Car Insurance Solution Sought;

Seanymph

My daughter (20) has 3 years no claims in hand, another year to be gained upon completion of this year end January.

One no fault accident 15 months ago.

Her car (small, £400/year) has died, new clutch, new exhaust, fit to be scrapped.

She has chosen a Kia Sorrento - to enable her to tow a horse box.

She ran the insurance and it came up at around £800 a year with three years no claims.

She has called HER insurance now and they will not cover her, at all. Until she is 23 - on that car.

They suggested she leave the policy to run the additional six weeks rather than cancel it, or she won't get year 4 no claims, and will have only three to go onto new car.

How can she get her fourth year, yet drive her new car immediately?

Or rather more importantly can she? Because from what I can see she can't access the three years she has unless she cancels the existing - and transfers them - but then she doesn't get this year, and she is only six weeks out.

I have suggested buying ANOTHER car and running it for six weeks on the old policy, then moving to the new car - except for that I'm stumped.

Aretnap

You're right - the new insurer won't generally accept her NCD if it's being used on anther policy, so her options would seem to be

(1) Cancel the policy now, take out a new one on the new car with 3 years NCD (have you checked how big a difference this will actually make to her premium? It might not be a huge amount)

(2) Leave the policy running on the old car, manage without a car until January (if practical) and insure the new car with 4 years NCD.

(3) Buy an old banger for £500, switch the existing policy to it and drive it for 6 weeks. If she's lucky she might be able to sell it for £600 in January. Or if she's unlucky she might lose a couple of hundred on it - which might wipe out any benefit she gets from the extra NCD. She also has the added hassle of buying and selling a car.

(4) Phone the new insurance company, speak to a real person, explain the situation and ask if they'll bend the rules a little and credit her with 4 years on the new car now. The worst they can do is say no.

I'd probably try (4) before I considered the other 3 - it's free, and a lot less hassle than (2) or (3).

BykerSands

Is she ok with her licence to tow?

mrsammyp

Compare two quotations, one with three years NCB and another with four years NCB, it may not make much of a difference because the premium is likely being loaded due to a combination of her age and choice of car.

How about letting the policy run on the old car and taking out a short term policy on the new car until it has run out, then getting an annual policy on the new car based on four years?

Seanymph

Thank you all - her she will have to sort her licence for towing, but I am a named driver and can tow straight away - however as she doesn't yet have a horse trailer it's a moot point!

Her current insurance company have charged £14 to 'release' her 3 years NDC for a new policy, and will then add another 1 year at the end of January.

Her NEW insurers will take the three years happily, and 'add in' another year when it becomes free at the end of Jan.

But she has made a lot of telephone calls!