Car insurance premiums

Mr.Generous

My renewal premium for a 2.0 Skoda vRS 245bhp went up by about £90 this year - fully comp £297 (about I think) with Sheilas wheels. I've been with 'em 2 years. I did a compare the merecat and LV came back as £197 but with no curtesy car, and Hastings at just over £200 with one. Wife is with Hastings - when I added her policy details it went down by 10% - and her renewal went down by about £50 to a fantastic £117 (1.0 Fiesta, low miles) So im back in the sub £200 club again. Whoop Whoop!!

dunstonh

1 I passed my car driving test at the first attempt around 60 years ago and continued to drive ever since then

2 I added a full motorcycle entitlement (passed first time) some years later

3 I was a government authorised driving instructor for many years helping many pupils to pass the driving test

4 I've entered driving skill tests many times and gained certificates. In particular, the retired commandant of the Hendon Police Driving School conducted a practical driving test and awarded me top rating

5 I was registered for many years with RAC as an advanced driving instructor

6 I was a Chief Instructor with the Star Rider National Motor Cycle Training Scheme for a number of years

7 I was authorised by the UK government as an examiner for the Part 1 UK Motorcycle Test

8 I served as a voluntary community bus driver for a number of years,.authorised by my local authority

9 In all my 60 years of motoring I've never been held responsible for a motoring crash/accident

So you claim all the 9 points above make me inexperienced, full of bad habits, out of date and totally incompetent at driving properly? Yet in the decades I have been involved in car/motorcycle training, no one ever questioned my competence. On the contrary I've received awards for my skills and many complements from people as well as local press.

1 - doesn't matter for insurance pricing
2 - doesn't matter
3 - doesn't matter
4 - doesn't matter
5 - may come into play with some insurers but based on qualifications obtained
6 - doesn't matter
7 - doesn't matter
8 - doesn't matter
9 - doesn't matter

By the way, since passing my test around 60 years ago, in some years I was driving not only around the UK but also continental Europe, USA and Australia. Normally 20,000+ miles/year, but In various years I drove a total of up to about 45,000 miles. So do you consider that classes me as a useless and incompetent beginner?

Again, doesn't matter as it is all historic when you were younger and drove more.   And in each year of insurance, some of those things would have been taken into account with your car insurance.  But your circumstances are different now.

 Contrary to what you say, the pandemic has lasted significantly longer than the 1 year (2020) you are suggesting. You seem to be unaware of the fact that we are not yet fully out of the pandemic

As far as the law is concerned, nothing requires you to not drive or limit your driving. Any decision to do so is your personal choice and there are consequences for making personal decisions.

The bottom line is that you are far too focused on you whereas insurance pricing is based on the collective.   
And you're too focused on things that do not make a jot of difference to the pricing.  You may like eating a banana for breakfast but unless the insurance company ask about that, then it won't have any factor in the pricing.  

CKhalvashi

Molehusband said:

Deleted_User said:

The low annual mileage will be putting your premium up, although if that is the same as last year, then it wouldn't explain all of the increase. 

What's more likely is that you have now moved into a higher risk category. Have a look elsewhere, as different insurers target different groups.

The agent misled you with the new law - he was probably referring to the no new customer discounting, which wouldn't impact you, other than that all insurers have had to come up with new pricing structures.

Low annual mileage putting up my premium - that sounds unbelievable?

As I've not changed my insurer for many years can you or anyone else recommend the best place for me to get alternative quotes?

I drive around 40000 miles a year at the moment, around 30000 of which are in my own car and the remainder in either Sprinter or e-Vivaro vans. This is less than several years ago but gives significant experience on the roads and therefore the premiums are quite competitive. You'd be surprised how many Sprinters seem to get hit in certain places (normally the back of the loading door and panel just behind this) as the LWB versions are very different to a 'normal' car to drive, especially around corners/junctions in cities, despite drivers of them typically being experienced. The Vivaro is much nicer to drive in general and more suited to most people.

Someone driving less than my monthly mileage in a year will likely not have the same reactions and likely won't know the vehicle as well. This will be factored into the risk factors that the insurers deem to be there based on their own experience and evidence.

MSE has a guide on shopping for insurance quotes. This guide can be found by clicking here.

400ixl

Molehusband said:

unstonh said:I've approximately 60 years experience of driving with a full licence. Is that classed as "inexperienced"? 

Plenty of time to build up bad habits and get out of date with modern road/driving standards if you are only doing 3000 miles a year.You do realise that this is 2022 and not 2020?

Perhaps you should make an effort to read what I said earlier today?:

Trying to do so in a less condescending tone than your posts have been, maybe you should take the time to read what others have put.

I spent a decade working in the insurance industry on the systems that do the quotations, understanding how the actuarials work out the risks they apply to motor policies, so have a bit of a clue as to how it works.

As we have all said, you can have as many qualifications as you want, if the insurer does not know about them, or use then to calculate the risk they are entirely irrelevant. You are grouped by your demographic.

As for the pandemic, yes most of us who post on here are from the UK and don't need it explaining like we are 5 year olds. We understand it and lived it, just like you. Your renewal is for the future mileage you will drive, not what happened previously, so again the lockdown is pretty much irrelevant. You continue to do low mileage, are in an age demographic where the risk rises and as such you are quoted accordingly.

Different companies have a different approach to the demographic you are in, so you will find some cheaper than others. Go and search them out, you should never just take the renewal price as the best you will get, at any age or mileage, always test the market to prove to yourself you are getting the best deal.

Please take what you are being told at face value, no one on here is trying to put you down, its just the facts of the way insurance works when dealling with the masses.

The_Fat_Controller

I agree with @dunstonh, no matter how "qualified and competent" you think you are, LV think you are a more risky proposition as they lump you into a group.

Get yourself on comparison sites and see what is available, I found a good deal with Budget Insurance via Topcashback using their own reward portal.

I paid £141.91 for annual comprehensive insurance on a one year old Toyota Aygo and received £40 of that as cashback after three months.

Cannot complain at paying less than £2 per week at the age of 63.

The_Fat_Controller

I see @Molehusband has taken the hump, edited their OP and made the thread somewhat nonsensical.

An all too familiar situation when a member does not get the answer they were hoping for.

Thankfully someone has quoted the OP so others can get a idea of what has been going on.

dunstonh

Molehusband said:

dunstonh said:

1 - doesn't matter for insurance pricing
2 - doesn't matter
3 - doesn't matter
4 - doesn't matter
5 - may come into play with some insurers but based on qualifications obtained
6 - doesn't matter
7 - doesn't matter
8 - doesn't matter
9 - doesn't matter

Again, doesn't matter as it is all historic when you were younger and drove more.   And in each year of insurance, some of those things would have been taken into account with your car insurance.  But your circumstances are different now.

As far as the law is concerned, nothing requires you to not drive or limit your driving. Any decision to do so is your personal choice and there are consequences for making personal decisions.

The bottom line is that you are far too focused on you whereas insurance pricing is based on the collective.   
And you're too focused on things that do not make a jot of difference to the pricing.  You may like eating a banana for breakfast but unless the insurance company ask about that, then it won't have any factor in the pricing.  

That's carp.

It's not but keep kidding yourself if you wish.   You have been given correct information on this thread.

Here is the original post for those that are interested:



Some of his other bizarre and childish posts on this thread have been deleted but there are enough quotes to show what was said.