Auto Express 7/03/07

Insurers Weigh Up Premiums

DRIVE a heavy car and you could soon be hit with a hefty hike in your insurance premium. That's the message from the industry, which is including vehicle weight in new group ratings for the first time.

Used to calculate the cost of motorists' cover, the standings are getting their first overhaul for 15 years. The Association of British Insurers (ABI) says that extra premiums on heavy cars are needed because they cause more damage to the road,

pedestrians and other motors when involved in accidents, contributing to the rising cost of claims.

The shake-up, which has also been prompted by a massive increase in the range of new vehicles and parts, is set to bump up the number of insurance groups from 20 to 50.

An ABI spokesman said: "The wider number of ratings will give cover providers more scope to fine-tune quotes, in order to better reflect modern vehicles and their

actual risk on the road." But the Association of British Drivers countered: "This is simply an excuse to increase premiums."

Insurers claimed it was too early to predict exactly how much prices could rise, as the new groupings will not come into effect for another six months. However, our table below shows some examples of the shift in ratings. Owners can visit the www.abi.gov.uk website for details on their specific model.

:eek: Unbelievable!!!

Does this look as bad as it looks???

Or is it me over reacting?? :confused:

The new car groups have already been published, there is a link in a thread on here somewhere. Some cars will be cheaper and others more expensive, most if not all the skoda range appears to have come of lightly.

You should be ok with the Fabia - quite a light car.

SWMBO's shafted then:eek: