NCB after having no car for a while

JimmyTheWig

Hi,

Our car is getting on and getting to that point where we are spending out lots of money on it.

We can't really afford a new one.

Thinking through the possibilities of going car-less for a while.


What happens with your No Claims Bonus if you do this and then get a car in a while. I've got around 13 years NCB. If we sold the car and cancelled the insurance policy (will hopefully get something back for the remaining term, but who knows) what happens if we buy a car in, say, 6 months time. Can I insure it with 13 years NCB?


Thanks,

Jim

scheming_gypsy

you lose your NCD after about two years with no insurance, so 6 months will be fine.

soup

the 13 yrs makes no odds. 9 is the maximum that will count with some companies, Axa for instance.
Most take 5 as a max. So 13 or 33 makes no difference.

JimmyTheWig

That's promising if you keep it for 2 years.
May be worth an experiment.

Does anyone know if the 2 year rule is across the board or just with some insurers? Is there an officialbody who I could ask? How would I enter this (and would it make any difference) on comparrison websites in, say, 6 months time?

Gloomendoom

JimmyTheWig wrote: »

That's promising if you keep it for 2 years.
May be worth an experiment.

Does anyone know if the 2 year rule is across the board or just with some insurers? Is there an officialbody who I could ask? How would I enter this (and would it make any difference) on comparrison websites in, say, 6 months time?

You just keep your old renewal notice as proof of no claims and enter the 13 years in the relevant box when you get a quote.

I went car-less for nearly two years and had no trouble keeping my discount when I bought another one.

Getting rid of the car does take some getting used to. For the first couple of weeks I felt like someone had cut my legs off, but I soon adapted.

LilB_3

JimmyTheWig wrote: »

That's promising if you keep it for 2 years.
May be worth an experiment.

Does anyone know if the 2 year rule is across the board or just with some insurers? Is there an officialbody who I could ask? How would I enter this (and would it make any difference) on comparrison websites in, say, 6 months time?

I didn't use my NC for a year. I re-insured my car and they (The Co-Operative) sent me a letter asking why I hadn't used them, I explained and haven't heard from them since.

Not all insurers will let you keep you NC for 2 years, some are a year and others 3 years - it depends who you were with.

Ring your insurer and see what their policy is.

scheming_gypsy

JimmyTheWig wrote: »

That's promising if you keep it for 2 years.
May be worth an experiment.

Does anyone know if the 2 year rule is across the board or just with some insurers? Is there an officialbody who I could ask? How would I enter this (and would it make any difference) on comparrison websites in, say, 6 months time?

Swiftcover is 1 year, which means i'll have to use my other policy when this one expires unless i can get a second car in time.

Bongles

LilB wrote: »

Not all insurers will let you keep you NC for 2 years, some are a year and others 3 years - it depends who you were with.

How can it depend on who your old insurance company was? The amount of NCD you had built up when you left them and went carless for a bit is a matter of historical fact.

When you get a car again some time later, I can imagine your new insurance company might have its own policy on how long a gap they accept before they decide your previous NCD is worthless, but what has it got to do with the insurance company you used previously?

JimmyTheWig

I agree with Bongles that I would have thought it was up to the new company.
Which makes it harder to decide what to do if they all have different opinions.

LilB_3

Bongles wrote: »

How can it depend on who your old insurance company was? The amount of NCD you had built up when you left them and went carless for a bit is a matter of historical fact.

When you get a car again some time later, I can imagine your new insurance company might have its own policy on how long a gap they accept before they decide your previous NCD is worthless, but what has it got to do with the insurance company you used previously?

I'm assuming it's because they have the proof? From personal experience this was the case when using my NCB after a year.

However, do bare in mind that I cancelled my policy and reopened it with the same insurer - it may be different if you were not to do as I did but like I said, it's probably best to phone your insurer.

dzug1

JimmyTheWig wrote: »

That's promising if you keep it for 2 years.
May be worth an experiment.

Does anyone know if the 2 year rule is across the board or just with some insurers? Is there an officialbody who I could ask? How would I enter this (and would it make any difference) on comparrison websites in, say, 6 months time?

Two years is the rule in most companies - one or two might allow 3. Liverpool Victoria was one of them, but that was some time back so it could have changed.