Car insurance has more than doubled, circumstances the same, what is happening?

maman

Perhaps someone can shed light on why my car insurance has increased by 96% this year.

When I got my renewal quote in April I questioned it. Someone reversed into my car in a car park in March. There was no claim. I had the minimal damage (cracked light fitting) fixed at my own expense. There was no damage to the other car but I was told there was a rule where he had 3 months to make a claim and if I paid, they would review when the 3 months were up. He didn't claim, they reviewed and decided there was no change. 

When I speak to call handlers they just tell me the premiums are calculated by underwriters and the information is commercially sensitive. It's the same car, same drivers, broadly similar mileage and I'm not aware of any changes in crime in my area. I'm concerned like OP that they are using some spurious information about me to calculate the premium but can't challenge because of the secrecy. 

I just feel ripped off. ☹️

tifo

maman said:

Perhaps someone can shed light on why my car insurance has increased by 96% this year.

When I got my renewal quote in April I questioned it. Someone reversed into my car in a car park in March. There was no claim. I had the minimal damage (cracked light fitting) fixed at my own expense. There was no damage to the other car but I was told there was a rule where he had 3 months to make a claim and if I paid, they would review when the 3 months were up. He didn't claim, they reviewed and decided there was no change. 

When I speak to call handlers they just tell me the premiums are calculated by underwriters and the information is commercially sensitive. It's the same car, same drivers, broadly similar mileage and I'm not aware of any changes in crime in my area. I'm concerned like OP that they are using some spurious information about me to calculate the premium but can't challenge because of the secrecy. 

I just feel ripped off. ☹️

I assume you informed your insurer, so technically you had a accident/claim which you have to declare for 3 - 5 years regardless of whether the insurer paid out. Even if you informed them 'for information' only.

Insurers use everything they can to put the price up.

tifo

As an example, if a named driver has an accident whilst they're driving then both the policyholder and they have to declare the accident and insurers will increase premiums for both. The policyholder has to declare it because the claim was on their policy even though they were not driving.

I found the above out a few years when I added my partner to my policy as a named driver but she'd had an accident on her own policy by her named driver. I didn't declare the accident as she'd not been driving (I didn't know I had to). The payout by her insurer had been £0 as it was a non fault accident and all costs recovered. My insurer came back to me within 14 days and said i'd not declared her accident. They added £50 to the policy.

tifo

Another example, I had a non fault accident some years ago and initially took my car to the insurer's recommended garage for a repair quote. I then decided to deal with it independently so had my own engineer report done and solicitor instructed. I told my insurer that such and such are dealing with it. They said fine.

Some years later an insurer added about £30 to my policy saying i'd had a claim which paid out. I said yes, it's declared as non fault and all costs were recovered. I then found out that my insurer at the time had paid £69 to their recommended garage, whom they'd asked me to go to, for the damage inspection but they'd not sent it to me to claim through my solicitors. So it stands as a claim with a payout.

DullGreyGuy

tifo said:
My insurer came back to me within 14 days and said i'd not declared her accident. They added £50 to the policy.

How much of that £50 was the admin fee though? 

tifo said:

Some years later an insurer added about £30 to my policy saying i'd had a claim which paid out. I said yes, it's declared as non fault and all costs were recovered. I then found out that my insurer at the time had paid £69 to their recommended garage, whom they'd asked me to go to, for the damage inspection but they'd not sent it to me to claim through my solicitors. So it stands as a claim with a payout.

There would be questions as to how the conversations went when you saying you were withdrawing the claim as to if they should have either warned you about this or written it off. Insurers moderately often have small tail bits of fees that arent recovered in non-fault claims but they are normally ignored and closed non-fault anyway.

tifo

DullGreyGuy said:

tifo said:
My insurer came back to me within 14 days and said i'd not declared her accident. They added £50 to the policy.

How much of that £50 was the admin fee though? 

tifo said:

Some years later an insurer added about £30 to my policy saying i'd had a claim which paid out. I said yes, it's declared as non fault and all costs were recovered. I then found out that my insurer at the time had paid £69 to their recommended garage, whom they'd asked me to go to, for the damage inspection but they'd not sent it to me to claim through my solicitors. So it stands as a claim with a payout.

