Our Advice on Car insurance

(This information is general and has not been specially chosen to match your needs. If you are in doubt please ask when you contact us about your quotation.)

How Good is YOUR car insurance policy

Not all car insurance policies are the same!

When you obtain a car insurance quote, you will have the option of looking at the cover provided and seeing how it compares with other policies on the market. Our philosophy is: The value of a policy is not the cost to buy - it is the benefits provided. When you have to claim under your policy, you won't be concerned about the price you paid for it!

How we rate the policies

We decide what an 'average' policy should provide. Better benefits are highlighted in GREEN and worse in YELLOW. Finally we give each policy a Star rating ***** from 1 - 9 A policy with equal GREEN and YELLOW features (+-1) will be *****, those with more GREEN will have higher ratings those with more YELLOW lower ones. Some of the 'Direct' companies products are listed for comparison. Not all policy features have been used.

Disclaimer

How large an excess should I have?

• The larger the voluntary excess you take the cheaper the premium you will pay BUT the more you will have to pay to the garage in the event of a claim. Please remember that you will have to pay the excess to the garage before they will release the vehicle and only then can you claim it back from the other driver (if the accident is not your fault). If the thought of having to find a large sum of money (or losing it if the accident is your fault) does not worry you then by all means choose a high excess. If you contacted us directly for a quotation we would initially quote for the standard policy excess.

What cover should I take?

• You should always consider a comprehensive policy. These days large discounts given for older vehicles can result in there not being much difference in price between a comprehensive policy with a large excess and a third party (fire & theft) policy - especially for the older car and driver. The windscreen cover alone may make it attractive as a windscreen claim does not (usually) affect your no claims bonus. You can easily amend the cover question on our quotation system and obtain a fresh quote.
• Third party, fire and theft policies are frequently cheaper than third party only policies as some companies do not quote for a third party only policy.
• You should bear in mind that if you claim on a third party fire and theft policy for an old car, that you may not receive much from the company after the excess and that your no claims bonus would be prejudiced (increasing the premium next year)

Should I request a protected no claims bonus?

• A protected no claims bonus is normally available if you have 4 or more years earned (3 with some companies)
• The usual deal is: You will not lose your bonus providing you do not have more than 2 claims in any 5 year period. This can vary as some companies offer a guaranteed no claims bonus irrespective of the number of claims.
• There is a cost: You will either have to pay more e.g. 10% or 15%, or have a higher excess on your policy (typically £50).
• Our experience is that if you have 1 claim in any 3 year period then the cost is about the same whether or not you have the protection

Claims

• The value of any policy is when a claim has to be made. You want: speedy notification, your car repaired without a fuss if covered, probably a courtesy car whilst the car is being repaired (if covered), your insurer to handle any claim made against you without worrying about nasty solicitor's letters, assistance if you want to claim against another driver and, if your car is a total loss, a reasonable offer and quick settlement.
• You must report any incident that may give rise to a claim to your insurer.
• You must not admit any liability or make any offer to the other driver. All claims correspondence should be passed unanswered to the insurer (or us)

Invalid ways of getting a cheaper quote

(This section is included as a warning and to dispel some myths. It is a criminal offence to make a false statement for the purposed of obtaining a certificate of motor insurance. Your policy could be made void or a claim refused if you do not disclose all material facts)

• Declare the main user to be an older person
• Arrange for an older person to take out the policy.
  • This applies particularly to young drivers. In many cases a policy in the young driver's name will be cheaper than a policy in the parent's name with the young driver added (especially as the no claims bonus cannot be used on more than one policy at a time).
  • Frequently the older person is declared incorrectly to be the vehicle owner and keeper. There is nothing wrong in a parent buying a car for the use of their children, registering and insuring it in their name  - provided they declare who the main user is!
• Not declaring the number of cars available for members of the household.
  • Whilst many companies give enhanced discounts for second cars where there are no young drivers (especially if the policy is in the wife's name) they also impose higher premiums if there are more than one vehicle in the household and a young driver is to be covered.
• Not disclosing accidents/ convictions
  • The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act states that convictions resulting in a fine are not spent for 5 Years. The fact that a conviction is 'off the license' earlier is irrelevant.
  • Incidents where no claim is made e.g. an attempted theft with minimal damage, are often thought as not needing to be declared. This is not true. ALL incidents must be declared
• Not declaring all occupations.
  • Some occupations e.g. entertainment industry, result in higher premiums and there is a temptation to 'forget' part time or secondary jobs e.g. mobile DJ, bar staff etc
• Asking for a restricted mileage quote when you know the mileage will be exceeded.
  • Some companies impose a higher excess if the mileage is exceeded - others would void the policy - you have been warned!
• Not declaring young/ bad drivers.
  • There is a reason why 'any driver' policies are so expensive: insurers do not like insuring people they know nothing about! You would still have a duty under the 'material facts' doctrine to declare any known drivers especially young or people with convictions/ accident records. If a friend/ relative has a drink driving conviction, the insurer would take some persuading that you did not know about it!
• Other factors
  • These include: declaring the vehicle to be garaged, not declaring all the vehicles used in the household, adding an immobiliser, not declaring a use for the vehicle e.g. Pizza delivery, use as a wedding car, stating that the vehicle is kept in a lower rated postcode e.g. if the vehicle is taken to college

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