car insurance is a rip off!

lisyloo

Your age, risk and gender (currently) are taken into account.
After December 2012 your gender will not be taken into account as that has been ruled illegal and your premiums may rise.
If your disability doesn't affect your driving I can't see how that would affect your premium directly, although indirectly being unemployed make you (as a statistical group) more risky.

Insurers have not been making huge profits for most of the past 16 years, but of course they are in business to make profits for shareholders like us.
£600 is the price for the product you want to have.
You either need to pay that OR you need to consider moving so you don't have to do as much car travel OR you need to consider the other transport options.
I don't know the nature of your disability but many disabled people can go on buses, trains, scooters or use local council services like "dial-a-ride".
We can't help more if we don't know the exact nature of your problem, but at the moment it appears as if you want to drive which is perfectly understandeable but don't want to pay the cost.
In which case you have to have a long hard look at the options.
Other non-disabled people are in exactly the same position. They may have more options than you, but that doesn't mean they want to get out of their cars any more than you do.
A long hard look means either finding the money from elsewhere, driving less or looking at the alternatives.
There are alternatives for disabled people.
Admittedly able-bodied people have more options, but it doesn't mean they actually find the process of being skint and cutting back any easier.

vaio

I'm pretty sure that increasing your premium on the grounds of disability is against the law (DDA?).

I have thought it would be a yes/no question, "are you fit to drive?" if "yes" then you get cover at the same rates as everybody else, if "no" then you don't get cover at any price

lisyloo

It shouldn't impact directly but indirectly it will have an effect.
e.g. being unemployed is higher risk and most likely the postcode you can afford to live in whilst disabled and unemployed will probably also be more costly.

I am sympathetic but I don't think it's any different to the choices that thousands of other low-paid skint people have to make.
They simply have more options that they really don't like.

pelirocco

adarajames wrote: »

Thanks for the replies

Have already added my Mum and it makes about £25 quid difference, but that's included in the £550-600ish quotes.

I understand I have to be covered for incidents involving more expensive vehicles/people etc, but it just seems so extreme! Am sure the companies are raking in huge profits at our expense!!

And would love to change my mode of transport, but unfortunetly I'm disabled and need the car or would be stuck at home unable to go anywhere at all.

For the same reason I can't change my occupation, I cannot currently work, and unless am miraculously healed (almost as likely as cheap car insruance!!) then I am unable to work. DLA is supposed to cover the additional costs of disability, but it barely covers fuel costs now, let alone maintaining a car and insuring it! And having recently moved to a property without stairs so I can go out, and paying off the costs involved in that, I am not able to move either!

Bas^*d companies that just look to their profits!

Why shouldnt a company make a profit?

_Andy_

I love the idea that insurance companies shouldn't make a profit. Brilliant. Because then there wouldn't be any and the OP wouldn't be allowed on the road. LMAO

opinions4u

Change your car to one in a cheaper insurance group.