There would be questions as to how the conversations went when you saying you were withdrawing the claim as to if they should have either warned you about this or written it off. Insurers moderately often have small tail bits of fees that arent recovered in non-fault claims but they are normally ignored and closed non-fault anyway.

"How much of that £50 was the admin fee though".

It was all an increase in premium as far as i'm concerned. Admin fees are included in the quotes we get.

"There would be questions as to how the conversations went when you saying you were withdrawing the claim as to if they should have either warned you about this or written it off. Insurers moderately often have small tail bits of fees that arent recovered in non-fault claims but they are normally ignored and closed non-fault anyway".

I didn't withdraw the claim, i just didn't get my insurer to deal with it, my solicitor recovered all heads of claims. There was only vehicle damage and our engineer report. My insurer didn't tell me about the £69 they paid for the damage inspection at their recommended garage. It was the next insurer who added the £30. In their schedule documents it gave amounts paid for both the claims I highlighted, £0 for my partner's claim and £69 for mine.

For the add ons I mentioned, these are different insurers by the way in different years, not the same insurer.

DullGreyGuy

tifo said:

DullGreyGuy said:

tifo said:
My insurer came back to me within 14 days and said i'd not declared her accident. They added £50 to the policy.

How much of that £50 was the admin fee though? 

tifo said:

Some years later an insurer added about £30 to my policy saying i'd had a claim which paid out. I said yes, it's declared as non fault and all costs were recovered. I then found out that my insurer at the time had paid £69 to their recommended garage, whom they'd asked me to go to, for the damage inspection but they'd not sent it to me to claim through my solicitors. So it stands as a claim with a payout.

There would be questions as to how the conversations went when you saying you were withdrawing the claim as to if they should have either warned you about this or written it off. Insurers moderately often have small tail bits of fees that arent recovered in non-fault claims but they are normally ignored and closed non-fault anyway.

"How much of that £50 was the admin fee though".

It was all an increase in premium as far as i'm concerned. Admin fees are included in the quotes we get.

Most insurers have a discrete fee for making changes or cancellations. Historically they were allowed to say its all additional premiums but these days they are required to state what is AP and what is fees if asked (some do it even if not asked).

tifo said:
I didn't withdraw the claim, i just didn't get my insurer to deal with it, my solicitor recovered all heads of claims. There was only vehicle damage and our engineer report. My insurer didn't tell me about the £69 they paid for the damage inspection at their recommended garage. It was the next insurer who added the £30. In their schedule documents it gave amounts paid for both the claims I highlighted, £0 for my partner's claim and £69 for mine.

For the add ons I mentioned, these are different insurers by the way in different years, not the same insurer.

You must have registered the claim because the insurer arranged the damage inspection fee and given you didnt continue to claim from your insurance by default you withdrew the claim from them. You may not have bothered to tell them that you wouldnt be continuing with them but going via your solicitor but ultimately it'd be closed as a withdrawn claim 

tifo

DullGreyGuy said:

You must have registered the claim because the insurer arranged the damage inspection fee and given you didnt continue to claim from your insurance by default you withdrew the claim from them. You may not have bothered to tell them that you wouldnt be continuing with them but going via your solicitor but ultimately it'd be closed as a withdrawn claim 

Obviously when there is an accident the insurer has to be told. The other party was claiming their damage from me. They reversed out onto a road, facing oncoming traffic, cut into my way and hit my car as I was passing.  

I did tell my insurer, that i'm passing it to my own solicitor to deal with. The other insurer wouldn't speak with me as the other party, said we'll only deal with a solicitor.

Anyway, this thread isn't about my claims, i only posted about what insurers do.

dcfc67

i paid £360 last year, renewal came in at £610. Called them and they wouldn't budge on price. Staff even rude and hung up on me. 

Used a price comparison site and like for like quote was £560 plus cashback from TCB

DullGreyGuy

dcfc67 said:

Used a price comparison site and like for like quote was £560 plus cashback from TCB

Like for Like provider or similar policy but problematic provider?