Another Insurance thread - top tip for online applications

[PeteE30Tourer]

My insurance was up yesterday and as usual i shopped around for the best deal. I've been with Tesco for the past 4 years or so and every year they've come out cheapest, even declaring most of my mods. However this year they were over Ԛ£200 more expensive than the best deal i found, which was from Admiral. They came up with Ԛ£303 against Tescos Ԛ£540!! Like for like policy - protected NCB, courtesy car, legal protection, similar excess etc.

However, i learnt something about these online applications when going through elephant.co.uk online. One of the questions they always slip in is "what's the best deal you've been quoted so far", so i answered Ԛ£375 (Adrian Flux quote). The quote elephant then came up with was Ԛ£368. Great i though - a bit cheaper that AF. Then i thought again - went through the entire quotation process once more but left blank the question about the best quote - everything else exactly the same. This time the price came out at Ԛ£340!! Cheeky bar stewards i thought!!

Anyway, in the end Admiral came out cheaper still. Interestingly, both companies use exactly the same online forms, allowing you to select up to 6 modifications to the car. Interesting to play around with these to see what difference each makes to the end price.

Another interesting point i learnt. I first got a quote without my wife as a named driver - Ԛ£313. Adding her put it up to Ԛ£326 when i classed her occupation as unemployed - couldn't find any other description the form recognised to represent her true vocation of housewife/full time mother to our kids. However, when i phoned up to book the insurance, the guy questioned her occupation and put her down as housekeeper, which brought the quote down to Ԛ£303!! So it was cheaper to have her on than not!! Aren't wives wonderful???!!

Apologies for the long story - just thought i'd share my experiences as it's something that affects us all at least once a year.

[Dan318-is]

thats quite incredible

all very useful if you over 21, but young people liek me ae guna get mugged whatever i do

il rememebr that tho mate, well interesting

[Gwynleym10]

Common law partners/ wifes etc are great! Mine put mine down Ԛ£36 last year! AND she is a learner driver! Insurers just hate young single males driving BMW's.

If your not married (like me) and have lived with your girlfriend or/and can prove that you do (credit card/bank statement at the same address works well) for more than two years you can claim to be common law partners, you end up getting most of the benefits of being married.

Of course don't tell your partner that she has made your insurance cheaper otherwise she will expect the money to be given to her, or spent in some kind of way. I got twisted into taking her out for dinner, and she pretty much ordered food that came to Ԛ£36!

[E30BeemerLad]

Good tips there mate, my insurance went down when I got married.

Admiral, Elephant, Bell Direct & Diamond are all part of the Admiral Group, that's why their websites are similar/ shared.

[tourer-dan]

The common law thing is ridiculous.
My flat mate and I are insured on each other's cars for practicality seeing as we go nearly everywhere together. Putting him on my policy as my mate made the premium go up. Putting him on as my partner made it go down. the difference between one and the other was about Ԛ£50 (less the sore arse )

[TheDutch]

All good advice, but for those who aren't about to get married simply add any ultra-low risk family member. I have been adding my dad for as long as I've had insurance; 40-odd years of driving and 0 claims lowers my insurance Ԛ£50 or so.

N

[dobbie82]

I cant find a decent quote anywhere! No one will insure me for 3rd party on other cars, cos im under 25! changed this year, cos ive had that clause since i was 21.

23yr old female + 36 yr old male, fully comp, excess around Ԛ£350

elephant.co.uk is havin a larf...

Ԛ£487 for standard 318i, Ԛ£507 with alloys, Ԛ£617 if i declare my SP30 Grrrrrr

Norwich union

Ԛ£309 for standard... Ԛ£316 with my sp30

I really dont like norwich union, (ur stuck if u need help cos there aint a call centre in the uk it seems )but looks like i be stuck with them for another year.

[PeteE30Tourer]

23yr old female + 36 yr old male

I thought i was bad with a wife 10 years younger!

It is strange but it seems that each insurance company works in different sectors, so what may be cheapest for one set of circumstances will probably be very pricey to someone else. The only thing to do is shop around until you find someone that works for you. As i said, Tesco have always been the cheapest for me before, but this year they've gone right off the scale.

