Hey all

I just called to declare my Kenwood system with LV insurance. They didn't ask anything about the system I was putting in at all, it just counts as 'an internal modification' to them. My premium increased from £445 a year to £508 as a result. Wow.

I asked whether paying for 'internal modifications' now meant I can install what I like but, alas, I cannot. There are other 'level's of internal modifcatrion apparently, so I'd need to declare each modification.

Then I enquired about two potential changes;

To go up to 18" alloys, from 17", my 'external modification' would cost me an additional £42 a year. To remap the car (again, no questions asked about bhp, etc.) I would be hit with a whopping £138 per year on top.

I have no experience prior to this, so I'm asking you fine people - do these costs seem absolutely crazy to you?! They do to me! A 50% increase for a stereo, an inch of alloy all-round and a remap seems ludicrous!

Cheers in advance

Danny

Insurance is a licence to print money.

They obviously don't like modified cars so price accordingly.

If you want the mods, then I'd look at other insurers who are more mod friendly.

Edited 15 April, 201313 yr by cheezemonkhai

They obviously don't like modified cars so price accordingly.

If you want the mods, then I'd look at other insurers who are more mod friendly.

Any suggestions?

Hey all

I just called to declare my Kenwood system with LV insurance. They didn't ask anything about the system I was putting in at all, it just counts as 'an internal modification' to them. My premium increased from £445 a year to £508 as a result. Wow.

I asked whether paying for 'internal modifications' now meant I can install what I like but, alas, I cannot. There are other 'level's of internal modifcatrion apparently, so I'd need to declare each modification.

Then I enquired about two potential changes;

To go up to 18" alloys, from 17", my 'external modification' would cost me an additional £42 a year. To remap the car (again, no questions asked about bhp, etc.) I would be hit with a whopping £138 per year on top.

I have no experience prior to this, so I'm asking you fine people - do these costs seem absolutely crazy to you?! They do to me! A 50% increase for a stereo, an inch of alloy all-round and a remap seems ludicrous!

Cheers in advance

Danny

Most insurers are the same these days unfortunately. (I work for an Ins Broker). Better stereo, bigger wheels than standard = more theft attractive... in the current market I'm afraid most insurers will charge a pretty penny for mods. You may find some worse than others but tbh it's probably trial and error. You need to be careful which insurer you chose as if you come to claim you really really want them to be good - especially if the car is off the road. Maybe get pricings off them for any mods before you take the cover.....

Edited 15 April, 201313 yr by VRS_ROB

Most insurers are the same these days unfortunately. (I work for an Ins Broker). Better stereo, bigger wheels than standard = more theft attractive... in the current market I'm afraid most insurers will charge a pretty penny for mods. You may find some worse than others but tbh it's probably trial and error. You need to be careful which insurer you chose as if you come to claim you really really want them to be good - especially if the car is off the road. Maybe get pricings off them for any mods before you take the cover.....

Yeah, that's why I called in advance of getting the wheels and remap.

The crazy thing is, I could insure a ltd. ed. VRS for less, which includes all the mods I'm making as standard, and my insurance premium would barely differ from the amount at present.

Sickening!

Get a quote from a specialist insurer such as Adrian Flux or Brentacre, and then work out if it's worth leaving your current insurer or you might just have to wait until renewal time. It's never cheap modding a car :(

Some insurance companies are more understanding of certain modification than others. Generally speaking, any of the "mainstream" insurers either run a mile at the suggestion of any modification over standard or they charge an absolute fortune in an attempt to put you off doing the modification in the first place.

I've recently sold a modified Land Rover Discovery and when it came to renewal time each year I ended up each time with specialist insurers who (albeit charged more than a standard spec) did not load the policy too much as they understood most of the modifications were actually adding protection. That said, they were also more concerned that whatever modification was done did not increase performance at all.

You may have to either pay up the extra with your current insurer, or wait until renewal time and try lots of specialist insurers for a more bespoke quote - the actual cost from them may not be much more than a standard policy - it really is a case of ringing round lots of different places.

LV didn't charge any extra when I had my previous Octavia 1.8T 4X4 remapped but they won't quote me if I remap my current lower-powered Octavia II. But on a better note, there was no increase in premium when I fitted 17" L&K alloys in place of the original 15" alloys, nor for retrofitting cruise control followed by a full leather retrim by Seat Surgeons. Reversing sensors will likewise have no effect on premium. Confusing or what?!

Tinted windows = £200 per year additional premium with Direct Line.

I think a lot of insurance companies just don't really want to cover modified cars, no matter what the modification is.

Admiral come up cheap (for year one) and brentacre and the like will be quite good.

Those suggesting brokers who use highway, don't forget that highway is owned by LV these days.

Admiral come up cheap

There's a reason for that. Wait til you have to claim.

I've had really good service and a decent price from Greenlight. They're def mod friendly: even to the point of encouraging my wife to have a remap on the car :-) I cancelled my Swift policy as they wouldn't allow any suspension mods. Tried Admiral who were OK with lowered suspension but said. no to a new ARB. I was very pleasantly surprised by the price from Greenlight.

There's a reason for that. Wait til you have to claim.

Had an accident a couple of years ago and Admiral were as good as gold in their handling and paying for the claim!

I got charged £45 extra per year for putting Zeniths on mine.

I'm with Hastings Direct.

I am with Highway, via (Chris Knott brokers), tbh I think I am paying around £100 extra for my remap, although all the other mods have been registered over time since with no change to the policy cost or incurring admin fees. It still comes up as cheaper than some of the main players without any mods.

There's a reason for that. Wait til you have to claim.

Why? In the many years I've been with them I've not had a problem in the event of a claim. This was the case in 3 claims over the years all non fault accidents. 1 rear ender, 1 side hit whilst I was driving on the main road and whilst in a car park parked up.

Try Sky Insurance, modified insurance is less than the standard else where.

Try Sky Insurance, modified insurance is less than the standard else where.

Thanks for the recommendation, whilst this will not be the case every time, we do specialise in modified car insurance. We cover modifications on a like for like basis and we offer up to a 20% discount for Briskoda members.

http://www.skyinsura...-insurance.html

Tel: 01707 642552

Edited 16 April, 201313 yr by SkyInsurance

Thanks for the recommendation, whilst this will not be the case every time, we do specialise in modified car insurance. We cover modifications on a like for like basis and we offer up to a 20% discount for Briskoda members.

http://www.skyinsura...-insurance.html

Tel: 01707 642552

I've tried that 'quick quote' link on your website 3 times now, and it has been down every time! Does it ever work?!

My insurance runs out in October and I'll hold off modifications until then. Expect a call nearer the time (if the website isn't functioning still!)