Car insurance & factory fitted options

cammsjb

I am seeking definitive information on a motor insurance issue which has recently arison with regard to factory fitted options on brand new cars.

Is it a fact that when a brand new car is ordered by a customer from a car dealership & fitted with available options supplied & factory fitted by the car manufacturer, the options need to be itemised & declared to the insurance company as the vehicle is no longer classed as a standard vehicle as shown & described in car manufacturers glossy brochures?

This aspect of motor insurance appears to be a grey area as I have had varying answers to the question by both car dealerships & insurance companies.

Can anyone comment?

thegirlintheattic

You need to ask your insurers.

Mine (Admiral) say you have to declare all optional extras and modifications including factory fitted options.

Some companies are more laid back on optional extras.

Tilt

What options are we talking about? Factory fitted usually means that the car has a specific additions as specified in the manufacturers brochure. Most insures will have access to all new vehicle specs so they know what they are insuring. Their problems start when they come across a car which has had mods added that they can't possibly be aware of unless the policy holder informs them. Insurers are only usually interested in non-factory 'modifications' to the vehicle

forgotmyname

Most quotes i got were any extra;s not fitted from the factory.

But a couple specifically asked any extras even factory fitted ones. Err and how would i know what my 5 year old car came out of the factory with as standard and what extras the original buyer chose?

I said that and hung up. Obviously if they go into that much detail then they will be a nightmare to deal with.

Sorry we are refusing your claim because the grill under the screen had some leaves in it. You did not declare this modification/extras fitted when taking out the policy.
Also there was a CD in the stereo you failed to declare.

oscarward

When I bought me new car it had a few extras added on, the factory seemed to have built a few unordered for general stock with extra toys just prior to a facelift model coming out.

Anyway I declared them to my then current insurers churchill, my insurance was due to be renewed in a week so I asked for a renewal quote at the same time. The extras added about £120 to the quote.

So I got a quote from Direct Line who were cheaper anyway and didn't add anything on for the extras. I did try arguing with Churchill customer retention team but they wouldn't budge, obviously I'm with DL now.

No I don't understand it either.:p

InsideInsurance

As others have said, it does vary between insurers. Some optional extras are purely post production and others it is anything that isnt standard spec.

Ultimately insurance is about utmost good faith. If the questionnaire asks for answers you cannot give you either have to contact the insurer for guidance on what to do or walk away and go to another insurer that doesnt ask that question. If you knowingly take out the policy knowing you havent answered a question correctly then you are asking for problems down the line

oscarward

Not many web sites allow you to specify factory fitted extra's, presumably as there are sometimes so many differing possibilities it would be impossible.

I've given up on comparison sites

AlexisV

There is no such thing as a standard factory car. If an insurer is looking for ways to invalidate your insurance from day one with such questions, walk away.

Personally I would not declare any optional OEM factory fitted extras if I wasn't asked.

vikingaero

It varies from Insurer to Insurer. If in doubt then ask and declare it.

The premium Insurers tend to include any options, the budget end make you declare them all and charge.

The key point is a common question that Insurers ask on the lines of :

"Has the vehicle been modified from the manufacturers standard specification?"

So if you bought a Ford Focus Zetec and added the Navigation System as a Factory Fitted Option then technically it would be modified as it is no longer a bog standard Focus Zetec.