Automatic license to manual license caused massive increase in car insurance

mattk_180

A complaint would, in my opinion, be a waste of time. If you want to change the terms of the contract mid-term, the insurer is entitled to change their end of the deal as well and up the premium, no matter what the change is. A renegotiation involved both sides and doesn't have to be accepted.


Whether it is reasonable or not is up to you, but if you feel it is UNreasonable then just do as others said and see if you can find something else.

takman

duchess24 wrote: »

I understand that they will class me as a 'new driver' now however the policy I currently hold is for an automatic car which I have own and driven for 5 years and this is why I'm struggling to understand how they can warrant such an enormous increase on this existing policy. I could understand if I was switching to a manual vehicle but I haven't changed the vehicle etc, just the information about the license upgrade.
Just because I can now drive both transmissions, it doesn't automatically mean I have forgotten the 7 years I have been driving! Which is why the extra £375 is such an issue for me.

This sounds like a limitation of the way the system works when giving a quote. It seems that they are unable to take into account that you have experience with the automatic vehicle when you had your automatic license so all the system knows is your a new driver driving an automatic car with no experience of doing it.

But I can't believe you didn't ring them up before you passed your test to get a quote?. If you did that you could have then delayed doing the test until your current policy expired and then shopped around.

Also you haven't said how much you can get insurance for elsewhere?. Have you tried using a comparison site because you can't really complain about the price with no reference points.

molerat

The only reason I can see is if you have DOC cover as you will now be able to drive manual cars under that cover. I would consider asking them to remove that cover as there would be no change to the risk. If you have not got DOC then why did you inform them, I have never been asked what I can drive on my licence, only how long I have held it and that it covers the type of vehicle I am insuring. Next time find a proper insurer.

teddysmum

duchess24 wrote: »

I understand that they will class me as a 'new driver' now however the policy I currently hold is for an automatic car which I have own and driven for 5 years and this is why I'm struggling to understand how they can warrant such an enormous increase on this existing policy. I could understand if I was switching to a manual vehicle but I haven't changed the vehicle etc, just the information about the license upgrade.
Just because I can now drive both transmissions, it doesn't automatically mean I have forgotten the 7 years I have been driving! Which is why the extra £375 is such an issue for me.

I had assumed that you were changing to a manual car, but as you are not, as others have suggested, do complain (perhaps to the ombudsman if they don't step down).


After all, you have a full licence suitable for the car you are using and are not intending to drive a manual car ,so are not obliged to inform the insurer.

Quentin

teddysmum wrote: »

After all, you have a full licence suitable for the car you are using and are not intending to drive a manual car ,so are not obliged to inform the insurer.

This is dangerous advice. In the event of any claim the insurer can (and often does) inspect your licence.


In the case of hastings they have a policy condition that you must inform them of changes to the "status" of your driving licence.


Any breach of the policy condition does give the insurer the opportunity to cancel/void the policy and reject claims!

Kim_13

Usually automatic licence holders who upgrade to manual would expect a small rebate, if keeping their automatic car rather than changing it for a manual one.

Insurers these days generally give an inflated price for any change, as they know they'll get away with it in most cases.

Nothing to lose by complaining but what will happen in the meantime? Presumably they'll cancel the policy if you don't pay so you'll need to get some other quotes and make a decision as to whether to pay or switch.

You'll need to speak with insurers directly as online ones ask if you are provisional, full auto or full manual and how long; they wouldn't take into account your 7 years experience, as you'd have to answer full manual without being able to add the extra information.

missbiggles1

teddysmum wrote: »

I had assumed that you were changing to a manual car, but as you are not, as others have suggested, do complain (perhaps to the ombudsman if they don't step down).


After all, you have a full licence suitable for the car you are using and are not intending to drive a manual car ,so are not obliged to inform the insurer.

I was in the OP's position 9 years ago and it never occurred to me to tell the insurer as I carried on driving automatics for several years and only drove a manual when I rented abroad. I had a couple of accidents in that time, including a prosecution:o) and it wasn't an issue for either the insurer or the police. Perhaps I was lucky.

duchess24

Hi takman,

I did ring up the insurance company before taking my test-the guy I spoke with to do the renewal didn't know what the price difference would be, said it probably wouldn't make any difference to my policy and never even suggested that I would now be classed as a new driver if I passed. I didn't want to adjust my policy before taking the test as I didn't know if I would pass or not!

takman

duchess24 wrote: »

Hi takman,

I did ring up the insurance company before taking my test-the guy I spoke with to do the renewal didn't know what the price difference would be, said it probably wouldn't make any difference to my policy and never even suggested that I would now be classed as a new driver if I passed. I didn't want to adjust my policy before taking the test as I didn't know if I would pass or not!

They must have been able to give you a quote.

When my partner passed her test and she rang her insurance company they wouldn't give her a price because "insurance prices fluctuate daily". But I said to her that it could end up being thousands of pounds more so she needs to get a price out of them. So she rang them again and they gave her a quote.

But we also looked on comparison sites to find a general idea of how much it should be and her existing company turned out to be the cheapest anyway.

What I would do is look on comparison sites and see how much other companies are. If others are much cheaper then ring up your insurance company and try and use the bad information that the person gave you to be able to cancel without any fees.
It may turn out that all companies are a similar price!

duchess24

As I wasn't aware that I would be classed as a new driver (this honestly never even entered my head!) I didn't ask for a quote as I presumed it wouldn't make a difference to my current policy given that I held an automatic license and was just insuring the same vehicle. I've spoken with the FOS and they are going ahead with an investigation as they agree that the price increase is unjust. I know it's a tricky one as most people pass in a manual and are able to drive both transmissions but it's really put a downer on me passing my manual test as I feel like I've now lost 7 years of driving experience when it comes to insuring vehicles. And although it involves changing gears etc a new driver doesn't have the knowledge that an experienced driver has which I believe I possess, it's just quite frustrating!