Car Insurance Courtesy Car

Stato
Stato Forum Participant Posts: 80
edited December 2021 in Towcars & Towing #1

Good morning,

It's time to renew my car insurance. I'm currently with LV and if you opt for the Enhanced Courtesy Car they say they will provide you with a similar spec car which will also have a towbar. Which could be quite useful. It took forever to get them to confirm it but they did in the end. Unfortunately in my case LV are getting quite expensive. Before I renew I just wanted to check other options.

Can anyone advise on other car insurance companies which say they will provide a courtesy car with a towbar.

Thanks.

Comments

  • eribaMotters
    eribaMotters Club Member Posts: 1,193 ✭✭✭✭
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    edited December 2021 #2

    I do not know of any that will guarantee a towbar equipped vehicle. I am also surprised that LV have have stated the Enhanced option would be equipped with a towbar. I was under the impression the extra premium was to get you out of the basic runabout usually offered and into something a bit more plush.

    My first port of call for car insurance is GoCompare. It covers the vast majority of insurance providers and you only need to fill in your details once. When the list comes up of best quotes they usually have links to the fine detail of what a policy covers and you can then phone directly each company that you think may be suitable.The free £250 x/s cover [only valid UK, not Europe] also brings your policy down in price.

     

    Colin

  • Stato
    Stato Forum Participant Posts: 80
    edited December 2021 #3

    Thanks Colin,

    I have just rechecked with LV. They have now stated that I can request a similar size car with a towbar but that they cannot guarantee it. Although not perfect it is better than some insurance companies whose policy notes seem to imply that you cannot even request a car with a towbar.

    Incidentally, a friend of mine was given a towbar equipped courtesy car by LV a few years back after an accident. It was a LR Discovery, quite old and not in brilliant condition. But it was all they had and was better than nothing. 

    Would still be interested to hear of other people's experiences. Is the Club car insurance any better in this respect?

    Thanks.

  • Wherenext
    Wherenext Club Member Posts: 10,586 ✭✭✭
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    edited December 2021 #4

    I personally cannot name a particular insurer but...

    In May this year I was on a C.L. when one of the other members had an unfortunate accident which resulted in his tow car being immobilised and undriveable. A few days later his insurers turned up with a huge tow vehicle, one of those Barbarians or Stud or whatever they call themselves. The poor elderly gentleman looked lost behind the wheel.

    If you ring the owner of the C.L. "The Brambles" he may remember the name of the insurers as he had to co-ordinate matters for the elderly member. The club member reversed into the owners gate by accident so he should recall the incident.

    Best I can do.

     

  • Rocky 2 buckets
    Rocky 2 buckets Forum Participant Posts: 7,101
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    edited December 2021 #5

    I have used the ‘like for like’ on both Swinton & NFU policies which gave me a pick up truck with tow bar, I only ever had to use it with Swinton but it worked good👍🏻

  • Unknown
    Unknown Forum Participant
    edited December 2021 #6
    The user and all related content has been Deleted User
  • Stato
    Stato Forum Participant Posts: 80
    edited December 2021 #7

    Thank you all for your very helpful replies. I have decided to stick with LV for this year but will check around more thoroughly next year.

    As expected, no car insurance company I checked out will guarantee a tow bar equipped courtesy car. Some (like Aviva) state in their policy docs that you will not get a tow bar equipped car.

    Dorset Driver - Thanks. That is a good tip. I have been a member of the CSMA/Boundless since the early 80s. However, I'm not too sure the discount is all that great anymore (5%?). Also bear in mind LV are possibly going to change it's mutual status over the next year or so. I have always been willing to pay a premium for good customer service, but that premium seems to have widened considerably over the past couple of years. It will be interesting to see how things turn out.

  • flatcoat
    flatcoat Forum Participant Posts: 1,571
    1000 Comments
    edited December 2021 #8

    Have you tried negotiating a lower renewal premium with LV? I did that with our house and my wife’s car insurance at renewal (not LV) and in both cases they matched the mythical deals I was offered elsewhere. Dont ask, don’t get….

  • Stato
    Stato Forum Participant Posts: 80
    edited January 2022 #9

    I've just received my Mayday renewal notice. I happened to notice a clause in the terms and conditions stating that Mayday cover would not apply to a hire car. I checked with the Club and it turns out that this clause includes insurance company provided courtesy cars. 

    So, to sum up. If you are involved in an accident and your insurance company provides you with a tow bar equipped courtesy car you will NOT be covered by your existing Mayday cover. It may be there is some form of cover with the courtesy car but I assume this would not be the same level of cover you would get with Mayday.

  • EmilysDad
    EmilysDad Forum Participant Posts: 8,973
    1000 Comments
    edited January 2022 #10

    been there & done that ... the courtesy car provided by the garage that was doing a repair to my car packed in, contacted MayDay who told me the same as Stato.  I was in work for the day so the garage had all day to sort something.