Car insurance

slimtim · 03 February 2006, 18:52

I have just bought myself my first car. Its a VW 1.9 TDI golf. Now I've been phoning around loads of insurance companies trying to haggle, but non of them are having any of it. So many people have told me that insurance companies are willing to reduce premiums if you threaten to take your money else where, but every one has bluntly refused to price match.

My best quote is £536.99 from norwich union with an excess of £470

and 3rd party cover while towing a trailer for the trailer only (not the boat) and only if it stays attached to the car.

I have tried tescos, directline and elaphant. Can anyone else recommend any good insurance companies that also provide good cover for a trailer? Does anyone have any experience with norwich union? Are they any good?

Thanks

codprawn · 03 February 2006, 19:09

Try Taylor Price and co

http://www.directchoice.co.uk/

Don't do it online and tell them you had a quote say £100 cheaper or something. They are great for young drivers or high performance cars. Saved me a fortune over the years.

Hugh Jardon · 03 February 2006, 19:17

are they any good for old feckers with old bangers?

Quote:

Originally Posted by codprawn

Try Taylor Price and co

http://www.directchoice.co.uk/

Don't do it online and tell them you had a quote say £100 cheaper or something. They are great for young drivers or high performance cars. Saved me a fortune over the years.

tim
for insurance the best thing you can do is just sit there with the yellow pages and call each and every company, is a boring job but you might well save yourself a lot of money, also search the web, keep looking. it is amazing how you will get lots of similar quotes then hit one that is quite a lot cheaper. i had been paying some 300 plus for my 1000cc bike then this last year i did a lot of phoning around and hit an insurer that will do it fir 115 quid full comp etc, now all of my friends are with them..

spend the time and phone as many as you can......

try not to go with insurance companies who need locks and alarms etc or ask how much the insurance is without an alarm!!!! sometimes an alarm might only save 5 -10 quid but to fit one would cost you a lot more and also if the insurance can prove the alarm did not work properly when the car was stolen they can wriggle and you dont want that !!

declare the minimum security to the insurance company but ensure your car security is at max. for some ages or types of car then you just need to have some of the imobilisers/alarms fitted and no way out of it. I have alarms/locks etc but i dont declare it!!

Poly · 03 February 2006, 19:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by slimtim

I have just bought myself my first car. Its a VW 1.9 TDI golf.

My best quote is £536.99 from norwich union with an excess of £470

To be honest Tim, I would have thought this is about right if you don't have a no-claims bonus, and for a 1.9 TDI. Especially if you are quite young.
(I assume this is comprehensive cover).

Quote:

Originally Posted by slimtim

So many people have told me that insurance companies are willing to reduce premiums if you threaten to take your money else where, but every one has bluntly refused to price match.

I work the opposite principal - if you don't give me your best price first time I don't use you.

Quote:

Originally Posted by slimtim

3rd party cover while towing a trailer for the trailer only (not the boat) and only if it stays attached to the car.

Your boat (and trailer) should normally be covered under its own insurance, not the cars. The third party cover is in case the trailer causes and accident or injury. I think that what you are describing here is a reasonably normal arrangement.

Its not what you want to hear - but Direct Line/Norwich Union Direct/Tescos are usually reasonably competitive - there might be people like those that Codprawn is suggesting who are specialists in some of the "higher risk" categories of driver/car.

slimtim · 03 February 2006, 20:01

thanks for the tips chaps.

cod, i will check that out thanks.

Chris, the car comes with an alarm...u reckon I should not declare it and pay a bit more on the basis that they have no way of wiggling out of a claim?

Polwart, you are right, i think that price is not bad, but I'm always up for a haggle

Some friends of mine have negotiated cheaper insurance. I don't have a no claims bonus but I have been driving as a named driver (under norwich union) for nearly 6 years without a claim...but that doesn't make any difference

Norwich union do a bonus accelerator policy which is for 9 months at £413 and I get a full years no claims at the end of it. 1 years no claims apparently gives me a 50% discount, so that seems like a worthwhile thing to do. Month for month, I end up paying a tenner more with the 9 month policy than with the 12 month.

