Cut Your Car Insurance In 4 Steps Discussion Area

almillar

Hi Martin, it's that time of year again when i trawl the net to squeeze out the best car insurance price, I'm well practiced at it. But I have a small correction for your updated article. In the screenscraper section you give special mention to Northern Ireland saying that the screenscrapers don't work for here. I used all 4 and got a good number of results. I'm 27 and have a group 14 car, so I'd say I'm pretty hard to insure, but perhaps you could just say 'many insurers don't quote for NI, but give it a go anyway' and leave in the special NI insurance link? I'd hate for people here to be put off trying it thinking they'll get nothing. My insurance is down £100 so far and that's only after the screenscrapers! (Tesco Value btw)

Thanks!
Alan

jedeye

Does anyone know if it's legal?

I've got a car which is registered and owned under my name. The main driver of the car though is my wife who drives probably 95% of the time. I've named my wife as the main driver but when the terms and conditions came it said my wife name and a comment about being the registered and legal owner of the car.

Do I have to change the first named driver to my name? It makes a difference of 45 pounds in doing so!

jedeye

janh_2

Can anyone recommend a good company to quote for a main driver aged 55 and a learner aged 22? Car is a 99 Toyota Corolla estate. Current quote (Asda) for next 12 months is £400, for drivers aged 55 & 56, but 56-yr-old has unsettled no-fault claim hanging and they wanted £90 to add 22-yr-old for 6 weeks until renewal; so we thought we'd look for new quote and leave 56-yr-old liability out of it!

Hanging no-fault claim is through Tesco (3rd party was uninsured, Tesco are pursuing) so neither of those will do.

TIA!

Jason76

It really pays to shop around online as you can save as much as $1,500 (£800) on auto insurance. Of course, the downside of shopping around on your own is that it takes time, so that's why you should consider contacting and independent agent.

memsquared

EmberJDIns wrote: »

It's a sad state of affairs when the clamour for new customers seems more important than giving the best deal for loyal ones.

Here's the difference, go direct and you're a customer, deal through a Insurance Broker and you're a client.

Would suggest you write to their Chief Executive.

Thank you for your advice. I hope that our experience is helpful to others.I know Martin says somewhere on the site to try as a new customer but I had no idea it would be such a big difference. I am writing to the chief exec.

memsquared

harryhound wrote: »

I think you have an over developed sense of morality. Direct line made you an offer each year and you accepted it.
Virtually all companies treat their "loyal" (sleeping) customers like this, complete with inertia selling techniques, like getting a direct debit off you so you never get a round tuit, when renewal time comes around. This web site plugs a diary reminder service that will send you an Email in an attempt to to wake you up.
We live in "rip off" Britain, because of people who do not challenge the prices they are quoted. Just talk to someone from the hard working sector of the migrant community; when money really matters the peasants get clever.

Harry.

Thinks: Watch out for low interest periods on borrowing. High interest rates until (say) Xmas (when you are busy) on savings. Difficult to hit dates before automatic renewal of say book clubs. Falling prices that do not get passed on by utility companies. Magazine subscriptions. Bank account charges etc. etc.
Companies employ teams of people whose job it is to make contracts so complex that you cannot choose the right one and so buy on some spurious factor (eg mobile phone companies); Welcome to the real world where "marketing" departments have high powered computer systems to model consumer behaviour (and so do tax raising governments); remember their job is to "extract the maximum number of feathers with the minimum amount of squawking" as you get plucked.
That said, the cheapest is not always the best or even adequate - you only know how good an insurance company is, when you make a claim.
You have probably done the right thing sticking with (as I remember) a good company like Direct Line as long as they are not more than 5% more expensive than the cheapest offer, unless you are on 3rd party only.[/quote

Overdeveloped? I think not- just a normal sense of morality which is what this site is all about. Martin has campaigned about similar issues eg banks not notifying loyal customers of better rates in their other accounts etc. I thought it would be quite reasonable that Direct Line would reward loyalty - lots of companies do that. They could even pay for it out of all the money they save in not having to open new accounts for existing customers - which took a lot of time and effort. Thank-you for the advice, I will try not to get plucked in future but meanwhile I intend to squawk loudly in the ear of the chief exec.

harryhound

Good for you, join the club.

[National Power have an annual contract with a deferred rebate and several credit cards have a cash back scheme every 12 months ie if you stay with them for at least a year, and you don't mess them about, they will give you some money back]

Harry.

(For determination I would recommend the "EagerLearner" rental deposit thread:
Dear Lord, give me the determination to fight injustice whenever I can, endurance in the face of oppression if I cannot correct it and the wisdom to know which is which )

Sallye

hi, wonder if anyone has any tips... tried confused.com and moneysupermarket.com.... my 17 yr old son is looking for 1st car insurance third party fire and theft possibly for R reg fiesta 1.2, can't believe cheapest quote is £1438! more than possible cost of the car

maclean2

Try ecarinsurance and quinndirect.
Investigate saving with pass plus certificate.

Best of luck.

MacBoy

Went through the steps (via the helpsite link) and not only saved £92 over my present insurer's renewal quote, but the voluntary excess was reduced by £250 too!

PLUS, as the new quote is with MoreThan, it can go via Quidco for an extra £75 cashback. That's £167 for about an hour's work - thank you Martin & Co!

Mac