Pimped Your Ride? It could be cheaper than a regular car!

newsgroup_monkey

Despite what MSEs page about car insurance says, depending on what you do to your car and what type it is, it could actually be cheaper. Why? How? Read on!

Firstly, this may be bobbins to most people. If you have an old 1 litre Corsa or a 1.6 Diesel 66 plate Golf, this probably isn't the thread for you.
However, if you have a Subaru Impreza, a Toyota MR2 or even a Porsche Carrera, this may give you some ideas. It's also relevant for those with converted motor homes (that were originally white vans) or generally modified vehicles.

If you have an unusual car, a performance car, or simply a pimped ride, the first thing you'll need to do is join the club. I've been a member of a number of clubs. I've been a member of the MG-ZT Club, the SBMCC (self build motor caravan club) and currently the MR2 Owners Club. This is important. It will give you at least 10% off all specialist insurers (you're less of a risk if you're a member of a club). Some of these clubs are free, others are often around £10 a year.

A little bit about me? I'm in my 40s. I have a company car so my insurance is not for my regular drive. I currently have zero no claims bonus. It keeps lapsing because I have a couple of years off.

Next up, get an insurance quote for a vanilla, plain version of whatever it is you have. As an example, when I was looking to convert my van, the cheapest quote via the comparison sites I could get was from Budget. It was £700 because despite the fact that I was only going to use it to go camping, they thought I was running a hooky removal company. I joined the SBMCC who gave me loads of information. I used a company called Frank Pickles (that unfortunately no longer specialise in this, but there are other companies who can) who brought that down to £220. It was based on the fact that I had a finite period to get the van finished and registered as a motor caravan with the DVLA.

Currently, I'm driving a modified MR2. When I bought it, it was standard. Tesco charged me £250. Since I've bought it, I've done all manner of things to it - body kit, modified exhaust, induction kit, coilovers and so on. The kind of stuff that Tesco refused to quote for and the cheapest I could get on the comparison sites was around £500 (and with an asterix that they may not be able to cover it properly).

Right now, I pay £190 for that. How? Because all the mods are listed and I go through a specialist insurer. Same cover. Same excess.

Because I know that MSE will think I'm promoting a particular insurer (I'm not), I'll not say which of the following I'm with, but I'd seriously suggest that if you have a modified, pimped, or just specialist car, check these out. With many of these insurers, you may just be able to get "Classic Car" if your car is over 15 years old (honest!)

In no particular order...
Greenlight http://www.greenlightinsurance.co.uk/
Chris Knott http://chrisknott.co.uk/car_insurance.html
Adrian Flux (who will insure anything with an engine!) https://www.adrianflux.co.uk/
Prestige http://www.prestigekeepmoving.com/
Brentacre http://www.brentacre.co.uk/insurance/
Footman James http://www.footmanjames.co.uk/specialist-car-insurance
Keith Michaels https://www.keithmichaels.co.uk/specialist-car-insurance/
Performance Direct http://www.performancedirect.co.uk/car-insurance/specialist.aspx

lovinituk

I drive a 2005 Subaru Impreza WRX with the added Prodrive Performance Pack. All the specialist insurers I tried wanted silly money. In the end Admiral came out cheapest.

It would be cheaper for me insure a more powerful STi with no upgrades!