Car insurance renewal quote

KjellNN
KjellNN Club Member Posts: 8,665 ✭✭✭
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edited February 2019 in General Chat #1

Renewal date is 1st March so we found the quote in the letterbox when we got home this evening, we are still in shock!!

This year we paid £417.57, now the renewal quote is £801.99.  Insurance is with AXA through Halifax.  

Nothing much has changed.......we are a year older, the car is now worth less.

OH has been getting quotes on those comparison websites this evening, the lowest she has found  so far is £704, with LV.  Better than over £800, but still a huge increase over the current premium.  We recently    took home insurance with them too.

What is going on?  I think someone else recently mentioned getting a renewal quote that was also massively more than their current premium.

Will ring them to try and haggle.    yell

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Comments

  • cyberyacht
    cyberyacht Forum Participant Posts: 10,218
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    edited February 2019 #2

    I had an equally silly renewal figure from Saga for the MH.

  • redface
    redface Forum Participant Posts: 1,701
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    edited February 2019 #3

    Long gone are the days of 'Loyal customer' getting the best deal, we are now in the era of 'rip them off' and hope they don't notice it.

    Sadly we now have to shop around every time.

     

  • Oneputt
    Oneputt Club Member Posts: 9,144 ✭✭✭
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    edited February 2019 #4

    Paid mine in January, it had gone up by a tenner🌞

  • KjellNN
    KjellNN Club Member Posts: 8,665 ✭✭✭
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    edited February 2019 #5

    We expect to shop around, though the increase in renewal premium is not usually so great, but this time we have not found anyone quoting a reasonable price at all, that is the surprising thing.

  • Wherenext
    Wherenext Club Member Posts: 10,586 ✭✭✭
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    edited February 2019 #6

    With this sort of huge increase it will be one of three reasons;

    A) Last year you were a new customer and large discounts were given to entice you in. This year you lose that discount or..

    B) Something has happened in the Postcode area used by your insurer that has produced an unacceptable increase in claims. The area could be quite large and not just in the immediate neighbourhood or..

    C) Either your vehicle has suddenly become unprofitable due to claims to the insurer or your age+gender has become unprofitable.

  • rutlandwarrior
    rutlandwarrior Forum Participant Posts: 95
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    edited February 2019 #7

    Just looked back at my last 5 years insurance docs and they are all from different companies,  it does not pay to be loyal. I must be in a cheap postcode as my premium this year for insignia estate was £187 fully comp

  • moulesy
    moulesy Forum Participant Posts: 9,402 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited February 2019 #8

    Interesting! Just renewed the insurance on our towcar through SAGA  - about a tenner cheaper than last year.

    Didn't I hear some time ago that the government were going to bring in measures to stop this sort of taking advantage of loyal customers? Not sure what the details were, or whether it was just another of those "nebulous"  gov statements! wink

  • ADD46
    ADD46 Forum Participant Posts: 437
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    edited February 2019 #9

    Did you see the Martyn Lewis program about this a few weeks ago?

    It pays to search for new car insurance about five weeks before the renewal date. This is because it's the cheapest time. Before and closer to the renewal date the prices go back up again. 

  • Wherenext
    Wherenext Club Member Posts: 10,586 ✭✭✭
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    edited February 2019 #10

    C'mon now M. You know that they haven't got time to sort out day to day things that matter to the likes of you and me. This will be one of those things that either won't see the time of day or will be watered down.

  • Cherokee2015
    Cherokee2015 Forum Participant Posts: 392
    edited February 2019 #11

    Ours too - with Direct Line 😉

  • KjellNN
    KjellNN Club Member Posts: 8,665 ✭✭✭
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    edited February 2019 #12

    Yes, we were new customers this year, we are new customers almost every year!   We expected  it to go up, just not that much.  We always get new quotes.

    This last year we also added our daughter as a driver and that actually lowered the premium slightly.

    Postcode....yes maybe, though we have not heard of anything  untoward.  It is a fairly quiet and mainly upmarket area, lots of Volvos, Range Rovers, Audis, BMWs and  Mercs, ours is a VW Touareg, 2 1/2 years old.

    OH reckons it is my age that is making it expensive as even the best quote is only £90 odd less on a like for like basis.  Over the hill at 76 it seems.   frown

  • Wherenext
    Wherenext Club Member Posts: 10,586 ✭✭✭
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    edited February 2019 #13

    Most insurers, Kj, will not have age brackets that change from 75 to 76. They tend to jump in groups, ie over 70 but below 80 etc. (Note the word MOST).

  • KjellNN
    KjellNN Club Member Posts: 8,665 ✭✭✭
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    edited February 2019 #14

    Oh......so possibly down to OH just recently turning 70!

    Best not mention that to her!!

