yr old Mondeo, 63,000 miles, cat D write off for just over £900. It cost me £125 + paint to get over £3,000 worth of car back on the road.

[rednich85]

I had some c*nt claim off me about 4 months ago. I'm dreading my next quote.

I was in a mcdonaldss drive through and was reversing just as this bell came round the corner.

He said then and there that there was nothing in it but to swap details in case there was damage to my car that wasn't evident at the time. He said it was 50/50 in terms of fault so we shook and left it at that. I thought nothing of it because there was no damage to either of our cars and I thought that was it.

4 months later, solicitors letter, claiming for personal harm and emotional damages or someething like that. My insurers paid the c*nts claim without even contesting it. Couldn't believe it.

I thought these c*nts fight tooth and nail to save a few quid?

The fella's bird also claimed but the two kids that were in the back didn't. They probably couldn't trust the kids to lie. Twats.

[paddysour]

What were you reversing in a drivethru for? Especially at a corner, you're defenitely at fault there mate.

[ryatnalkar]

This is one thing I thought was really fucked up in US. Then I spoke to some friends in UK.....

[jason42]

It costs more to insure an older car apparently as the chances of a write off increase as the value of the car goes down.

We have just done our renewal. We have been with Tesco for years now. The quote for Debs and I was OK but when I enquired about adding Jess, it went from £60ish a month to £340 a month but with Admiral the entire policy only went up by £700 a year and £1000 once she passes her test. I asked Tesco if they could match but they couldn't so I went with Admiral. If they fuck about next year I will go elsewhere.

Another important thing you should all check is if you are covered to drive someone else's car. Most people think that fully comp allows you to drive 3rd party in someone else's car but if it doesn't actually state it in your policy you will not be covered. I just found out that I was not covered by my old Tesco policy....

[paddysour]

Another important thing you should all check is if you are covered to drive someone else's car. Most people think that fully comp allows you to drive 3rd party in someone else's car but if it doesn't actually state it in your policy you will not be covered. I just found out that I was not covered by my old Tesco policy....

Yeah I think it used to be standard on fully comp policies. I'm insured under my dad and although he has third party extention, I don't. I wouldn't have known that if I didn't read all the documents, would have been nice of them to inform me when I was sorting the policy on the phone.

[rednich85]

What were you reversing in a drivethru for? Especially at a corner, you're defenitely at fault there mate.

I went to the window, nodbody was there so I decided 'fuck it' and went to go forward. I went about 5 feet forward when the woman shouted 'hi' so I stopped and rolled back.

The fella came round the corner just as I rolled back.

[ashleyrose-66]

Btw, you can't be paying more than £300 for fully comp on that can you?

Last year I was quoted (after leaving my existing company as their quote had gone up) and paid £272.00 with Esure.  This year they want £346.00.  I have searched online and found a company (Kwik-Fit) that will do it for £298.00.

[Sean_93]

I'm 18 and have managed to get fully comp cover with a 1 year no claims discount for £755.

My current insurer Quinn had quoted me £1300 to renew but i shopped about and managed to get a quote from Elephant for £890. They phoned me up last night and by taking out a multi-car policy i was able to get it for £755. The insurance for the other cars actually came down as well.

My only worry is that they'll increase the premiums for all three cars next year and i'll have to change companies again.

[BigAl24]

I'm 18 and have managed to get fully comp cover with a 1 year no claims discount for £755.

My current insurer Quinn had quoted me £1300 to renew but i shopped about and managed to get a quote from Elephant for £890. They phoned me up last night and by taking out a multi-car policy i was able to get it for £755. The insurance for the other cars actually came down as well.

My only worry is that they'll increase the premiums for all three cars next year and i'll have to change companies again.

Lucky for some, I'm 20. Been driving for a year (With dad as main named driver so no no claims) and paying about £1800 a year, fucking stupid.

[TepidT2O]

Last year I was quoted (after leaving my existing company as their quote had gone up) and paid £272.00 with Esure.  This year they want £346.00.  I have searched online and found a company (Kwik-Fit) that will do it for £298.00.

Sounds about right.....

Mind you I'm with esure, so I guess I should expect a big hike at the Ned of the year!