Thanks for the help.

MikeCC · 03 February 2006, 20:25

I recall that Adrian Flux always used to do good deals for more interesting risks. www.adrianflux.co.uk

Re Norwich Union - competitive but bizarrely I renewed my policy through AA Insurance and got a better price - for the same NU policy! Strangest bit was after I had a write off and got a replacement vehicle.They actually gave me a small refund because the car was a lower rate. (Which reminds me - watch out for policies that are voided after a total loss claim - a small print nasty)

However, NU claims process was complete crap - eg the 'formal' offer for the write-off was from a bloke on a mobile! Took them weeks to settle, nil communication and then they argued the toss over £120 extra car hire.

I'm surprised your record as a named driver doesn't help though. I had the same thing when I switched from a company car and got some no claims without any trouble.

But I do remember the pain of first insurance premiums . . .

Louise · 03 February 2006, 20:32

Tim, here's a sure fire way to get a lower insurance quote: http://www.sexchangecenter.com

But seriously, are you sure they will offer you a 50% reduction with just one year NCB? That's not the experience I've had.

One other thing - in my and Richard's experience, Norwich Union are very competitive for your first year with them but then ratchet up the cost when you get your renewal quote. If you do go with them, bear this in mind come renewal time, and also I would check that other competitive companies will honour NU's Bonus Accelerator and give you 1 year NCB if you decide to switch insurer after a year.

Hugh Jardon · 03 February 2006, 20:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by slimtim

Chris, the car comes with an alarm...u reckon I should not declare it and pay a bit more on the basis that they have no way of wiggling out of a claim?

if it was me i would ask what difference an alarm makes to the quote, if only 5 or 10 quid or a small amount then i would insure without the alarm.......because..........if you insure and declare the alarm and they make it a condition of the insurance and it goes faulty then you will have to get it fixed immediately or they have the opportunity to wiggle if the unfortunate happened, remember the alarm must work and must be put on at all times etc...

all my view and what i do, on my cars they come with imobilisers and alarms as standard so i dont do anything there....its on the bikes that i take this approach.....it is just regarding aftermarket items.....

Nasher · 03 February 2006, 20:48

Tim

Different circumstances I know but every year I phone around and nobody can ever beat my renewal quote from Priviledge.

I started using them when I swapped a BMW 325 for a Grey import Twin turbo subaru Legacy, and the company I was with at the time trebbled my fully comp premium. The BMW was a Group 16 the Subaru a group 20.

Priviledge insured the 2 year old imported Subaru for less than the 6 year old BMW.

Nasher.

Hugh Jardon · 03 February 2006, 20:51

i too have been with priviledge for years and no-one comes close at renewal for either car, plus i insure them for business use as well, however they were originally aimed at expensive or hi group rated cars, not sure what their target market is these days.....

it is important to remember that insurance companies tend to target certain types of people at different times.

and as mentioned earlier watch for cheap quotes initially then creeping premiums!

slimtim · 03 February 2006, 21:12

Thanks again people, all very helpful

Louise, this is from the norwich site:

Rapid bonus is a comprehensive car policy exclusive to young drivers.

We know that as a young driver, finding affordable insurance is not easy, especially if you have very little or nil No Claim Discount (NCD).

Rapid Bonus is a fast track NCD policy specifically designed for safe young drivers. It covers 9 months instead of 12 which means you receive the equivalent of 1 years NCD after just 9 months (at least 50% discount), providing you do not make an at fault claim in that period.

This means you could gain full NCD in 15 months less than normal. It also means you get a smaller premium to manage (9 months as opposed to 12).

I'm now a little worried that they might hike up my price, but then I should have a no claims so they would only have reason to lower it? I did think about whether the "years" no claim from the accelerator policy would be accepted by other companies and to be honest, I have no idea!

I'll tyr the Priviledge people and look into the alarm thing.

Cheers!

