Van insurance issue

Satjohn

Wonder if anyone has come across this problem??
On Friday I changed my contract hire ford transit 64 plate for a new 66 plate on finance lease. Rang the insurance company to switch the policy from old van to new van on a policy taken out in November for £491.( No claims or endorsement have been changed since this date and the last accident claim was actually with a previous insurance company) My insurance company declined to insure the van and immediately issued a refund without cancellation fee. I then spent five hours going through the comparison sites and ringing brokers trying to get the van covered. Very few companies were prepared to quote but couldn't say why???? The ones that did came in with premiums of between £1200 and £1700. By the end of the day I had stared running quotes on various other models of the transit range right up to the Custom sport model ( £5k more and far more powerful van ) and the quotes dropped back down to the £500 mark. The next van up from mine with the higher weight loading and slightly more powerful engine also comes in at £500 mark???
I have tried in vain to explain to the brokers and insurance companies of the strange situation but they seem to have a computer says no mentality even the ones who actually acknowledge that it's strange!!! Ford have extended their delivery cover until next Friday to give time to hopefully resolve the issues.. Anyone any ideas???

Mr.Generous

I wonder if the reg is not yet on the insurance database so it defaults to a stupid high premium just in case... Try getting quotes without the actual reg but using correct vehicle / engine / trim level.

Satjohn

Thanks, have tried that but it make no difference and when you ring the insurance companies they always take the reg number anyway and cross check it. Only More than couldn't find the van from its number plate and even they came back with £1200 after entering it manually.

dacouch

Is it a brand new model that Insurers have not calculated a group for yet?

Or by any chance does it have more than 3 seats

Satjohn

It is a newish model but has been out about 6 months as has the 290 version that doesn't have the same problem. Standard Ford transit van with 3 seats in the front cabin. Hardly any different than the van that was returned. New ad blu tcdi engine is about the only difference. Also Ford tell me no one else seems to have had a problem insuring it although they do admit it isn't listed in Ford insurance database but the 290 is?

dacouch

See if it's listed here and if so when it was grouped (If it's recently not all Insurers will have the data yet)

http://www.thatcham.org/what-we-do/group-rating/vehicle-ratings-public-access

Satjohn

Thanks for that, no it's not listed there however the 290 version is listed on there?? Must be something to do with that I guess don't know who to speak to to resolve the situation though???

dacouch

Satjohn wrote: »

Thanks for that, no it's not listed there however the 290 version is listed on there?? Must be something to do with that I guess don't know who to speak to to resolve the situation though???

That's the reason your quotes are so expensive, basically most of the Insurers do not have a group for it so are not quoting.

You may find if you use a local broker (Avoid Swintons) that they're able to persuade an Insurer to allow them to input it as the 290 that is grouped.

You won't have a problem when you go to insure it next year as the vehicle will be grouped

Satjohn

Thanks for that, that would certainly tally with what I'm finding... hopefully one of the 5 brokers looking into it today can sort it out. Isn't it shocking that out of the countless people I spoke to involved in the insurance business on Friday that none of them could come to the conclusions we have so far!! Expertise in a trade and customer service is obviously dead!!
Will update after today when I finally resolve in case anyone else has this issue.

Herzlos

Will Ford insure it?

Satjohn

The dealer says Ford will insure it but it would be very expensive!!