Massive unexplained car insurance hike

Angreal

Hi everyone

Just renewing my car insurance and it seems to have rocketed inexplicably from 240 to 420 since January this year.

I'm getting prices in the 420 range from price comparison sites.

No change in anything, car, mileage, drivers, same age (27), address no endorsements or anything whatsoever.

Anyone have any insight into the massive increase or experienced the same please? Always expect a slight difference but it's nearly doubling!

I drive a 12 plate 3 door 1.2l corsa.
My wife is in the same situation. Massive increase, no changes either.

Certainly didn't budget for such an increase so it's stinging a bit!

Thanks

A

InsideInsurance

Depends, last year was just one insurer much cheaper than the rest or were most around £240?

Most obvious explanation if the two are you are different, are with different insurers etc but experiencing the same thing then there has been a loading on your postcode

pothole50

These days insurance seems to be all about haggling, I received mine for a classic mini gone up to £146 called them told them I had found it cheaper online and they dropped it back to £106, you will be surprised by what a phone call can do so give them a call.

robbies_gal

something must have happened near you like burglaries or car damage to a few cars?

only reason i can think of

IamNotAllowedToUseMyName

Firstly, ring them and ask them to explain what has changed from their end. The people at the other end will recognise it is a reasonable question, and if they don't know should pass it to the second line support.

robbies_gal

ian its not just one its all of them

glentoran99

spate of car crime in your area?

IamNotAllowedToUseMyName

robbies_gal wrote: »

ian its not just one its all of them

Yes, but if you contact your current insurers they can at least explain the hike. As others have suggested, it sounds like a revaluing of your area, or the car type.

You might find it worth checking with an insurance broker to see what quotes they can get - often not worth using them, but where you have a large hike they may have access to firms who take a different view.

Gloomendoom

pothole50 wrote: »

These days insurance seems to be all about haggling, I received mine for a classic mini gone up to £146 called them told them I had found it cheaper online and they dropped it back to £106, you will be surprised by what a phone call can do so give them a call.

I have been buying car insurance for over 30 years and it's always been about haggling.

dannyrst

Given that sites such as topcashback offer discounts on car insurance, sometimes as much as £140, is there any surprise quotes direct from companies are higher? All you have to do is resubmit details going via TCB and you end up paying the lower amount again.

InsideInsurance

IanMSpencer wrote: »

Yes, but if you contact your current insurers they can at least explain the hike. As others have suggested, it sounds like a revaluing of your area, or the car type.

Almost all insurers simply give a price to their call centre staff. The people you speak to are absolutely as blind as you are as to why the price is what it is - though unfortunately that doesnt stop some making something plausible sounding up to get people off the phone.

Some do have a technical team that can see a partial breakdown of the pricing elements and so they may be able to say its being driven by the car or occupation etc but even these guys dont know the reason why these things have changed. Sometimes there are more sensitive topics like credit rating, propensity modelling etc which may still be invisible to these guys and simply spread across the other factors or lumped together in a bucket of "other".

The pricing analysts, product managers, underwriters etc who actually make the decisions on pricing arent contactable by phone by the general public nor normally even your rank and file call centre people