Changing NCD question

MoneySavingUser

If someone has insurance with Firm A and has built up 8 years no claims discount

and then switches to Firm B who is offering a cheaper quote and only allows maximum no claims discount of 5 years

At renewal time when searching for new quotes and it asks how many years no claims you have do you have 9 (8 from old policy+1 year on new policy) or do you have 6(5 years carried forward from old policy + 1 this year) or 5? (I am assuming 5 as that is what it says on Firm B's renewal letter which the new insurers will want to see)

Quentin

You can say however many years for which you have a paper trail of proof.

Evilm

I think you can provide them a copy of the old certificate saying 9 and the one from the current year insurer saying 5 to prove you didn't lose it in the last year?

mikey72

You can try that, but all they want is the most recent one.
It's more likely you'll then only get the lower NCD anyway, and then spend the next month at least explaining why it wasn't an accident that caused the loss of NCD on paper.

darich

This is exactly what happened to me a couple of months ago.

I started a policy with RAC and claimed I had 9 years NCD but previous insurer, Direct Line, only offer maximum of 7years. So my renewal stated 7years NCD. I sent it to RAC stating that I had had 9 despite what renewal said.
They replied saying it wasn't acceptable and that I either had to prove 9 years or they would adjust my premium accordingly.
I phoned Direct Line and explained the situation to them and they very kindly wrote me a letter stating that I had joined them with 15years and stayed for 2 claim free years giving me a total of 17years NCD.
This was acceptable for RAC and my NCD was fully validated.

It did make me wonder though that they make a song and dance about sharing info to reduce fraud but RAC couldn't access the database to find my NCD?
They also said my premium would be adjusted - an extra £2.71 (give or take a few pence) would be deducted from my card without proof of 9years NCD as I had claimed. So that means that they give reductions beyond 7years up to 9years?
The whole thing was a bit weird but it's sorted now.

EDIT : I claimed 9years because when I did the comparison website check on RAC before taking the policy out, that was their maximum and I knew I had exceeded that.

Quentin

Out of interest RAC (really aviva) policies have some abnormal conditions worth knowing about:

1) The DOC extension is only given to the main driver and not "policyholder" (unless of course the policyholder is the main driver)

2) The car must have a valid MOT (if applicable)

3) NCD is only accepted from the main driver (irrespective of who is the policyholder)

4) NCD is only earned by the main driver.