Marital status and Car insurance quote.

MrsX_2

I'm currently separated from MrX, pending divorce.

I've noticed that being single, separated or divorced as opposed to married adds around £25 to a quote.

I didn't experiment to see what would happen with the widowed box (I should be so lucky). Or the co habiting box (never again in a million years).

Interestingly, most sites don't offer separation as an option, so with them I don't pose more of a threat on the roads until I actually am divorced.

I wonder what happened in my head on that fateful day I wore the long white dress that made me such a better driver that will be stripped away when the jusdge hands me my decree absolute?

Do married men get a discount in comparison to there divorced/ separated counterparts?

lisyloo

I wonder what happened in my head on that fateful day I wore the long white dress that made me such a better driver

Well it's not a huge difference but you made a committment to someone else, so you should have a greater interest in driving carefully because it now affects someone esle if you go and kill yourself, so statistically you became more risk averse.

that will be stripped away when the jusdge hands me my decree absolute?

Nothing to lose, therefore you are less risk averse.

Do married men get a discount in comparison to there divorced/ separated counterparts?

Don't know, probably, but the effect of marriage on mens behaviour as regards risk is not necessarily the same as womens. They are allowed to differentiate/discriminate IF they can back it up with statistics (and I'm sure they could use statistics to prove their model).

You might find it hard to believe on an individual basis, and sometimes I have that problem, but statistically it's probably right.

flyingjock1

Every piece of information you put on a quote is taken into consideration by the insurer when calculating a quote. Married status will get u cheaper insurance than any other marital status as it is the least riskiest for the insurer. That goes for both sexes. Insurance companies use stats and exchange information all the time. The thinking probably being that a married person is more likely to be responsible and a safer driver but Lisyloo is correct, stats might say that but every class of driver ie young, old, male, female, married, single has good drivers and bad drivers who buck the norm.

MrsX_2

lisyloo wrote: »

Well it's not a huge difference but you made a committment to someone else, so you should have a greater interest in driving carefully because it now affects someone esle if you go and kill yourself, so statistically you became more risk averse.

Nothing to lose, therefore you are less risk averse.

Don't know, probably, but the effect of marriage on mens behaviour as regards risk is not necessarily the same as womens. They are allowed to differentiate/discriminate IF they can back it up with statistics (and I'm sure they could use statistics to prove their model).

You might find it hard to believe on an individual basis, and sometimes I have that problem, but statistically it's probably right.

Well, your points are valid, apart from the fact that we had been cohabiting for several years and already had children together. So of course the effects of my killing myself on the road (emotionally or financially) on others were no different in the 10 minutes after we were married than the 10 minutes before. So the pertinant question should not be, what is your marital status, but, do you have any financial/emotional dependants?

I would say as a woman who's husband has !!!!!!ed off to have a midlife crisis, I am more acutely aware than ever of my responsibility towards my child, so pose less of a risk as a divorced/separated mother than the smug married that I was before.

Interesting civil partnership isn't offered as an option.

Quote

Did you swear to stay married in sickness and in health?

kizzykizzywizzy

Hi Mrs X
I have just had the same problem, my insurance was cheaper with ex ( also having mid-life crisis ) on it.
I ended up going through quidco & have £75 tracked with esure & I am on the policy as seperated, I have taken him off, although technically I am still married as only have my decree nisi, so i wouldn't have been lying.
Same as you I have 2 children that I love dearly, so i'm unlikely to go & drive recklessly - they need one parent that puts them 1st!
I doubt his insurance went up even though he was "reckless" enough to have an affair & leave his wife & 2 children - but there you go!

MrsX_2

Quote wrote: »

Did you swear to stay married in sickness and in health?

No. I married in a civil ceremony in Greece, the ceromony made no reference to remaining married in sickness and in health. Though what relevance your question has I'm not sure.

MrsX_2

kizzykizzywizzy wrote: »

Hi Mrs X
I have just had the same problem, my insurance was cheaper with ex ( also having mid-life crisis ) on it.
I ended up going through quidco & have £75 tracked with esure & I am on the policy as seperated, I have taken him off, although technically I am still married as only have my decree nisi, so i wouldn't have been lying.
Same as you I have 2 children that I love dearly, so i'm unlikely to go & drive recklessly - they need one parent that puts them 1st!
I doubt his insurance went up even though he was "reckless" enough to have an affair & leave his wife & 2 children - but there you go!

I did wonder about the whole issue of the terminology "seperated". We aren't legally separated and still married, haven't even got decree nici yet.
So legally I guess married would still be correct!

lisyloo

So the pertinant question should not be, what is your marital status, but, do you have any financial/emotional dependants?

I think that's a harder and not straight foward question to answer.
I would say my husband is not dependent on me, so the answer is not clear.
Whereas marital status is clear.

I agree with your sentiment, but the fact is that marriage (and civil partnerships) is still the recognised status over and above cohabiting (which can reflect a wide degree of commitement).
Furthermore insurers do need to put people into groups to rate them fairly cheaper.
They cannot afford to analyse every individual level of commitment so they have to use statistics.
Sometimes this works in your favour (for example if you are female or not young) and other times it works against you, but I'm sure you wouldn't want to pay several hundred pounds for every quote that carries out a detailed personal analysis.
We all want to get quotes for free without any cost to ourselves so lumping people together by various characteristics is how it works. On an individual level it can be unfair but still a lot cheaper than the much costly alternatives of having private medical, pshcological assesements etc.