Car Insurance

[00dave]

Has the recession really hit the insurance industry or are they just taking the piss. £255.15 with a £250 excess for last years policy, this year I'm now classed as 9+ years no claims and the cheapest I can get is £249.58 with a £400 excess.
Is it worth me continuing typing my details into all these comparison sites and companies that don't use comparison sites or is that the best I'm going to get?

 

[old.user4556]

Yeah, I got a renewal quote for my two seater German love machine which was more expensive than it was about 6 months ago when I was shopping for a new car. Not a huge amount more, but still more.

Also factor in that maybe the area you live in is now classed as a higher risk? *shrug*

Who did you go with in the end? I honestly can get anyone better than Elephant or Admiral (part of the same company). Some places come close price wise, but then you realise they don't have legal expenses cover, or guaranteed courtesy car.

 

[00dave]

Atm I'm looking at swift cover, the one that Iggy Pop advertises, I've got it down to £242.16 with a £400 excess.
Tbh I've removed all the legal gubbins, the only thing extra I want is no claims protection, everything else is a what if scenario you're paying for. If you think about it you're paying about £25 (legal protection) a year for something you might not need, sure it's a gamble but even if you are in an accident there's no guarentee you need legal protection. Then you normally get the your legal fees back if it's an open shut case of the 3rd party wasting everybody's time don't you. Just seems a waste of money to me.
And courtesy cars seem a waste too, most decent accident repair garages provide them anyway, and in my case I'd just borrow someone elses car for work.

 

[Tom]

The supermarket insurance companies are generally shit. Fine while they're cheap, but at claim time they drag their feet, settle early, and offer a poor service.

Try A-plan, I've been with them for years and they're always competitive. BTW you really do need legal cover.

 

[00dave]

BTW you really do need legal cover.

Living in a rural area most accidents occur between you and a ditch/field anyway. I just don't fancy wasting my money on something I or anybody else I know has never needed. Of all the accidents I've heard of from friends and family none have required legal action.

Anyway I just called the renewal line from esure who I was previously with, and considering it was £255 last year from them my renewal quote was £272. Loyal custom always welcome with the insurance companies I see. Also Norwich union avoid like the plague, £535!!!!

 

[Tom]

Frankly I don't know what you're moaning about. £272 sounds bloody cheap to me. I pay nearly £600 with full ncb and clean licence, and IAM certification. On my TVR it was nearly a grand.

 

[Trem]

Atm I'm looking at swift cover, the one that Iggy Pop advertises, I've got it down to £242.16 with a £400 excess.
Tbh I've removed all the legal gubbins, the only thing extra I want is no claims protection, everything else is a what if scenario you're paying for. If you think about it you're paying about £25 (legal protection) a year for something you might not need, sure it's a gamble but even if you are in an accident there's no guarentee you need legal protection. Then you normally get the your legal fees back if it's an open shut case of the 3rd party wasting everybody's time don't you. Just seems a waste of money to me.
And courtesy cars seem a waste too, most decent accident repair garages provide them anyway, and in my case I'd just borrow someone elses car for work.

I'm with Swift Cover, they have always been the cheapest and I love their online way of doing things, its great...................until you have a problem or make a claim as I am doing at the minute. They are god awful, they actually couldn't give a shit and have lied to me many times about what is going on just to stall me.

They may be cheapest but you will regret going with them if you have a problem, trust me on this.

 

[00dave]

Frankly I don't know what you're moaning about. £272 sounds bloody cheap to me. I pay nearly £600 with full ncb and clean licence, and IAM certification. On my TVR it was nearly a grand.

I'm moaning because £272 is a tad more expensive than £255. And it does sound a bit silly to compare our our insurance costs when you don't even know what I'm driving or my circumstances.

Cheers for the heads up Trem, think I'm gonna go ahead and go with swift cover anyway, I've always viewed insurance as a means to an end anyway, more incentive for me to avoid accidents if it's a hassle to sort it all out.

Also what sort of excess does everybody choose? Thinking £400 to keep the costs down.

 

[Trem]

Cheers for the heads up Trem, think I'm gonna go ahead and go with swift cover anyway, I've always viewed insurance as a means to an end anyway, more incentive for me to avoid accidents if it's a hassle to sort it all out.

Also what sort of excess does everybody choose? Thinking £400 to keep the costs down.

Easier said than done, like with me a woman reversed into me, smashed my rear light cluster. Car got sent away for repairs at a cost of £451 to me because the excess was £550 I had to pay it. This was in February and I still haven't had my money returned. Because the money I paid was less than my excess Swift Cover wanted nothing to do with it because "they have suffered no financial loss" they then handed me over to another god awful company who have got all the money in now but closed my file and banked MY cheque but didn't send me anything.

On your own head be it Dave, you will totally wish you had listened to me if you ever have a bump.

I would go with someone who offers £250 excess and no voluntary on top, £250 full stop and pay the extra for the cover. E Sure were cheapest for me.

 

[Starman]

Yeah I'm with Halifax who are underwritten by eSure. Personally I had to pay £600 Fully comp with no voluntary excess for an old Fiesta which is better than the £900 3rd party for the first year

But yes I've only had my own car for 14 months or so and a licence for nearly 2 years.

 

[Wazzerphuk]

Depends on what you drive massively, although Adrian Flux are normally the cheapest for young male drivers, they were £200+ cheaper than anyone else for me, and a similar story for a mate who just upgraded to a 318.

 

[adams901]

I was recommended Cheap Car Insurance Quotes | FlexiBell Cover | Bell Car Insurance.

They seemed quite resonable.

 

[old.user4556]

I was recommended Cheap Car Insurance Quotes | FlexiBell Cover | Bell Car Insurance.

