320T fleet insurance advice PLZ!

[320touring]

Hello all,

 

Renewal of the annual Insurance on the fleet is due shortly - and I don't think the current multi car policy is working well.

 

I have 3 key needs:

 

Ability to have at least 2 cars with Business use cover - currently likely Alfa and Lexus LS400

 

Decent classic cover for the 320i e30 ( modified) and possibly the Seat Toledo.

 

Cheap/no admin cost for vehicle changes - I tend to get through a few cars each year..

 

I've run off some price comparisons to go back to the current insurer with, but can't help feeling I'm missing a trick.

 

Your suggestions please!

 

Cheers!

[D Spares & Tyres]

Trade insurance

 

Roadrunner

 

Just say you are trading, they don't want to see proof

[dollywobbler]

I'm very much in the same pickle myself. Can't actually afford to insure the Proton at the moment, and trade insurance would be £1200 a year. That's a lot to avoid probably £100 in admin fees.

[Dave_Q]

Trade insurance

 

Roadrunner

 

Just say you are trading, they don't want to see proof

 

They may not want to see proof when they take your money but they very likely will if you ever need to claim.

[dollywobbler]

They may not want to see proof when they take your money but they very likely will if you ever need to claim.

 

Though if you do receipts when you buy/sell cars, that should be proof enough. Have made several trade enquiries, and some of them do ask difficult questions like is the business profitable. Ha!

[barefoot]

Peter Best?

[320touring]

Thanks all, I shall maek with the investigayshunz

[Ghosty]

Peter Best?

 

I'd sooner try Footman James.

[gadgetgricey]

Have you two lots of no claims that can be applied.

If so direct line for the main cars, and Peter best for the classics.

 

Very impressed with Direct Line as no admin fees for changes and they also allow a second car to be added per policy on a temp basis. Just a couple of quid normally rather than the £25 I used to get charged for RAC temp day insurance.

 

I think you can only change cars 6 times a year per policy and temp additional cover can only run to 90 days for the year.

[eddyramrod]

MrsR was with Direct Line for years, long before the excellent Winston Wolf ads.  When her immaculate Proton was totalled by a third party they criminally undervalued her car, and the fight to get their offer up at all, let alone to the car's real worth, exhausted me.  That was in 2002, and we've consistently avoided Direct Line ever since.  I have a feeling I've read somewhere that they have some kind of tie into the Tesco empire too, which is another good reason to run away.

Just sayin' (no G).

[SiC]

MrsR was with Direct Line for years, long before the excellent Winston Wolf ads. When her immaculate Proton was totalled by a third party they criminally undervalued her car, and the fight to get their offer up at all, let alone to the car's real worth, exhausted me. That was in 2002, and we've consistently avoided Direct Line ever since. I have a feeling I've read somewhere that they have some kind of tie into the Tesco empire too, which is another good reason to run away.

Just sayin' (no G).

That's the same with any insurer to be honest. Only way I've known that they'll pay full value is if it totally wasn't your fault (i.e. rear ended on motorway) and they know they can claim 100% from other party.

 

DL have consistently every year been the cheapest for me. Even their renewal price has been good and when I ask for a require on the phone, unbeatable.

 

31yrs, 9yrs ncb, windscreen claim, X2 of us = £330 Civic, £303 Laguna, £275 Aldi A4.

[dollywobbler]

My main problem with Direct Line is that they refuse to cover most of my cars due to age.

[Kiltox]

Direct Line are shit if you need to claim though. Especially if you are TPFT.

 

Miss my trade insurance a lot.

[BavarianRetro]

There are now a couple of insurers doing classic car trade policies.

 

Footman James and Bollington can get you quotes, but it's not cheap. £2500 or so.

 

Some cheap traders policies also require you to insure your own owned daily separately if you don't use a car from stock.

[320touring]

My main problem with Direct Line is that they refuse to cover most of my cars due to age.

I shall try and see if they'll play with Mason and the Alfalfa..

 

Thanks to all for their suggestions, looks like the phone will take a hammering today

[Kiltox]

Tradex (I used Clegg Gifford to obtain a policy underwritten by them) are probably the cheapest trade insurer but have a horrible reputation.

