Wtf is going on with car insurance prices?

[JJ0063]

3 hours ago, Mrcento said:

And that's before i even get onto how high the compulsory excesses of a lot of policies now are.

It’s to try and reduce people claiming unnecessarily. Example; I had a bloke last month I quoted and he’d had a claim last year because someone stole his jacket from the back of his Discovery. £450 excess to claim for a £579 jacket. 

And the utterly ridiculous questions they now want answers to, like the specific fucking day you passed your driving test etc, where of course it doesn't matter.... It won't save you any money, but no doubt if you passed your test on a Tuesday and because of other drivers data, they can suggest you're 0.00000001% more likely to make a claim than somebody that passed on a Wednesday, they'll probably stick another £150 on the premium.

We used to just ask if it was over 10, over 20 years ago etc. Insurers actually discount more now than they used to for length so we always ask a bit more specific (rough year) not exact date. It’s actually to help bring costs down. 

 

Can’t work out now to split the quote above so have replied in bold 😂

2 hours ago, Mrcento said:

And on the flip side, i have a modified (engine, suspension, brakes) Cinquecento parked in a garage that i've owned for 14 years now i'm going to have to sell, because there's no way i'm going to be able to insure it when i get around to doing a few jobs on it.

It was always a pain to get a quote for, but i could do it reasonably, Last policy i had on it was about £600. I honestly doubt i'd be able to get it insured for under 3k now.

 

You’re either speaking to the wrong people or something is wrong somewhere with your specifics. 
 

If you’ve got a modified car that you’ve owned for 14 years and keep in a garage yet can’t get reasonable quotes on, Im pretty sure I could help unless you’ve got a load of bad driving history or something. 

[Rust Collector]

Just to add a curveball, I have been insuring my Disco 3 a month at a time as I don’t trust the fucker not to explode/haven’t sold the stuff I should sell.

Admiral have been charging me £30 a month for it TPFT, including the £9.50 I get charged each time I go on the portal and add the next month.

I really didn’t think that was unreasonable and is probably part of the reason I can’t be fucked to sort a proper policy out for it 🤣

[AndyIggs]

Policy start times are a big factor too, my lad's recently passed his test and insurance on my 2006 Fiesta Zetec S was £500 cheaper if he waited 2 weeks to start driving and even more so heading towards a months wait.  

[Mrcento]

41 minutes ago, JJ0063 said:

Can’t work out now to split the quote above so have replied in bold 😂

You’re either speaking to the wrong people or something is wrong somewhere with your specifics. 
 

If you’ve got a modified car that you’ve owned for 14 years and keep in a garage yet can’t get reasonable quotes on, Im pretty sure I could help unless you’ve got a load of bad driving history or something. 

RE the test pass date, yup, it used to be until very recently just a general 'how many years have you held the license' etc everywhere, which is totally fair/normal. Now lots of places want the specific date you got the license. DD/MM/YYYY. I can almost understand the month to stop people rounding up, but the specific day is wild. Especially when said places are also asking for license numbers too now... work it out yourself, Lads 🤣

RE Cinq, It's not kept garaged when it's in use, it's just in locked storage right now with no MOT, but it's parked on the road when in use (which doesn't help). No plans to get it on the road, again partly because it needs work, and partly i can't be bothered with dealing on the admin side of calling up specialists only to get silly quotes back. Because modified from a time when it wasn't so frowned upon.

RE driving history nope!, 16 years i've been driving, 1 minor claim (no 3rd party involved) all that time. Never had a single point on my license, no medical conditions or license restrictions etc, currently on 5 years NCB. And i still get routinely hammered for some reason well beyond people i know that genuinely do have a shocking driving record including bans. To the point (i guess) i've voluntarily given up driving. A large part is that i just can't stomach it because of the absolute mess of insurers that will seemingly take even the smallest less than ideal thing and tell me to bend over.

It's totally random too, i can get the odd car at a very reasonable price 5-600 fully comp etc, then something you'd think would be there or thereabouts will be double for no reason. And then something i actually would want, not something insurers are forcing me to take on cost, comes up for sale, and it's instantly bend over time again, quotes in the thousands for stuff that would cost me sub 600 not long ago.