  • Millerman39
    Millerman39 Forum Participant Posts: 45
    edited February 2019 #15

    I think Martin Lewis said 22 days from renewal date was the optimum time & I recall something being said that for some reason a Tuesday was the best day of the week to renew. surprised

  • Oneputt
    Oneputt Club Member Posts: 9,144 ✭✭✭
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    edited February 2019 #16

    When I turned 70 car insurance went up a couple of quid,(and that included informing them that I had the car re chipped)  when 71 went down £12. Judging by my experience I've no idea if the age one is relevant or not. I think perhaps post code and miles driven a year probably has a greater effect 

  • KjellNN
    KjellNN Club Member Posts: 8,665 ✭✭✭
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    edited February 2019 #17

    In the 2 years we have owned the car we have driven just under 14000 miles, so we are getting quotes for 8000 per year.  Previously  we had cover for 10000 miles but rarely came anywhere near that so thought we would go lower.  We do have a second car, a Smart, that is insured for 5000 per year.

  • KjellNN
    KjellNN Club Member Posts: 8,665 ✭✭✭
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    edited February 2019 #18

    Just tried Churchill......expensive!

    And Hastings Direct.....they refused to quote!

  • Oneputt
    Oneputt Club Member Posts: 9,144 ✭✭✭
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    edited February 2019 #19

    K we are with LV 

  • KjellNN
    KjellNN Club Member Posts: 8,665 ✭✭✭
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    edited February 2019 #20

    Yes, LV seem best so far, but still about a 70% increase over what we paid this year.  We have been with them before, a couple of times I think, and we just insured the house with them.

    We are almost out of options having tried 4 different comparison sites plus Aviva, Direct Line, Saga, Churchill, Hastings, Admiral, CAMC, though not CCC yet.

    OH spoke with NFU, who have a local office here, and there is a glimmer of hope there, possibly a little less than LV but they are e mailing the details for us to study.  

    Quite a big difference in some quotes if we take a higher voluntary excess, so that may be an option, we will need to be sure we are considering the quotes on an equal footing.

    One advantage with NFU is they offer monthly payments with no extra charge, we usually pay annually, so if the quote is comparable, that will help to spread the pain!

    Any suggestions for other companies to get a quote from gratefully received.

  • EasyT
    EasyT Forum Participant Posts: 16,194
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    edited February 2019 #21

    Have you tried RAC? 

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited February 2019 #22

    Kj I was going to ask you if you were willing to increase your excess as this is one of the key facts stated by various insurance advice sites which could help in reducing the costs. 

  • KjellNN
    KjellNN Club Member Posts: 8,665 ✭✭✭
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    edited February 2019 #23

    No, good idea

  • KjellNN
    KjellNN Club Member Posts: 8,665 ✭✭✭
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    edited February 2019 #24

    I think I will need to make a table and fill in all the various quotes and excesses, it seems to be a minefield!

    There are compulsory excesses and voluntary excesses, when added together they can get pretty big.

    Most seem to have at least a £300 compulsory excess on our quote, adding a £300 voluntary one only reduces the premium by around £80.

  • Wherenext
    Wherenext Club Member Posts: 10,586 ✭✭✭
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    edited February 2019 #25

    Kj, as LV= insure your home then inform the motor department as you get a discount with them if you have another policy with them already.

  • KjellNN
    KjellNN Club Member Posts: 8,665 ✭✭✭
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    edited February 2019 #26

    I presume they have figured that out already as they said I was getting an "existing customer discount", but if we do go with them I will certainly check up on that.

  • Wherenext
    Wherenext Club Member Posts: 10,586 ✭✭✭
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    edited February 2019 #27

    There was a flyer in our newspaper today from Age co, the new name for Age UK.

    Says no admin or cancellation fees, no upper age limit, courtesy car for comprehensive customers abd Protected No Claims Discount is automatic.

    If you've not tried them then ring 

    0800 077 8380

    Cover has 5* defacqto rating.

    No harm done if they are not competitive.

    BTW - Was last years premium substantially cheaper than the existing one as possibility exists that this last one was a bargain and higher ones the norm as unfortunately you are now finding out?

  • EasyT
    EasyT Forum Participant Posts: 16,194
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    edited February 2019 #28

    The answer to previous price and renewal is in OP WN wink

  • Wherenext
    Wherenext Club Member Posts: 10,586 ✭✭✭
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    edited February 2019 #29

    Not what I asked though.wink

    Was the premium in 2017 substantially cheaper than the renewal premium (i.e. the existing one) for 2017? 

  • EasyT
    EasyT Forum Participant Posts: 16,194
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    edited February 2019 #30

    The existing one would have been taken out in 2018 (not 2017) and was £417.57, now (2019) the renewal quote is £801.99.

  • KjellNN
    KjellNN Club Member Posts: 8,665 ✭✭✭
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    edited February 2019 #31

    Just did an on line quote with Age co, nearly choked on my coffee!

    The premium quoted is £2941.84.

    And that is before any extras!

    Have not tried RAC yet.

    Would need to dig out paperwork for what we paid in March 2017, we had to change insurer as the one we were with was stopping doing car insurance, I think that was Allianz.

    If I find the details I will let you know. I do remember it was more than we paid for our Volvo XC90.