 

They'll allow pretty much anything on the policy but god help you if you need to claim

[dollywobbler]

Peter S Taylor provide business cover for classics. It's who I'm with. £950 for four vehicles for a year, but that doesn't include breakdown cover. Another £250 if I want the Proton added too, which takes me very close to trade quotes I've had. Struggling to know which way to go.

[BavarianRetro]

Tradex (I used Clegg Gifford to obtain a policy underwritten by them) are probably the cheapest trade insurer but have a horrible reputation.

 

They'll allow pretty much anything on the policy but god help you if you need to claim

Tradex are no more than a seller of certificates of insurance. You get an insurance certificate to keep you legal. That's it. It's also what a lot of "traders" want.

 

Their MID update is shite too and has caused acquaintances of mine countless hours by the roadside with cars that should have been on the database not showing up as insured.

[cpjitservices]

My main problem with Direct Line is that they refuse to cover most of my cars due to age.

I've had this with multiple insurers, to be honest, trying to insure the Rover for me and the wife was a bit of a pain. My main insurer is Hastings and they wouldn't touch us with a barge pole. Was hoping to go multi car with them but in the end had to get a new policy with someone else and leave the Mondeo on Hastings. The Rover is covered - at a damn good price with ESure.

[sierraman]

Direct Line won't cover me at all. I could ask them for a quote on a Fiesta Pop 1.0 and I'd get a FRO. I don't know whether it's the area or whatever but they don't want to know. I'm always curious as to why this is.

 

About the worst I had was Go-Skippy, cover was due to start on say the Wednesday but I still hadn't had the Policy Number. Rang them on the Thursday and they said they were still administering the policy and I wasn't covered. Complete waste of time. Getting my money back was a major hassle as well.

 

If your cars worth less than say £1500 it's not worth claiming 90% of the time, once they've deducted the couple of hundred excess, the amount they clobber you with in subsequent years.

[Kiltox]

Tradex are no more than a seller of certificates of insurance. You get an insurance certificate to keep you legal. That's it. It's also what a lot of "traders" want.

 

Their MID update is shite too and has caused acquaintances of mine countless hours by the roadside with cars that should have been on the database not showing up as insured.

Never had any issue with their MID update service, fast and efficient in my experience - CG changed the underwriter for the final year I held a policy and started processing MID updates themselves - now THAT was awful and lead to a lot of trouble.

[cpjitservices]

Interestingly once I'd clicked 'Buy' with esure, I got an email asking for me to prove my no claims. Getting that out of Admiral was a task but I got the email eventually. Then got an email from esure saying they have accepted my no claims from the main database.

 

Bonus - didnt have to do anything lol.

[sporty-shite]

I have trade cover with Tradewise through Think Insurance in Walsall. They have covered business use for Mrs S's main job in the past, and will cover pretty much anything for personal use. They insist you "trade" six cars a year, but up to now haven't asked for any accounts. Obviously, they know how many cars you've had because of the MID updates. Incidentally, the MID updates are easy and quick.

 

Big problem is that they will only cover anything over 25 years old an a third party only basis. Maybe if you go this route, a specialist policy for the e30 would be the best bet.

[BavarianRetro]

Never had any issue with their MID update service, fast and efficient in my experience - CG changed the underwriter for the final year I held a policy and started processing MID updates themselves - now THAT was awful and lead to a lot of trouble.

It's a good few years ago now. Might have changed.

[They_all_do_that_sir]

I've three separate policies, one for the daily at £260, one for the micra at £400 and one for the XM at £200.

 

£860 a year, often thought we could do better with a multi car policy especially as the combined mileage is less than 10k a year but they all expire at different parts of the year which sounds like a load of grief to pull onto one policy.

 

A trade policy would probably suit me and encourage me to buy more chod but not sure I've seen any cheap enough to consider.

 

I was an "accidental trader" for a good few years - I would have bought an MOT failure, fixed it and ran it as a work hack for a few months, got bored and sold it on for a modest profit and bought another MOT failure. Be very difficult to prove it was a viable venture as when you take account of my time etc there's no way I was turning a profit

 

 

 

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[barefoot]

 

Peter Best?

I'd sooner try Footman James.

You are quite correct, Peter Best were shite, I meant Peter James.

 

Three cars, one agreed value, all unlimited miles & OK for commuting, 30 30 & 20 years old - £350 odd

Lots of no claims tho'