They seemed quite resonable.

Also the sister companies of Elephant and Admiral. The web interface is the same.

 

[old.user4556]

you're paying about £25 (legal protection) a year

I was crashed into and injured by an uninsured driver. I got the complete shaft basically because she was uninsured and I had to sue her to get compensation, to get my excess back (£450 at the time), to retain my no claims discount and to recover the cost of the recovery/damage to the insurance company. I need to be honest; I think paying £25 a year is nothing for someone else to take care of all that on your behalf. My lawyer took no mercy (as lawyers do) and sucked her dry.

If you're a saying that's a "what if" and a gamble, then why don't you just insure it third party only, it's surely just a gamble too and safe yourself the cash?

Additionaly I'm with Tom, I think your insurance is peanuts.

 

[00dave]

I was crashed into and injured by an uninsured driver. I got the complete shaft basically because she was uninsured and I had to sue her to get compensation, to get my excess back (£450 at the time), to retain my no claims discount and to recover the cost of the recovery/damage to the insurance company. I need to be honest; I think paying £25 a year is nothing for someone else to take care of all that on your behalf. My lawyer took no mercy (as lawyers do) and sucked her dry.

If you're a saying that's a "what if" and a gamble, then why don't you just insure it third party only, it's surely just a gamble too and safe yourself the cash?

Additionaly I'm with Tom, I think your insurance is peanuts.

The 'what if' gamble is different with each situation. If I don't have an accident I've saved £25 but if I do have an accident and need legal cover I'll go to one of the many ambulance chasing no win no fee companies that litter day time TV. But with the 3rd party instead of fully comp that's different, if I don't have an accident thats great saved probably £100 or so but if I write my car off then I've lost £6 - £7k worth of car and I'm left with nothing. Simple math really. Same applies to no claims protection, yeah I can not bother with it and hope for the best but one minute of poor judgement can lose me 9 years worth of no claims bonus, I'm not sure but thats something like 75% discount.

Again you can't claim my insurance is cheap if you don't know what I'm driving or my circumstances ffs!!!! If my car was an Aston Martin parked up on the road in Liverpool every night with no alarm, then yes it would be dirt cheap. Sadly it's not an Aston Martin its a Honda Civic 1.6i 55 plate.
And like I said before the issue is not how expensive my insurance is its about how it can go up with an additional no claims bonus.

 

[JingleBells]

Your insurance is still dirt cheap!
My FIAT Punto Diesel costs almost a grand to insure, even if I put it at my parents place it's £600. "High risk group" and all that

 

[00dave]

ffs enough of this, you chose the car so if your insurance is more expensive than mine. That's the reason I didn't buy myself a type R because of the running costs.

 

[DaGaffer]

Sadly it's not an Aston Martin its a Honda Civic 1.6i 55 plate.

In which case...I'd still say your insurance is pretty cheap. I don't think I've ever paid less than £300 on any car I've owned (from bangers to sportscars) and I'm middle-aged (fuck) with a clean licence.

 

[Trem]

When all is said and done insurance companies are wankers.

If you think Daves insurance is cheap mine must be unbelievable, 9 points, Volvo S60 T5, fully comp and I pay £320 per year.

 

[Lazarus]

When all is said and done insurance companies are wankers.

If you think Daves insurance is cheap mine must be unbelievable, 9 points, Volvo S60 T5, fully comp and I pay £320 per year.

fecking nora.

£220 for me with £100 excess - 1.6i 206

 

[TdC]

I pay about a thousand euros a year for a diesel VW Polo for the full monty. That's with 45% discount for being good.

 

[Wazzerphuk]

I pay ~£270 for TPFT on an N-reg Corolla 1.3 with 5 years no claims

 

[old.user4556]

I was £460 fully comp this year for my Z4 3.0 which I think it a bit of a bargain given that my first year of driving at age 21 in my 1.1 Fiesta was about £800 odd (cheapest!).

 

[Trem]

N-reg Corolla 1.3

Such a good car, you should never sell it. Yes your mates will always shout TAXI!! when you pull up but fuck them.

Uber reliable cars and they are a bloody great drive.

I wish Samm still had hers.

 

[Wazzerphuk]

Such a good car, you should never sell it. Yes your mates will always shout TAXI!! when you pull up but fuck them.

Uber reliable cars and they are a bloody great drive.

I wish Samm still had hers.

Tell me about it. A couple of my mates recently "upgraded" to 3 series' (well, upgrade is probably the right word, one was driving an old battered Clio and the other a GSXR600 - I'm not a bike guy) and they're trying to get me to do it and I just laugh at them.

It cost £2.3k in 2003 and since then it's only needed a few tyres, a battery (it was still the original one and that only went in December) and some minor work to pass MOT. It's never once broken down or failed to start (other than the battery).

It is a good drive, although it needs more ground contact. Some wider wheels and it'd be fantastic as it loses grip far too easily (a couple of occasions I've managed to get it to oversteer fairly dramatically, not bad for a front wheel drive!) and it's a stupid green/blue thing but the value I get from it is ace. Still only got 58k on the clock as well.

 

[old.user4556]

Some Goodyear Eagle F1s to sort out your grip?

 

[Trem]

I honestly loved our Corolla, bloody nippy for a 1.3 as well, I think we got 125mph out of it.

I swear by Michellin tyres on cars but hate them on bikes.

 

[old.user4556]

The best tyres I ever had were Michellin Sport Pilot Exalto 2's - awesome, but only lasted about 8000 miles by the time they were needing changed.

 

[Tom]

I have Exaltos on mine, done about 20,000 so far and not looking as though they have long to go...

 

[old.user4556]

I think I really punished mine, it was on my Clio 182 and I drove it like I stole it.