So it's time to sort myself out with insurance again - 20th January is when the renewal is due.

I'd like to say that my insurance is spotless, however having to add "3 claims" can make the process difficult. Now having 3 claims makes it sound like I'm a terrible driver, but wait - those 3 claims are really nothing:

 

1. March 2011

Notification only. No claim by me or against me. £0

 

2. January 2012

Front windscreen replaced

 

3. April 2013

Rear windscreen replaced

 

It's actually the top one that does damage to my quotes. It is so frustrating. A white van and myself had an argument. Both blamed each other, however ultimately I was trading the car in for my new one and the dealership said they would repair what little damage there was by knocking £50 off my trade-in. The guy in the van wasn't bothered about claiming, so in essence it was just notification only! Last year, mentioning this added £75 - £100 on each quote as soon as it was added.

So, car as in signature. Me:

 

38

UK License for 21 years

No motoring convictions, ever

10+ years of NCB

PE16 Postcode

 

I've had a renewal quote through for £345 - which seems about right when I start using the comparison sites. CTM had quotes starting at £230, but by the time you add in everything (Protected NCB, legal cover, etc. they come to around the same).

Question on excess. What do you guys usually go for?

My quote is based on £250 compulsory and £0 voluntary. Obviously if I increase the voluntary then I can see the quote reduce. If I'm willing to match the £250 with £250 of my own then my quote drops to around the £300 mark. Just wondered how everyone else tends to go with regards excess?

Why would you tell your insurance about something that came to nothing?

 

I usually try comparison sites and then go into their site again and do a quote and 99% of the time it will be a lot cheaper.

 

Also if you have signed up to topcashback.com you can get around £50 cash back each time you go with a company.

2012 vRs CR DSG, 12K miles/annum, protected no-claim bonus and wife as named driver (she has yet to drive the car - scared of the DSG!).  10+ years no-claim and Gloucestershire post code.  No speeding convictions since 2002.  I pay £140 with £100 total excess - legal cover is an extra £18.50.  The joy (only one!) of being 67.

Which company are you insured with?

The lowest quote on the comparison site was with "Hastings Direct". However once I'd gone tot he site, added the legal cover I like to see there, protected the NCB, guaranteed the hire car......we were within £30 of my renewal. So possible something I can ask my current insurer about (Swiftcover) as I'm sure they will drop £30 to match.

 

Longish story on the "came to nothing" situation. Me and white van driver came together. He claimed I pulled out on him, I claim I'd already started mine. He got out, we had words, he then drove off without giving me any details. So I informed my own insurance company of the situation. When the police eventually caught up with him and I had his details, he wasn't about to make a claim and as my car was about to be traded-in, the dealership said they would just knock me the "cost price" of repairs from my trade-in value. So I didn't make a claim either.

However, according to the database there is a "notification only, no claim, £0" event listed against my name which is taken into account for 5yrs - which is mental, but they have to get their money somewhere!

The AA have given me the cheapest quote this year of £240 for comprehensive cover with protected no claims on a pd140 TDI. That's with a claim back in 2009 when someone ran into the back of me in a queue of stationary traffic. I'm 45 with a clean licence in the PE12 area

Sent from my Nexus 7

When I renew I ask about the excess and how much it will reduce the premium and then do the math as the yanks say. I've found with some insurers if I increased the excess I paid the premium came down by the same amount or close to it, so opted for the higher excess lower premium as if I didn't have a claim then I'd be that much better off and if I did well then I hadn't lost anything. If you pay the extra for the lower excess its just dead money every year your giving them for free. Obviosly this goes out the window if you have more than 1 claim in 12 months but I've not had a claim ever so for me it's worth doing. HTH

I only use the comparison sites to give me an idea of who to try - then do direct to each insurer to get an actual quote.

Once I get the good looking quote, adding the extras is where it all goes wrong:

 

Legal Cover - £30

Protect your NCB - .........

 

Around the £320 mark seems as low as I can get it. Not as bad as it has been in the past, but seems higher compared to others.

Oh and last place, I entered my registration plate and it told me I had: 2011 Blackline, Diesel estate - quite how wrong that database could be is a little worrying. Other sites either get it 100% right or list it as a vRS LE.

Would have thought they would have all used the same database??

I also use the comparison sites and the cheapest quote this year for my petrol vrs was £185 with Churchill and this covers myself and my wife but she has never driven my car yet.

 

This includes protected NCB , guaranteed carhire and windscreen cover with a £200 excess in the event of any accident and I only have 5 years no claims discount due to my wife having an accident in my other car, so not to bad when you consider I have a claim against me and only 5 years no claims.

If I ain't claiming I ain't telling!

 

Have you tried Quidco's own comparison site. You have to register but I've had decent result through it. I've one no fault claim and I got fully comp for £160 this year with a £500 excess and protected NCB+legal. That included the £20 cash back through the site.

 

Worth using Quidco for other things too. I've made about £160 back this year through it.

I guess I can look into increasing the excess. At £250 right now it's at a level when you wouldn't feel too much of a kick in the stomach should you need it. Increasing to £500 would I'm sure reduce the premium some what.

Don't think I've bothered with legal cover for the last 7 or 8 years.

Had odd result last 2 years. Before that I changed almost every year.

Then 2  years ago got E-Sure as best  quote at £185 (fully comp, protected NCB, no legal cover, owner driving only, NCB from about World War 1 etc etc).

Renewal came in at £165 !   But just for fun I did the compare sites again and it was £185 again (???).