And said before on here too, i seem to be in some sort of anomaly somewhere, because i can't get multicar insurance either. Would always work out significantly cheaper to take out a 2nd policy with zero NCB than have 2 cars on one policy, never been able to work out why, and it means just taking a car i don't want until something i do want comes up = i'm stuck with it because i can't reasonably insure 2, even short term. My entire driving life is dictated by these (sorry if you work in the industry) cunts. I have no other words for it.

It 'Feels' like i'm on some sort of blacklist and i've no idea why. I'm probably not, it just feels that way.

[JJ0063]

40 minutes ago, Mrcento said:

RE the test pass date, yup, it used to be until very recently just a general 'how many years have you held the license' etc everywhere, which is totally fair/normal. Now lots of places want the specific date you got the license. DD/MM/YYYY. I can almost understand the month to stop people rounding up, but the specific day is wild. Especially when said places are also asking for license numbers too now... work it out yourself, Lads 🤣

RE Cinq, It's not kept garaged when it's in use, it's just in locked storage right now with no MOT, but it's parked on the road when in use (which doesn't help). No plans to get it on the road, again partly because it needs work, and partly i can't be bothered with dealing on the admin side of calling up specialists only to get silly quotes back. Because modified from a time when it wasn't so frowned upon.

RE driving history nope!, 16 years i've been driving, 1 minor claim (no 3rd party involved) all that time. Never had a single point on my license, no medical conditions or license restrictions etc, currently on 5 years NCB. And i still get routinely hammered for some reason well beyond people i know that genuinely do have a shocking driving record including bans. To the point (i guess) i've voluntarily given up driving. A large part is that i just can't stomach it because of the absolute mess of insurers that will seemingly take even the smallest less than ideal thing and tell me to bend over.

It's totally random too, i can get the odd car at a very reasonable price 5-600 fully comp etc, then something you'd think would be there or thereabouts will be double for no reason. And then something i actually would want, not something insurers are forcing me to take on cost, comes up for sale, and it's instantly bend over time again, quotes in the thousands for stuff that would cost me sub 600 not long ago.

And said before on here too, i seem to be in some sort of anomaly somewhere, because i can't get multicar insurance either. Would always work out significantly cheaper to take out a 2nd policy with zero NCB than have 2 cars on one policy, never been able to work out why, and it means just taking a car i don't want until something i do want comes up = i'm stuck with it because i can't reasonably insure 2, even short term. My entire driving life is dictated by these (sorry if you work in the industry) cunts. I have no other words for it.

It 'Feels' like i'm on some sort of blacklist and i've no idea why. I'm probably not, it just feels that way.

I am one of those cunts but I like a challenge. I’ve sorted a few out on here. If you want me to try, by all means PM me. Can’t promise anything but I can even just look at your info and try to point some factors out worst case. 
 

I’ve been in the job more years that I care to think about but can only really help if it’s modified/weird/wonderful and you’re over 21 and had a license 3+ years.

 

For others seeing this, il always try and help - I don’t work for an insurance company, so I don’t set prices per se but I can speak to the right people that I broker for 👍

[Flat4]

26 minutes ago, JJ0063 said:

I am one of those cunts but I like challenge. I’ve sorted a few out on here. If you want me to try, by all means PM me. Can’t promise anything but I can even just look at your info and try to point some factors out worst case. 
 

I’ve been in the job more years that I care to think about but can only really help if it’s modified/weird/wonderful and you’re over 21 and had a license 3+ years.

 

For others seeing this, il always try and help - I don’t work for an insurance company, so I don’t set prices per se but I can speak to the right people that I broker for 👍

Are your people likely to be able to offer a decent quote on the Granvia? I should have insured it earlier in the year when the quotes were £3-400 but it still hasn't been MOT'd yet. They're now up to £700 odd!

[JJ0063]

3 minutes ago, Flat4 said:

Are your people likely to be able to offer a decent quote on the Granvia? I should have insured it earlier in the year when the quotes were £3-400 but it still hasn't been MOT'd yet. They're now up to £700 odd!