Louise · 03 February 2006, 21:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by slimtim

(at least 50% discount)

Cool! I looked at the NU site and found the section you quoted apart from the bit I've quoted above! Nowhere on the site could I find their NCB scale of percentages but then I didn't go through the 'Get a quote' process so maybe that explains it. The other question to ask is: 50% of how much? (a bit like 'how long is a piece of string?'). It's tempting to assume it'll be about 50% of your quote for this year but insurance companies find all sorts of reasons for hiking their prices. It does seem like a fair deal for this year but if I were you I would try to find out if other companies will honour NU's promise of 1 year NCB and also check what percentage those companies will give you for that 1 year. Of course, that is all academic if you are happy to be tied to NU for a few years, but otherwise...

It sure is a minefield! Good luck!

P.S. I guess my suggestion of how to get a lower quote didn't appeal to you?

George8910 · 03 February 2006, 21:52

I have just renewed and used 'moneysupermarket.com' then car insurance - I used to spend a day on the phone but have found this online quote comparison feature to be better - curiously post office insurance came up best with a £50 cash back - ended up £70 better than renewal price from screentrade - could be worth a go - especially handy you can try different excess amounts and it will show you instantly the premium - useful as not always best to go highest as different companies constuct premiums differently - good luck it's never a joy

jwalker · 03 February 2006, 22:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikeCC

But I do remember the pain of first insurance premiums . . .

£13 14s 6d....

Slimtim, tell them your wife drives the car too and it'll be a bit cheaper....

Third party cover for a towed trailer, but not the load, is completely normal. You'll need to insure the load separately.

Your 50% ncd will be 50% of the second year's premium.

My NU renewal came in today and it's £2 more than last year....seems reasonable to me.

At a slight tangent, if you are towing your boat, you may find that marine insurance does not cover third party damage the boat may cause while it is being towed.

Hugh Jardon · 03 February 2006, 22:24

my first insurance for a 125 back in 1980 was £300 fully comp!!!! and the moped before that was about £12 i think

then my 18month old toyota celica was about £300 fully comp back in 1980/81, was 18 at the time.

scary when you think back

Tim M · 03 February 2006, 22:34

Tim

(Couldn't be bothered to read the above cos ive been drinking so this might have been said before)

Have you done pass-plus? Norwich union give young drivers a 50% discount with it. I passed 18 months ago (did pass plus) and my premium this year is about £460 3rd party. Norwich Union normally give you a further discout when you actually say u want to go ahead with it. Try this and see what they get it down to. (The idea being that you will then be encouraged to take out breakdown insurance with them for being so nice).

Most of my friends are with Norwich Union (Jimbo is) and they definatly seem to be the cheapest.

slimtim · 03 February 2006, 23:12

jeff, It has been suggested to me that if I put my mum or dad on as a named driver (both of whom have 35+ years no claims each!) then it will reduce my premium. tried it on tesco and it put it up by £40. Might try it on NU.

Tim, how much is the pass plus thingy?

bogib · 03 February 2006, 23:26

I am glad something is cheaper over here, Jón Baldur (age 19) pays GBP 215 for his VW Golf GTi and for his Trabant he payes GBP 110 so less for two cars here than one in UK.

Bogi

Tim M · 03 February 2006, 23:39

I think it was about £120. Takes 6 hours. Well worth the money.

Louise · 04 February 2006, 09:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by jwalker

Your 50% NCD will be 50% of the second year's premium.

That's exactly my point. No-one knows what next year's premium will be so no-one can predict how much NU's 50% discount will be worth next year! Richard's renewal quote (with NU) in 2003 (having been with NU for about 5 years) was approx. £800 with full (70%) NCD, which gives an original premium of £2666!

After shopping around, he got it down to £395 with Direct Line.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jwalker

My NU renewal came in today and it's £2 more than last year....seems reasonable to me.

Lucky you! But this is not always the case. See above!

P.S. I'm sure it's not just NU that do this but I can only speak from my own and Richard's experience.