Increase in insurance premiums

[Bouleversee]

What website were you on when you were doing those permutations, Paul? They all sound cheap compared with my quote. I'd like to put my son on my policy so he can drive me in my car rather than his if I need to go anywhere out of my comfort zone. Simpler and cheaper than reimbursing him for the diesel in his case. Would this make the premium cheaper and how much info about him would I need for the quote application? I haven't started the process yet as I got side-tracked by another urgent matter.

[monabri]

What website were you on when you were doing those permutations, Paul? They all sound cheap compared with my quote. I'd like to put my son on my policy so he can drive me in my car rather than his if I need to go anywhere out of my comfort zone. Simpler and cheaper than reimbursing him for the diesel in his case. Would this make the premium cheaper and how much info about him would I need for the quote application? I haven't started the process yet as I got side-tracked by another urgent matter.

The thing about these comparison sites is you can enter the data and get a quote and then you can modify the input (add someone to the quote, for example - so you might start with just yourself on the policy and obtain a quote, then modify it to add your son and get another quotation).

You would need to know your son's driving history ...
Age
Address
Number of years licence held *
full or provisional licence
Number of No Claims years
points on licence, any previous misdemenours,
Has he ever been refused insurance or had it cancelled
They might ask if your son has access to another vehicle (that will just be a Y or N question).


Once you have entered all your details, the comparison web site will list out the quotations. You can then review the list as some offerings might offer things like a courtesy car and might only be a few quid more than one that doesn't. Some of the quotations might be from companies you've never heard of...!

SO, having made a decision on a potential candidate, you click on the offer and it will take your through to that insurance companies website where you have to verify all the data once again to check all is correct. If you are happy at that stage, you proceed to accept the insurance and pay for it.



* - I suspect this will be >10 years ...from memory they will ask for a range when it comes to number of years a licence has been held.

[Lootman]

You would need to know your son's driving history (Number of no Claims years , points on licence, any previous misdemenours.)

I usually associate the word "misdemeanour" with its American meaning i.e. a criminal conviction that falls short of being a felony.

Whereas when that word is used in the UK, it usually means some indiscretion or minor offence that does not rise to the level of a crime.

If the latter than I fail to see how or why anyone would need to reveal it? At the same time you do not want to give an insurance company any excuse to not pay out on a claim. But on what reasonable basis do they require to know whether, say, you got a fixed penalty notice for littering 10 years ago?

[monabri]

You would need to know your son's driving history (Number of no Claims years , points on licence, any previous misdemenours.)

I usually associate the word "misdemeanour" with its American meaning i.e. a criminal conviction that falls short of being a felony.

Whereas when that word is used in the UK, it usually means some indiscretion or minor offence that does not rise to the level of a crime.

If the latter than I fail to see how or why anyone would need to reveal it? At the same time you do not want to give an insurance company any excuse to not pay out on a claim. But on what reasonable basis do they require to know whether, say, you got a fixed penalty notice for littering 10 years ago?

Hastings Insurance says ..."Fixed penalty notices (FPNs) are issued to drivers who commit one of a wide range of offences, from not wearing a seatbelt, to speeding and running a red light. It's like an alternative to a court prosecution and carries a fine and often penalty points, too."

https://www.hastingsdirect.com/car-insu ... ties.shtml

If you get a fine and points then you'd have to declare it prior to taking out insurance. I'm not a lawyer so I can't really advise although points and a fine I definitely would declare. I used "misdemeanour" - I don't know what might be the correct definition... One would have to discuss this with the insurance company if there was any doubt or question.

[Lootman]

You would need to know your son's driving history (Number of no Claims years , points on licence, any previous misdemenours.)

I usually associate the word "misdemeanour" with its American meaning i.e. a criminal conviction that falls short of being a felony.

Whereas when that word is used in the UK, it usually means some indiscretion or minor offence that does not rise to the level of a crime.

If the latter than I fail to see how or why anyone would need to reveal it? At the same time you do not want to give an insurance company any excuse to not pay out on a claim. But on what reasonable basis do they require to know whether, say, you got a fixed penalty notice for littering 10 years ago?

Hastings Insurance says ..."Fixed penalty notices (FPNs) are issued to drivers who commit one of a wide range of offences, from not wearing a seatbelt, to speeding and running a red light. It's like an alternative to a court prosecution and carries a fine and often penalty points, too."

https://www.hastingsdirect.com/car-insu ... ties.shtml

If you get a fine and points then you'd have to declare it prior to taking out insurance. I'm not a lawyer so I can't really advise although points and a fine I definitely would declare. I used "misdemeanour" - I don't know what might be the correct definition... One would have to discuss this with the insurance company if there was any doubt or question.

OK, driving-related tickets I can understand. Parking tickets, not so much, nor littering or lockdown-breaking FPNs.

[monabri]

OK, driving-related tickets I can understand. Parking tickets, not so much, nor littering or lockdown-breaking FPNs.

https://www.lv.com/car-insurance/cost-of-parking-fines


"How parking fines affect your insurance
Standard parking fines don’t affect your insurance. Only parking offences that result in points being added to your driving licence will have an impact on your insurance costs. These tend to be in very serious cases, such as when a fixed penalty notice is given for leaving a vehicle in a dangerous position."