Camper? Can certainly try!

[High Jetter]

1 minute ago, JJ0063 said:

Camper? Can certainly try!

Ok, maybe mince a bit?

[Flat4]

3 minutes ago, JJ0063 said:

Camper? Can certainly try!

It's not converted but it did come with curtains and the rear seats fold flat to make a bed, as standard.

[Metal Guru]

Not had my renewal yet, due in a week or so, but I’ve been on Confused.com and got quotes well below last year’s premium, including one from the company I’m currently with.

Who wants to bet, their renewal price to me ,a loyal customer,  will be at least  £100 higher than the price to a newbie?

[w00dy]

Just had my renewal through for the Insignia. Another year of no claims and now over 5 years since my non-fault accident.

 

£438 last year and they want £751 this year.  Ouch.

[High Jetter]

Go Compare. Everywhere, time consuming but £££ saving.

[Mrcento]

Had my first experience of 'LOL you really ARE making it up now' getting a quote on a car i'm considering. It has 3 mods i'd need to notify them of, so i almost didn't bother getting a quote (every other car that has had anything, they've been stinging be for thousands), but thought i'd have a play around.

Standard car would be £560 fully comp. Ok. Compared to where a lot of quotes stuff i look at land, that's not far off excellent.

With just the alloy wheels it's on added- £660. Steep, but ok... Here we go,. brace.

With the exhaust it has added as well as the wheels = £775... Performance mods INNIT, here we fucking go, still better than anything else with mods lately, but they're warming up....

With the Wheels, Exhaust AND the remap it has added... Bend over and brace time..... I'm expecting £1500+, 2 performance mods on ya motah m8. Menace to society etc.....

yeah, it's £570, all mods declared for only £10 over a standard car!😂

They can do it when they want, they just don't want to very often.

[New POD]

29 minutes ago, Mrcento said:

Had my first experience of 'LOL you really ARE making it up now' getting a quote on a car i'm considering. It has 3 mods i'd need to notify them of, so i almost didn't bother getting a quote (every other car that has had anything, they've been stinging be for thousands), but thought i'd have a play around.

Standard car would be £560 fully comp. Ok. Compared to where a lot of quotes stuff i look at land, that's not far off excellent.

With just the alloy wheels it's on added- £660. Steep, but ok... Here we go,. brace.

With the exhaust it has added as well as the wheels = £775... Performance mods INNIT, here we fucking go, still better than anything else with mods lately, but they're warming up....

With the Wheels, Exhaust AND the remap it has added... Bend over and brace time..... I'm expecting £1500+, 2 performance mods on ya motah m8. Menace to society etc.....

yeah, it's £570, all mods declared for only £10 over a standard car!😂

They can do it when they want, they just don't want to very often.

For them it what the statistics say.  People who modify their cars, may look after them more.  They don't leave them in unlit dark car parks in nechalls or aston, they take care to avoid potholes and don't have minor accidents with gate posts. Maybe they are actually less likely to cost the insurance company money. 

[reb]

I've not even bothered renewing my 1yr medical licence that expired in January because between two claims and a newly diagnosed health condition insurance will be ££££. Add into that the cost of tax and fuel... I'll stick with my bus pass for now I think.

 

Part of me is even considering getting a ticket on the 205, selling it along with the rest of the contents of my unit and sacking that off to save even more money.

 

It's going to be a long time before I can trust myself behind the wheel again, might as well improve the cigarette and beer budget, eh?

 

But I know I'd regret selling the little pug.

[sierraman]

9 hours ago, New POD said:

For them it what the statistics say.  People who modify their cars, may look after them more.  They don't leave them in unlit dark car parks in nechalls or aston, they take care to avoid potholes and don't have minor accidents with gate posts. Maybe they are actually less likely to cost the insurance company money. 

I’d dispute that for the most part, many of the modified cars you see on the road are driven by absolute bell ends. Maybe the older modified cars are probably driven with a bit more care but a 20 year old chipping his BMW 116D is likely not to be doing that to increase economy. But then they’ve probably not told the insurance company in the first place, it surprises me that the insurance don’t go over certain types of car with a fine tooth comb for evidence of it being remapped. They’d save themselves a fortune surely by claiming back all the costs via subrogation. 

