Car Insurance - All Roads Lead to Zenith

RichTapestry

I'm puzzled.

I am doing all the searches and comparisons to renew my car insurance. I have tried to think about customer service etc., as well as price. Nearly all those that I have thought about, including Saga, M&S, and others, seem to have Zenith as their Insurance Underwriters.

In fact, 'Zenith' is my best buy on the Comparison sites, but their Trustpilot reviews are not great. But what is the advantage of paying more to a third party like Saga, (whose renewal notice was about £40 more than the Zenith quote), if the actual insurance policy is a Zenith policy?

Please can anyone unravel the puzzle?

Thanks,
Caralyn

born_again

Well if you are going via saga etc. Then it is their customer service you are dealing with and not the underwriters.

RichTapestry

Thank you. So in the event that I need to use the cover - will the Customer Service element make much difference as to whether they pay out etc.? Will it not be Zenith's decision anyway?

It seems like a heck of a top loading to the third parties.

oldagetraveller

Just an aside regarding Saga. A couple of years ago, after doing a few comparisons, Saga came up with the "best" quote.

I phoned them and went through everything except payment. I told the person, for clarity and to declare that my car has a dashcam fitted. "Oh, I need to speak to the underwriter about that." Two minutes later "We can't offer insurance because of the dashcam." "Why?" "Theft risk."
The previous year, after fitting the camera, I contacted the then insurer to declare it. "Oh, thank for letting us know, that will be a £10 rebate on your policy."
Saga - no thanks.

fimacdoodle

I work with insurance firms and I am continually trying to work out who the main player actually is. There are layers, somewhat like an onion!

Look for a decent customer service as those people will recommend what happens to the underwriter , And then they make the final decision.

I worked for some horrendous car insurance companies that I cannot name. Some of the better ones you will not find on Internet comparison sites .

AdrianC

caralyn01 wrote: »

I'm puzzled.

I am doing all the searches and comparisons to renew my car insurance. I have tried to think about customer service etc., as well as price. Nearly all those that I have thought about, including Saga, M&S, and others, seem to have Zenith as their Insurance Underwriters.

In fact, 'Zenith' is my best buy on the Comparison sites, but their Trustpilot reviews are not great. But what is the advantage of paying more to a third party like Saga, (whose renewal notice was about £40 more than the Zenith quote), if the actual insurance policy is a Zenith policy?

Please can anyone unravel the puzzle?

What's the puzzle?

Zenith have two sides to their business.
One is an underwriter, part of Markerstudy, one of the biggest underwriters around.
https://www.zenith-insurance.co.uk/
The other is a broker.
https://www.zenith-insure.com/

Are the policies identical in all ways? Unlikely.