[Gwynleym10]

also,
http://driving.timesonline.co.uk/articl ... 58,00.html

[Nostrils]

As I said before, insurance on motors is a nonsense - There is no regulation on charges, types, systems, they all use different criteria. On the face of it, you are getting a like-for-like quote, but the data detailed behind that quote is not the same.....my car is regarded as a group 97l, which is the same as a group 17 with a different insurer.....why? the insurance advisor said they can be more accurate.....I asked 97 ot of what.....

...would you believe 100! I sarcastically said "so my 15yr old banger, worth about Ԛ£7K is nearly the same grouping as a Bentley or Ferrari, amazing and stupid" The bint on the other end said "Sorry, I dont know the grouping for a Ferrari, do you want me check for you sir!" - God, give me strength!

[Gwynleym10]

I ve often though that the insurance industry was going completely against the European human rights act as it is, ageist, sexist, jobist pretty much all the ist that you can throw at it!

[wayneE30]

well i think i did the right thing by becoming a lorry driver i hope that puts my insurance down

[dominik_g]

I HAVE JUST BEEN READING ALL THE ABOVE POSTS & NOTICED THATY THE TOPIC IS GETTING CHEAP CAR INSURANCE, SO I THOUGHT I WOULD BRING IT TO LIGHT THAT I AM A SALES MANAGER FOR A INSURANCE BROKER CALLED GSI INSURANCE WITH SPECIAL SCHEMES AVAILABLE FOR THE LIKES OF YOURSELVES. I PERSONALLY OWN A E30 325I CAB WHICH IS INSURED HERE WITH MODS ETC.

YOU CAN CONTACT ME ON 01933 411888, EXT 409
IF IM ON THE OTHER LINE THEN JUST LEAVE A MSG & I SHALL COME STRAIGHT BACK TO YOU ( I PERSONALLY WANT TO LOOK AFTER MY FELLOW E30'ers.

THANKS, DOMINIK

[dominik_g]

I HAVE JUST BEEN READING ALL THE ABOVE POSTS & NOTICED THAT THE TOPIC IS GETTING CHEAP CAR INSURANCE, SO I THOUGHT I WOULD BRING IT TO LIGHT THAT I AM A SALES MANAGER FOR A INSURANCE BROKER CALLED GSI INSURANCE WITH SPECIAL SCHEMES AVAILABLE FOR THE LIKES OF YOURSELVES. I PERSONALLY OWN A E30 325I CAB WHICH IS INSURED HERE WITH MODS ETC.

YOU CAN CONTACT ME ON 01933 411888, EXT 409
IF IM ON THE OTHER LINE THEN JUST LEAVE A MSG & I SHALL COME STRAIGHT BACK TO YOU ( I PERSONALLY WANT TO LOOK AFTER MY FELLOW E30'ers.)

THANKS, DOMINIK

[E30BeemerLad]

As some of you know, I work for a specialist law firm which deals with RTA cases, which we get referred directly by the client's insurance company.

I am in talks with a specialist broker who specialises in Non-Standard risks, like most of us really!

Once I have something in place where they have agreed they will give Zoners a discount I will post something up there.

As a general principal, most of the run of the mill insurers like Tesco (underwritten by UK Insurance - part of RBS/ Direct Line) and Norwich Union will quite often be crap for younger drivers on anything other than a 1.0L Saxo, but tesco had adopted a pretty aggressive stance on pricing for a number of years in order to build up a large book of business, but now they are obviously shifting some of their underwriting criterea or take the piss thinking that bloke has been with us for 3 years, he obviously doesn't shop around so we'll send out a shit renewal and he will probably just let the policy run into the new policy.

You are quite often going to find a better deal using a broker like GSI mentioned above who will run your details past insurers who specialise in a particular type of risk, so you should be able to drive a better deal. But occasionally you do get the odd direct insurer who pulls in an attractive quote. Golden rule really is just shop around

Will bring you news on the Zone special deal if it materialises.