[Metal Guru]

1 hour ago, sierraman said:

I’d dispute that for the most part, many of the modified cars you see on the road are driven by absolute bell ends. Maybe the older modified cars are probably driven with a bit more care but a 20 year old chipping his BMW 116D is likely not to be doing that to increase economy. But then they’ve probably not told the insurance company in the first place, it surprises me that the insurance don’t go over certain types of car with a fine tooth comb for evidence of it being remapped. They’d save themselves a fortune surely by claiming back all the costs via subrogation. 

Modifications are treated very differently by different companies. Some don’t add anything , some a little, some an lot and some won’t touch it .

Some companies used to consider alloy wheels as a mod if the standard car came with steel ones, obviously vastly different to someone creating a 500bhp Golf.
As for modified cars being better cared for , again a sweeping generalisation. A 20 yo sticking a big exhaust on a 1.4 Civic is unlikely to care much , but someone spending tens of thousands modifying a rare Subaru or EVO , probably will take care of it.

[Rust Collector]

I've just seen my Nan's insurance renewal this morning and taxed her car for her. She's 90 and it's gone up from about £1,120 to about £1,180 with Admiral. I didn't think a £60 increase was that bad considering there's less contact on the oval than on one of her drives to the shops.

[doug]

Renewal just in 55% increase from last year. 

[sierraman]

2 hours ago, Metal Guru said:

Modifications are treated very differently by different companies. Some don’t add anything , some a little, some an lot and some won’t touch it .

Some companies used to consider alloy wheels as a mod if the standard car came with steel ones, obviously vastly different to someone creating a 500bhp Golf.
As for modified cars being better cared for , again a sweeping generalisation. A 20 yo sticking a big exhaust on a 1.4 Civic is unlikely to care much , but someone spending tens of thousands modifying a rare Subaru or EVO , probably will take care of it.

I worked with a guy that had a modified Subaru, he treat it like a baby. If you’d looked at him he was the last person you would have expected to own one. However let me give an example and whether you think you’d ‘quote them happy’

21 year old working in a recycling plant (read scrapyard), couple of defaults for not paying phone bills, 2 years driving experience, no NCB, driving a 2013 Seat Leon, aftermarket alloy wheels, exhaust like a waste paper basket and a ‘rollin coal map done by his mate. Keeps it on the street in a really rough part of Bristol. Would also like some cover for delivering Pizzas on a weekend.

[Shirley Knott]

TBH I've not really seen any change.

We've just insured the V70 for the year (Starting on 01/09) for £142 via Adrian Flux, that's only on 5k per annum though.

[Mally]

My renewal with the AA insurance is due from 1/1/24. I have 14 years NCB.  I am 77 though.  OL15  9ED

Rover 75 Tourer. Last year paid £377.51.

Renewal quote is, sit down please.

£1,010.25.

@JJ0063 Can you help at all?

I have a month yet so have not tried the Meercat at the moment.

[Mally]

Just now, Mally said:

My renewal with the AA insurance is due from 1/1/24. I have 14 years NCB.  I am 77 though.  OL15  9ED

Rover 75 Diesel Tourer. Last year paid £377.51.

Renewal quote is, sit down please.

£1,010.25.

@JJ0063 Can you help at all?

I have a month yet so have not tried the Meercat at the moment.

 

[Matty]

46 minutes ago, Mally said:

My renewal with the AA insurance is due from 1/1/24. I have 14 years NCB.  I am 77 though.  OL15  9ED

Rover 75 Tourer. Last year paid £377.51.

Renewal quote is, sit down please.

£1,010.25.

@JJ0063 Can you help at all?

I have a month yet so have not tried the Meercat at the moment.

Can't understand what's going on with all this insurance shit. I renewed the insurance on the Z4 last month. That's me, her and my dad all fully comp on a 3 litre car in a high group. BB postcode so not quite as bad as OL but still shit. Renewal was 50 quid more than last year but comparison website got me down to a tenner more than last year. Yet everybody else reckons theirs is going up by loads. What the fuck? 