[AF62]

Try Adrian Flux.
They are good with non-standard risks.
https://www.adrianflux.co.uk/

V8

I have heard that, however it has not been my experience

Likewise.

I had heard they were good but they weren’t when I contacted them last year for a quote.

Same details neede to be provided half a dozen times to different individuals who all seemed to be working in separate teams and in the end after over an hour on the phone the best quote was treble the amount the mainstream companies were offering.

[Bouleversee]

Many thanks, Monabri. I'll get all my son's info. and crack on with the quotes tomorrow.

[DrFfybes]

What website were you on when you were doing those permutations, Paul?

www.comparethemarket.com

Bear in mind we are a bit rural, and having unusual cars keeps the premium down - it costs more to insure my "business edition" 1.6 Toyota Avensis than the Maserati it replaced.

Adding a younger named driver might help.

Paul

[Alaric]

Adding a younger named driver might help.

Up to a few years ago, it used to be that adding a female named driver could reduce a male driver's costs. That's even where you had "his" and "her" cars with exclusive use.

[Bouleversee]

All a bit daft really if they don't live with you and rarely if ever drive your car. I am female so it remains to be seen what adding my son will do to my premium. I still have no idea what to put down for the value of my elderly Honda Civic. Will have to do some googling for that.

[pje16]

Hi Bouleversee
try this
https://www.parkers.co.uk/car-valuation/

[Bouleversee]

Many thanks for that link, PJE. I just did the free valuation which is based on 180,000 miles with no optional extras. My car has only done 50,723 miles as of today. We were pretty housebound for many years until my husband's death because of his protracted illness and then came Covid and I had to shield so mileage is exceptionally low. I presume I could use a higher figure than the lowest ( Private Price £445 - £1,015; Dealer price: £1855 - £2920. Where would you pitch it? I have read that 2nd hand cars are fetching higher prices these days but I have no idea what an insurer would consider mine is worth.

I'm waiting for my son to return from holiday this afternoon to get his details and collecting together all the other facts in the meantime.

[pje16]

I would go with £1,000
It won't much difference to the insurance premium
good luck

[didds]

All a bit daft really if they don't live with you and rarely if ever drive your car.

Indeed. But its playing by "their" rules that that create themselves so...

[didds]

I have read that 2nd hand cars are fetching higher prices these days but I have no idea what an insurer would consider mine is worth.

whilst of course what an insurer thinks is up to them, nonetheless looking on something like auto trader for a similar match to your car should maybe provide a reasonable ball park figure as to its value.

[gnawsome]

How does this compare with other people's renewals recently?

So much good info above...
May I suggest that you try Quidco to get 'cash-back'
I am insuring a KIA VR7 1litre 2014 and have accepted a quote of £255 minus £35 cash-back.
Same age as yourself , stated max mileage 4000 (will be less) with a named driver male 62yo.
I run 2 cars so do this twice a year and when renewals arrive they are at ridiculous increases so am resigned to comparing.
Something I notice is that I seem to end up with an insurer that I have used before but never RENEWED with.
If you have a TESCO clubcard give them a try - they have been competitive on some occasions but never accepted a RENEWAL quote.
Seems to be a mirror image of Home & Contents ins.
A recent renewal quote was a near 50% increase so I tried Quidco and with cash-back I got a quote at about half the renewal offer.
Wondering if is some sort of 'screening' procedure to test if old'ns are still sharp enough to make them a reasonable risk.
Another watch-out
don't wait about, get your quotes while you still have adequate time. They usually stand for about a month. I do my insuring about 3 weeks before due date.
Best of luck

[pje16]

I do my insuring about 3 weeks before due date.

Agreed...... 21 days before is the optimum time to get quotes (NEVER accept a renewal without checking first)

[brightncheerful]

There may be some other reasons apart from age.

In an update on 14 July 2022, motor insurer Sabre Insurance said it "now estimates that claims inflation has reached around 12%. The increase in claims inflation applies across all of the key drivers of claims cost, including parts, labour, credit hire, paint, car values and availability, and provision of care.
"We have continued to prioritise pricing policies correctly over growing volume," it said."

I am told that since leaving the EU UK motor insurers have upped premia to reflect the rising cost and availability of parts.

Another reason is that the op's current insurer doesn't want to renew the policy so rather than refuse has quoted the substantially higher amount in the hope that the op will take her custom elsewhere. (I encountered something similar when arranging building insurance on a commercial property owned by a client. Aviva's initial estimate was ok until its question regarding the percentage of flat roof at the property was answered whereupon the premium quote shot up. In the end I arranged cover from another insurer for whom the same percentage was not an issue.

[chas49]

I have read that 2nd hand cars are fetching higher prices these days but I have no idea what an insurer would consider mine is worth.

whilst of course what an insurer thinks is up to them, nonetheless looking on something like auto trader for a similar match to your car should maybe provide a reasonable ball park figure as to its value.

If the OP is still looking for insurance, the value you put on the car won'y make much, if any, difference to the premium at that end of the market. However, in the event of a total loss claim, they would only pay the lesser of the market value and the amount you insured it for. So don't understimate the value of the car on the quote/proposal as it might limit your claim if that ever happened.