Car Insurance general help needed

thebadger2

Hi,

I am about to hand back my Company Car in favour of my own and a Car Allowance.

I am now searching for insurance but they all seem to be high due to a couple of claims whilst i had my Company Car, Hit by another driver and damage to the vehicle when unattended (both not my fault). The difference in premiums when i add these is £400.

The question is, do I have to state these on the Insurance Quote form, or can I leave them out as the insurance policy and the vehicle were not mine, but owned by the company i work for?

Please help, the more comments the better. Any links to related articles or sites would be much appreciated. Is there a legal stance on this?

raskazz

Yes, you do have to declare them as the qusetion asked is usually "Have YOU had any claims, accidents, fires or thefts whether fault or non-fault?". It does not restrict the answer to those incidents involving the vehicle to be insured.

The legal stance in a nutshell is that if you do not disclose the incidents to insurers, your policy is likely to be void.

thebadger2

Thanks Raskazz,

All understood, but since I did not personally make the claim does this still count? If i were to have dealt with the damage i would have not claimed as the damage was minimal.

Is there anything I can say or do that will help me get a lower premium whilst also disclosing this information?

Also, as the damage was not my fault does that entitle me to a no claims period?

So far, if i do it costs £1200 and if i don't it is only £800.

raskazz

thebadger2 wrote: »

Thanks Raskazz,

All understood, but since I did not personally make the claim does this still count? If i were to have dealt with the damage i would have not claimed as the damage was minimal.

Again, this doesn't matter as the question does not restrict the answer to fault claims. Any incidents that could have been claimed for through insurance must be disclosed, whether or not they actually were claimed for.

thebadger2 wrote: »

Is there anything I can say or do that will help me get a lower premium whilst also disclosing this information?

Not really. You might want to try getting telephone quotes rather than internet quotes, the advisor may be able to use a certain degree of discretion.

thebadger2 wrote: »

Also, as the damage was not my fault does that entitle me to a no claims period?

So far, if i do it costs £1200 and if i don't it is only £800.

Impossible to say. Each insurer will have a different attitude to giving introductory NCD for claim-free years on company cars.

jstallan

Try getting a letter from your companies fleet department showing your driving history. If the accidents weren't your fault, then the letter should state that and you might get some companies to accept the letter as NCB. I was in the same position as you last year and Lloyds TSB accepted the letter as proof of NCB - but only via a telephone deal (which meant no quidco).

One year on I now have pukka NCB that everyone accepts, so I can get a decent deal.

Good Luck

MarkyMarkD

Having a propensity to have accidents (or even damage to your vehicle) whether your fault or not is a reason for insurers to charge you more in premium. That's why you have to disclose all relevant details, and not just blameworthy accidents.

thebadger2

Thanks Jstallan, I'll try Lloyds tonight.

Does anyone know of any other insurance companies that will accept letters from companies, and in particular, are sympathetic towards claims where the driver is not at fault??

Where does damage to an unattended vehicle fit in? is that still my fault?

Thanks again guys.

Insurance_Advice

Hi the badger2

You could try Ecar Insurance, Esure and Direct Line, who are companies that will accept letters from employers.

thebadger2

Hi,

Unfortunately Llyods couldn't provide a quote below £1000.

Whilst looking about tho I have found Bell Insurance who i believe specialise in insuring the younger driver (25) and for those with no NCD.

With them they are offering a deal for £777 over a 10 month period with a bonus accelerator (i.e. 1 year NCD at the end). Is this a good deal??