Supposedly influenced as well by occupations. I'm in engineering she's a copper. Again both supposed high risk groups. @JJ0063, shed any light?

[NorthernMonkey]

15 minutes ago, Matty said:

Can't understand what's going on with all this insurance shit. I renewed the insurance on the Z4 last month. That's me, her and my dad all fully comp on a 3 litre car in a high group. BB postcode so not quite as bad as OL but still shit. Renewal was 50 quid more than last year but comparison website got me down to a tenner more than last year. Yet everybody else reckons theirs is going up by loads. What the fuck? 

Supposedly influenced as well by occupations. I'm in engineering she's a copper. Again both supposed high risk groups. @JJ0063, shed any light?

I’ve been panicking slightly as mine is due for renewal in two weeks. Bearing in mind it’s a full business policy including the Mrs and I fully comp on any vehicle owned by the company or in our control as well as covering all our own personal vehicles fully comp (including Range Rover etc) for SDP & for business use for Claire as she occasionally travels to sites as part of her job. We are also in a BB postcode and it covers all the tools and contents of the unit as well as public indemnity etc.

Got the renewal yesterday…gone up £200 and if previous years are anything to go by, they’ll probably knock £150 off that if I whinge a bit!

Almost tempted to just pay it without chipping them.

I did say almost…

 

[Matty]

5 minutes ago, NorthernMonkey said:

I’ve been panicking slightly as mine is due for renewal in two weeks. Bearing in mind it’s a full business policy including the Mrs and I fully comp on any vehicle owned by the company or in our control as well as covering all our own personal vehicles fully comp (including Range Rover etc) for SDP & for business use for Claire as she occasionally travels to sites as part of her job. We are also in a BB postcode and it covers all the tools and contents of the unit as well as public indemnity etc.

Got the renewal yesterday…gone up £200 and if previous years are anything to go by, they’ll probably knock £150 off that if I whinge a bit!

Almost tempted to just pay it without chipping them.

I did say almost…

 

Like I said, I just don't get it. I'd love to see a list of actual considerations used when arriving at a price.

[PhilA]

Insurance here went up this year also. 

Embedded up cancelling with our previous insurance agent because they wouldn't come down to a reasonable cost.

Ended up with the Chieftain on an annual policy of $300 because it's insured as a regular car, not a Sunday driver or show car; the Infiniti and Ram are now $281 a month to insure ($3372/pa). 

Ain't cheap, round here.

Phil

[Metal Guru]

My insurance increased a lot this year albeit from the previous year’s unbelievably low price.

In some ways I’m hoping it’s an increase in rates generally , rather than the fact that my cheap insurance has plateaued due to age (early 60s) and will only increase every year as insurance companies see me as an increasing risk as I get older.

[New POD]

On 02/12/2023 at 16:22, NorthernMonkey said:

I’ve been panicking slightly as mine is due for renewal in two weeks. Bearing in mind it’s a full business policy including the Mrs and I fully comp on any vehicle owned by the company or in our control as well as covering all our own personal vehicles fully comp (including Range Rover etc) for SDP & for business use for Claire as she occasionally travels to sites as part of her job. We are also in a BB postcode and it covers all the tools and contents of the unit as well as public indemnity etc.

Got the renewal yesterday…gone up £200 and if previous years are anything to go by, they’ll probably knock £150 off that if I whinge a bit!

Almost tempted to just pay it without chipping them.

I did say almost…

 

BB postcode? You think that's bad? I used to have a BD postcode.  Mind you, that was in the Yorkshire Dales.

Now got an L postcode. But luckily not L8 

[EyesWeldedShut]

3 hours ago, Metal Guru said:

My insurance increased a lot this year albeit from the previous year’s unbelievably low price.

In some ways I’m hoping it’s an increase in rates generally , rather than the fact that my cheap insurance has plateaued due to age (early 60s) and will only increase every year as insurance companies see me as an increasing risk as I get older.

Cars here have stayed fairly low but the horse wagon has just been renewed at a 40% increase.
Other brokers on that were quoting almost a 60% increase.
No idea why that's a thing.