Why the difference in cost of Car Insurance.

royP_2

Today received my renewal quote for my car insurance £955.00, (£406.00 last year) I am 85, no accidents etc, only drive 5000 miles approx in a year.
Used the insurance tool on this web site and the lowest few prices are in the £400.00 region.
I am tempted to use one of these quotes but never heard of the insurance company, although as it is recomended by this site perhaps it is safe.
Any comments and guidance welcome.

Mr.Generous

Take the lower quote but make sure you take legal cover and recovery with the money saved.

mebu60

Likely your current insurers have tweaked the parameters for a segment of the market they are now less keen on.

If you reveal the name(s) of the the company(ies) you are considering others may be able to offer a steer based on their experiences. 

david29dpo

Have you been with your present insurer for years?  If so they have been ripping you off. There is no loyalty staying with the same company year on year.

daveyjp

At 85 your age will now be working against you, but so will insurers trying to cash in on laziness and 'loyalty'.

I'm far from 85, last year with GA (I've been with them for about 4 years) I paid £449, renewal offer £668.  Shopping around circa £450, the cheapest being with Aviva - a company that also owns the GA brand!

Bonus for drivers is the market is very open and researching prices is now quite simple so don't be loyal.

Nobbie1967

With the lower quotes, make sure you check through the details on the insurers site as some will charge you to correct mistakes introduced when your details are transferred across. On one comparison site it gives 25 years plus as one option for how long you’ve held a licence, but some insurers copy a date of exactly 25 years ago as when you got your license. If they check, they may charge you to correct this.

born_again

royP_2 said:

Today received my renewal quote for my car insurance £955.00, (£406.00 last year) I am 85, no accidents etc, only drive 5000 miles approx in a year.
Used the insurance tool on this web site and the lowest few prices are in the £400.00 region.
I am tempted to use one of these quotes but never heard of the insurance company, although as it is recomended by this site perhaps it is safe.
Any comments and guidance welcome.

Just because a company quotes on a website. Does not mean they are recommended by them.

I suggest you scroll to the bottom of the page & read the section 

How this site works 👍

DullGreyGuy

royP_2 said:

Today received my renewal quote for my car insurance £955.00, (£406.00 last year) I am 85, no accidents etc, only drive 5000 miles approx in a year.
Used the insurance tool on this web site and the lowest few prices are in the £400.00 region.
I am tempted to use one of these quotes but never heard of the insurance company, although as it is recomended by this site perhaps it is safe.
Any comments and guidance welcome.

This site is owned by MoneySupermarket and is ultimately a for profit company. They dont "recommend", they simply present their panel of insurance sellers based on price alone. As long as you are regulated they'll happily include you in the list, there is no ethical filter or equivalent. 

Frozen_up_north

In recent times, I have been with LV, Aviva and now First Alternative (owned by esure).

The only claim I have had was with LV and they were excellent at handling the claim.

As others have mentioned, age is not on your side Roy. When I took early retirement in 2010, I incorrectly assumed my insurance would reduce, not so. I am now 71 and fully comp with motor legal protection and protected no claims, is £335. The car is a Seat Leon FR eTSI 148 BHP, with an annual mileage of 10,000.

Not only is age a consideration, but where you live and where your car is parked overnight, etc.

royP_2

I have had a quote from 1st central @£383.08 compared to LV @ £955.010.
Is it safe to pick the cheapest?

QrizB

royP_2 said:

I have had a quote from 1st central @£383.08 compared to LV @ £955.010.
Is it safe to pick the cheapest?

If all you are looking for is an entry on the MID to say you have insurance, you'll get that with the cheapest.