[Luke 17]

I'm 18 and mine was £1800 on a Vauxhall Corsa 07 Reg 1.2

[Fiasco]

I haven't passed my test yet, got it booked later this month but if/when I pass my insurance will be so high I probably won't be driving anyway for a long time. Just checking on insurance sites for a gauge of how much it would be, the cheapest I got for a 2004 Fiesta was over £5000.

The insurance is actually worth double the amount than the car itself.

[ashleyrose-66]

I haven't passed my test yet, got it booked later this month but if/when I pass my insurance will be so high I probably won't be driving anyway for a long time. Just checking on insurance sites for a gauge of how much it would be, the cheapest I got for a 2004 Fiesta was over £5000.

The insurance is actually worth double the amount than the car itself.

And it'll go UP next year even if you do go through the entire year without asking them for a single thing! 

Good luck with your test BTW 

[bellinter]

what I dont understand is that I looked up a quote, came to about €560. When I added my missus onto the policy as a named driver, it went down to €402. Now, whilst I'm not complaining, surely the extra person driving the car ADDS to the risk, not reduces it by nearly 30 percent?

[greenone]

what I dont understand is that I looked up a quote, came to about €560. When I added my missus onto the policy as a named driver, it went down to €402. Now, whilst I'm not complaining, surely the extra person driving the car ADDS to the risk, not reduces it by nearly 30 percent?

She's a lower risk than you so brings down the average risk for the pair of you. Insurance is all about averages.

[Sir Harvest Fields]

Reminds me of my brothers bike insurance. he is almost 40, clean licence etc and wanted a honda melody 50cc to get and forth to work as his Ducati was off the road and his Subaru eats fuel etc and his quote for the 50cc was more than a 900cc Ducati. Fucking bizarre.

[Welshred]

My insurance is with direct line and even when they send the renewal through it's still cheaper than what I'd get from other insurers due to the multicar insurance we can get through them but they still try hiking my insurance up every year. Last year they tried to charge me £820 for insurance, a whole £140 more than I was paying them already, so I did another quote on their online system and managed to get them down to £550, £130 CHEAPER than what my renewal was quoted at. It's a fucking piss take.

[Armand9]

Couple of years ago direct line hiked up the annual cost and i looked around and got a quote £260 cheaper, phoned them up and said quote and company offering it - girl on phone says 'let me look at it as the renewal process is automatic, maybe i can get it down. Ah, I can take 200 off as a loyality bonus...'

Long story short - she matched the cheaper quote, that first 200 quid drop off the original renewal took all of 30 seconds on the phone. Shows what a fucking sham it is

[bellinter]

She's a lower risk than you so brings down the average risk for the pair of you. Insurance is all about averages.

ah OK, that makes more sense I guess... cheers

[rednich85]

Has fully commp always beeen cheaper than 3rd party?

Or is that a new thing?

["Nookie".]

Has fully commp always beeen cheaper than 3rd party?

Or is that a new thing?

Only on shit cars. If the car is cheap, they expect you to go 3rd party and then drive like a nutcase.

[greenone]

Only on shit cars. If the car is cheap, they expect you to go 3rd party and then drive like a nutcase.

Not necessarily, I was quoted £950 3rd party (I always have a look even though I'd never go 3rd party) and £400 fully comp this year for a 2 yr old Mazda RX-8 R3.

[andymanlfc]

I don't understand car insurance one bit. I'm 19 and my insurance this year is £1600 on a 1.2 Corsa SXi 10 plate thats with 1 years no claims, I was just messing around looking at other insurances on other cars the other day and I decided to have a look at a Audi A3 1.8 08 plate with 1 year no claims and it was £1000, how?!

[kalle-anka]

go compair ?

["Nookie".]

Not necessarily, I was quoted £950 3rd party (I always have a look even though I'd never go 3rd party) and £400 fully comp this year for a 2 yr old Mazda RX-8 R3.

I stand corrected. Its down to the fact they think you'll drive less carefully if youre 3rd party, because you dont care baout your car. In reality, you probably drive more carefully because you dont have insurance covering your own car.

[Cre_mCr_cker]

Just been on compare the market, £962 for my first year, I've heard worse for a first car but still seems pretty expensive, do I need comprehensive, third party and fire or third party? So complicated.

[jason42]

Nightmare on the phone to Admiral yesterday...spoke to 3 people in India, 2 in Canada and 2 here in Swansea...