We'd like to remind Forumites to please avoid political debate on the Forum. This is to keep it a safe and useful space for MoneySaving discussions. Threads that are - or become - political in nature may be removed in line with the Forum’s rules. Thank you for your understanding.
We're aware that dates on the Forum are not currently showing correctly. Please bear with us while we get this fixed, and see Site feedback for updates.
Car Insurance cheaper without first name Mohammed

enzo88
Posts: 8 Forumite

While getting quotes I realised the insurer was quoting me about £50 more when I enter my first name (Mohammed). If I have just my Middle name (which I'm known by) and Surname then it's cheaper.
Wondering if anyone knows where I'd stand if I took out a policy in my Middle and Surname?
Would my Insurance policy be valid?
Spoke to a customer service rep who was more or less useless. Didn't give a straight Yes/No answer and said 'in the event of a claim or if you were stopped by the police it may cause an issue.'.
To be fair to him he agreed the name shouldn't affect my premium, but he wouldn't honour the cheaper price.
Wondering if anyone knows where I'd stand if I took out a policy in my Middle and Surname?
Would my Insurance policy be valid?
Spoke to a customer service rep who was more or less useless. Didn't give a straight Yes/No answer and said 'in the event of a claim or if you were stopped by the police it may cause an issue.'.
To be fair to him he agreed the name shouldn't affect my premium, but he wouldn't honour the cheaper price.
0
Comments
-
There must be something negative on one of the databases about you, so when you change name it isn't matching.
I wouldn't try taking a policy in the wrong name, if you have to claim it will give them a great reason to cancel your policy instead.Changing the world, one sarcastic comment at a time.0 -
Hi,
my first name is Mohammed too and I will try with my middle name and see if I get lower quotes. Note there was a news article earlier this year which mentioned discrimination against drivers with first name Mohammed. I am sure it is not allowed.
Regards
Ayaz0 -
Google the following and you will find plenty of articles about it:-
car insurance company discrimination against first name Mohammed
Regards
Ayaz
Regards
Ayaz0 -
Most car insurers do a credit check on you when you apply for car insurance, whether online or over the phone. It is just a footprint check and not a full credit history check. If you put in a wrong name it will not pick up the credit check, so you need to make sure you put your right name in.
In respect to claims etc, your claim would be declined if you don't give the correct information - this includes your name.
If you have a claim refused this will affect your insurance quotes going forward, it could also be seen in the worst case scenario as insurance fraud. I work in insurance and my advice to you would be to make sure that all information that you give is factually correct.0 -
Hi,
my first name is Mohammed too and I will try with my middle name and see if I get lower quotes. Note there was a news article earlier this year which mentioned discrimination against drivers with first name Mohammed. I am sure it is not allowed.
Regards
Ayaz
Yes I'm aware of the articles online, just thought they'd have fixed this by now.0 -
D_Jennings wrote: »Most car insurers do a credit check on you when you apply for car insurance, whether online or over the phone. It is just a footprint check and not a full credit history check. If you put in a wrong name it will not pick up the credit check, so you need to make sure you put your right name in.
In respect to claims etc, your claim would be declined if you don't give the correct information - this includes your name.
If you have a claim refused this will affect your insurance quotes going forward, it could also be seen in the worst case scenario as insurance fraud. I work in insurance and my advice to you would be to make sure that all information that you give is factually correct.
The bloke did mention a credit check but as I explained to him, my credit score has consistently been great for 5+ years and insurance is mainly risk based, I'd have thought using my full name would be cheaper than my middle and surname which potentially has greater risk/less of a score.
Seems discriminatory they're basing premiums on a name, which to me has absolutely nothing to do with my driving skills/credit score and whatever else excuse they want to throw.0 -
They won't be discriminating you because of your first name.
A number of factors will be built in when they can do a credit check with you. They don't get a score as they don't do a full check, just a footprint check. Other factors like how long you have lived at your property etc will also be taken into account.0 -
D_Jennings wrote: »They won't be discriminating you because of your first name.
.
We are frequently told that insurance quotations are based on statistics. Supposing it was the case that people with name A make more claims than name B, would it be legal to charge the As higher premiums, or not?This is a system account and does not represent a real person. To contact the Forum Team email forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com0 -
Clifford_Pope wrote: »We are frequently told that insurance quotations are based on statistics. Supposing it was the case that people with name A make more claims than name B, would it be legal to charge the As higher premiums, or not?
Quite simply, Yes.0 -
paddyandstumpy wrote: »Quite simply, Yes.
I dont think that's true, I used to work for a large insurer and we would often do loads of things to try & reduce a premium, name spelling never came into it. Its mostly things like post code, losses (not claims) & endorsements, value/risk, then discounts for no-claims, multi-policy and loyalty. If the algorithm charged more for an ethnic sounding name that would be unlawful discrimination and complete misuse / misunderstanding of statistics.The greatest prediction of your future is your daily actions.0
This discussion has been closed.
Confirm your email address to Create Threads and Reply

Categories
- All Categories
- 348.4K Banking & Borrowing
- 252.1K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
- 452.4K Spending & Discounts
- 241K Work, Benefits & Business
- 617.3K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
- 175.7K Life & Family
- 254.2K Travel & Transport
- 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
- 16K Discuss & Feedback
- 15.1K Coronavirus Support Boards