So obviously I took the renewal.  

Then this year , still no claims etc., it came in at £145. (Car's getting older of course but even so...)

So, rather than my original question on excess, maybe the question should be "Legal cover or not?"

This adds anything from £25 - £30 to the premium. I know I've never needed to use it - but cannot help feeling that the year I don't take it is the year when I actually need it!

Also, there appears to be something new (well to me) appearing as an option this time around - Substitute vehicle cover.

So apparently hire car is included if you're in an accident, however in the case of a stolen and not recovered or a total loss there would be no hire car without me adding the £27+ to my premium (at which point I get up to 21 days car hire).

I'm sure I've never seen that as an optional item in the past - that you simply had that included?

Don't think I've bothered with legal cover for the last 7 or 8 years.

I'd always take legal cover over protected NCB.

Chances are you'll not need either, but if you *do* need them then legal can be far more valuable.

I think last year after taking cashback through quidco into account I paid about £200 fully comp with business use.

Think most companies only provide a c car for an accident. You then have to hand it back once they decide formally its a write off so looks like they are just addind something else in as an option should you want it at of course extra cost to you (and more profit for them as they wouldn't be offering it otherwise)

As per the thread I posted yesterday, try Skoda's own insurance on www.skoda.co.uk. Free legal cover included and the premiums for my two Octavias will save me a small fortune over my renewal from Chris Knott and what I paid last year.

 

Without going through the details of both cars, basic profile for one car is:

 

Octavia Elegance 1.9PD TDI Estate, 08 plate

Notified of upgraded audio unit to Columbus and winter tyres

Myself at 47, 10 years NCD (protected), one claim last October for a rear screen

SWMBO at 36, no claims

YO22 postcode

Total premium £207 all in with total £100 excess, including monthly payments at no extra cost.

Last years premium £370 (though that was based on a PR4 postcode then)

 

It's certainly worth running your details through anyway.

 

Mike

Yer - did that.

I have the quote in front of me now. There is still the option to add "legal cover", so I'm not seeing where that is included.

If I set the excess to £500, twice my current insurance, I get a quote of £445 - £100 over my current renewal. Add in Legal, add in protected NCD, add in foreign travel (we go a couple of times a year, however most policies give you this as part of your premium, Skoda appear not to) and we're up to £539, some £200 over my current renewal.

So not going to be using them

The Skoda insurance I've mentioned gives a courtesy car which you can keep for 14 days after any decision to write your own car off, allowing you time to get another vehicle.

 

Mike

And I'm not seeing that either. On the Skoda insurance page it says "standard hire car" is included. However the enhanced, which indeed gives you 14 days post car write-off adds another £25 to the premium.

Pleased you're having a good deal direct with Skoda, but all these things you've got "included" appear as additional items for me and the quote is now over £560.

I did but it came in as unfavourable as Stoofa and my profile is similar to Mike's, apart from the postcode, which I guess has the biggest bearing on the price.

Just did a trial quote with Skoda UK and it came out to over £350 (with no add ons like legal expenses.)

 

I'm paying £145 with E Sure. Joke or what?

Lucky beggar. I wish I could get down to 350....

I think it's always worth trying different variables to see how it makes a difference. Obviously I wouldn't recommend lying in anyway, but adding my parents to my policy helps (I'm 35, my parents are in their early to mid-60s) even though they very rarely drive the car and don't live at the same address. Also a lot of occupations can legitmately be described different ways, and using a different description can reduce the premium. I've also found with at least one insurance company that saying my car is parked in a garage overnight is quite a bit more expensive than it being parked on the street or a driveway, which obviously does not make sense but it's true! I usually find that varying the voluntary excess only changes the premium by a few pounds. That's the advantage of using online quotations - they can often be varied easily with an instant update of the premium. Then if it's a renewal a phone call to the insurer is usually best as they can often match cheaper quotes, and/or have the ability to give an extra discount.

I'd always take legal cover over protected NCB.

 

IMO it is the other way around!

 

Legal cover, guff - just an excuse for the industry to get extra money from the motorist for questionable benefit.  I remember when I claimed from DirectLine they weren't interested in chasing the other driver through legal means, just paid for the car to be repaired and off you go.  Taking any type of legal action is expensive and outcome is always uncertain.  Useless option.

 

However, protected NCB - the only extra option I always take.  You may make a claim on your policy for no fault of your own.  I hit debris on the M6 northbound years ago - police were involved but could not locate the responsible lorry dropping nice hard metal on the motorway.  So no recovery from another party but at least my NCB was protected.

 

Another situation, my Lupo was parked behind the block of flats I was living at.  Day of severe gales (common in the UK!!!) and ridge tiles fell from four storey high onto windscreen and bonnet.  I was at work (commute by train) so luckily no-one hurt.  Thought I could claim on buildings insurance - wrong.  Needed to claim on motor insurance.  Again protected NCB saved the day otherwise I would have had a financial penalty for the following years through no fault of my own.

 

If you don't protect your NCB you need to be sure that you can claim on someone else's policy to recover your losses if you are not at fault.  For the sake of £30-ish well worth it.

 

Cheers. 

I've also found with at least one insurance company that saying my car is parked in a garage overnight is quite a bit more expensive than it being parked on the street or a driveway, which obviously does not make sense but it's true!

 

Because some insurance companies think that people who garage their car are statistically more likely to demand better quality garages for repair jobs (therefore cost them more)! (seriously)

IMO it is the other way around!

 

However, protected NCB - the only extra option I always take.  

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Me too !