Cut Your Car Insurance In 4 Steps Discussion Area

mrsv69

Thanks Martin for your great article and tips on saving money on car insurance :money: I just wanted to share my experiences and it's hot off the press as I've just purchased my car insurance today.

My car insurance runs out tomorrow :eek: and I'd already been sent my car insurance certificate from my present car insurer Norwich Union Direct. Don't you just love the way they do that to make you think, well why bother searching around, I have my certificate, the direct debit's set up already, sit back, relax and we'll fleece you without you moving from your comfy chair. As I hadn't got around to doing that really boring phoning every insurer on the planet thing to find a cheaper quote, I suddenly remembered this site and good job too.

Norwich Union quoted £423.36 to insure my Y Reg Corsa Interestingly last year it was half this. In the last three months of my policy I had added my husband who is a learner driver but over 30 so not a boy racer by any means. Norwich Union had been very nice and said they were happy to add him free of charge (2nd smoke screen to make you think they are nice) . :T I phoned them up today to remove my husband as he's not driving at the moment, to see if that would make the quote cheaper. Can you believe that the woman actually told me that it would make it more expensive if I took him off. Can anyone explain that?? I've been driving for 20 years, no other penalties everything squeaky clean and they say it will go up if my husband is removed - :mad: They were not going to budge or re-negotiate and I even told her that the quote online was coming up cheaper from their online site too £241.36.

I don't need you Norwich Union as I have just saved £223.50 by following Martin's tips using the link to Insuresupermarket.com. Very easy to use. I'm now insured with EasyMoney.com. Log on using the password it's already given you, no more details to fill out, just check what it's pulled through from insuresupermarket.com, pay in full (another tip from Martin to save even more) and I can print the car insurance certificate straight away. Perfect deal :wave: You can pay by direct debit, but if your insurance is due soon you have to wait to sign the forms they send you and you pay interest - so check the prices and do the sums.

Thanks again from one happy motor :rotfl:

Hope everyone else finds a good deal too

huggermugger

cas26 wrote:

My advice to anyone getting car insurance quotes, would be to use the "time saving" websites such as confused.com but to phone the insurance companies up, so that you can ask them about their policy.

Last year my sister found out the expensive way when she insured her car with elephant.com. 24hours after purchasing her car she had an electrical fault which caused a fire and consequently the car was a right off, fortunately no-one was injured.

After deciding to claim on her insurance, she was told her insurance would be terminated and she was offered a £500 settlement, this didn't even cover the cost of the insurance, let alone the car. We eventually managed to get £1500 after much time and effort, but this still left her having to find a new insurer (most were shocked that a company would terminate the policy after a total loss claim) and a higher premium, as she had now made a claim.

Worrying stuff - What was their justification for even trying this? Even if she only had Third Party Fire and Theft surely she was covered?? When I took out a policy with elephant I printed it out from the website & read through it but didn't spot anything which caused me alarm. Mind you, most contracts have "catch-all" clauses which are open to the widest possible interpretation, especially when it comes to wriggling out of paying up ... I now feel lucky I didn't have to claim _pale_

Petal_3

Hi there

Does anyone have any comments/experience re Post Office car insurance. My insurance is due for renewal shortly and I've done the confused and insuresupermarket thang - the Post Office was v cheap but I wondered about the policy?

Thanks
x

tfdodo

bodone wrote:

Gave up the company car two rears agon in April, suffered haveing to pay full price insurance in the first year ...

OK, seems a good place to say this... my other half had been on company insurance for 8 years with no claims (& I ride a bike, which doesn't count*), so when she changed jobs we actually based our car choice on low insurance. Went the full MoneySaving route for insurance, & wound up with Dial Direct [insuring with NIG] - who, to our surprise, allowed a full 8 years NCB after a letter from her company confirming she'd been insured with them and had no claims.

It seems some brokers/insurers will, and [just like girls in the song] some won't. So ask around. Needless to say, an insurer that is (otherwise) less competitive, but allows 8 years NCB, pans out much better than the opposite.
well worth asking if you're in this position.

Good luck (or "stuff the car & ride a bike ) ,
tfd

*ps why is it that bike & car NCB aren't transferable, but each still wants to know if you've bent the other ? Ah well, they're better than estate agents

Symbeaux1

I tried to get a comparison from confused .com , but they wouldnt accept ANY format of 'licence valid from' for my Mum who would be a named driver. Just kept highlighting it in red and asking for a valid date.

Aark

I got a good deal today from Lloyds TSB via Quidco, as they give £80 cashback.

I would recommend anyone following the four steps in the article also checks Quidco's selection of insurers to see if their net prices (quoted premium less cashback offered) are cheaper than Confused.com etc. can find.

Quidco's insurance section:
http://www.quidco.com/finance/general-insurance/

Explanation of cashback sites (such as Quidco):
http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/cgi-bin/viewnews.cgi?newsid1085270194,52624,
about half way down, STEP 2: Buy through a cashback site.

Indianna

Hello

Just had a couple of quotes from insuresupermarket.com and Swinton and Diva, part of the same company, came up best. Then had a phonecall from Swinton and they offered to deduct the £6.95 insurance brokerage fee which gets added onto to total when you accept the online quote.

So I've just cancelled my Admiral Policy for £253.65 on taken Swinton at £203.66. £50 left to spend on me )

Indianna

Petal_3

Hi all

My renewal quote from Churchills = £334.90. Quote from The Post Office = £231.64 less £50 postal orders = £181.64 and as I went thru Topcashback I'm hoping for another £45 off = £136.64 for a year's fully comp insurance!

Goodbye Churchills! :wave:

$17mma

I got my renewal through last week for £506.10 from Tesco and went onto the Insure sight that Martin suggested and got a quote for £370.01!!! fully comp with NCP and Legal cover!!

So going to save the saving of £130 for my annual road tax when it is due.

Goodbye Tesco!!!

davidt_3

We had an old, cheap second car to use through the winter when our Morris Minor was in hibernation. Tried insuresupermarket and was quoted around £190, Third party, fire & theft for a 1993 Citroen Xantia 1.9 diesel, valued about £400.

Tried our classic car insurance company, Firebond who could insure is as a classic @ £130 per year!

So...classic car insurance isn't just for E-Type Jags and the like, it can save money if you have an older second car.

There are a few BUTS:

You don't build up no claims bonus on classic policies
For most, the car has to be garaged or kept on a drive
You need the use of another car
They may ask you if you're a member of an owner's club, but...they (ahem) never ask for a membership number....

ALSO:
Many of these insurers offer cheap breakdown cover as an add on.

There are loads of classic car insurers...in my experience online quotation systems don't always work as the field is very large, but google around and call a few.

Hope this helps someone.