Ridiculous Insurance Quotes..

[Kris Eagling]

Hi Everyone

My Insurance on my "10 Plate Fiesta 1.25 3Dr Petrol is up for renewal within the next month so I thought I'd spend my saturday shopping around to see what prices were like and if there were any deals to be had.

I already know that insurance rates have gone up so I was expecting to pay maybe £200 more than I am now, I am currently paying £2193 per year

So I began shopping around, trying my best to avoid the unbearable gocomapre moustache man..

I checked out some of the regular people, and my current provider such as LV, when I first got my car I had been driving for little over a year with 0 years no claims bonus as I was a named driver on my dads car before hand. Now I have 2 years no claims bonus as this was a special deal LV offered me last year to stay with them, a 2 for the price of 1 NCB.

So when I got a new quote from LV this year I was pretty amazed in how much it had gone up, they quoted me £2695....

And the only reason they could give me for the price rise was that the insurance rates have gone up, and that they had already included a 5% discount as we already have another LV policy in the house.

I have been getting quotes ranging from £2200-£2800, im looking to pay around what i'm paying now if that is possible. My best quote was from the Co-op but I am wondering if any of you knowledgeable able people know any good brokers or insurance companies that I can use.

I am 19, live in the highest risk postcode possible, looking for fully comp cover

Thanks in advance

Kris :)

[michmash/eddie]

those prices are pretty shocking evn though you are a young driver.

My mate on the s1 rs turbo site know someone who deals with insurance, i will try and get his contact details and get them to you

regards

[calmcdermott]

I can't believe your paying so much money! I'm 20 with 4 yrs ncb at renewal and next year my insurance should be around 900.00, have you looked at changing your annual milage as sometimes you can Put it too low and have you also looked at excess?

[lufc_lad]

I can't believe your paying so much money! I'm 20 with 4 yrs ncb at renewal and next year my insurance should be around 900.00, have you looked at changing your annual milage as sometimes you can Put it too low and have you also looked at excess?

4 years ncb?? How did you get that? Surely you haven't been driving 4 years.

Im 20, 2 years ncb and im paying £700

[iNath]

I'm 21, 3yrs no claims & also paying £700

[Nicola 88]

Try Admiral, they gave me the lowest price by several hundred pounds. Your insurance seems pretty steep even though you are young, my insurance was only £450 although I have £500 excess and low mileage but 0 years NCB :/ I looked at LV and they were a rip off. Fiddle around with mileage and excess, it may help.

[calmcdermott]

4 years ncb?? How did you get that? Surely you haven't been driving 4 years.

Im 20, 2 years ncb and im paying £700

Well im 21 in April, passed July 07 and im in Bradford, BD4 mate, one of this highest in the county, where r u from?

[calmcdermott]

Try Admiral, they gave me the lowest price by several hundred pounds. Your insurance seems pretty steep even though you are young, my insurance was only £450 although I have £500 excess and low mileage but 0 years NCB :/ I looked at LV and they were a rip off. Fiddle around with mileage and excess, it may help.

and your a lass so that always helps! I work for LV hehe

[lufc_lad]

Well im 21 in April, passed July 07 and im in Bradford, BD4 mate, one of this highest in the county, where r u from?

I live in Leeds, but im in the forces so i get my insurance cheap :)

[Kris Eagling]

I have tried fiddling around with the mileage etc, but I will be doing at least 12'000 a year as I commute to Stansted Airport sometimes as much as 5 times per week..

Each journey i do is at least a 55mile round trip

And to be perfectly honest it didn't take virtually anything off the premium, im talking around £30.. Not really worth it.

The problem is mostly my postcode I think, I live on the border of N9/EN3 which are 2 of the most highly rated postcodes in the country..

But the fact I'm only 19 doesn't help the situation

Nicola I did try admiral and they weren't the cheapest, but a few £100's cheaper than LV, and yeah my insurance is VERY steep..

michmash/eddie - That would be good if you can get me those details

But if anyone knows any other companies/brokers please don't hesitate to post them here, I will check EVERY one!

Many Thanks

Kris :)

[calmcdermott]

Have you tried one of your parents as a named driver, it knocked 800 of mine having my mum on

[sussex]

Being young, I have personally found only admiral/elephant/bell/diamond to be the only affordable option (my view, my experience)

[calmcdermott]

I'm with elephant who are underwritten by admiral

[kevin lancelott]

I am 33 got 11 years no claims and was with Swintons for years.Last year my insurance was £433 with all the bells and whistles now Swintons want £670 so I told them what they can do with that.

[michmash/eddie]

it seems to be effecting everyone regardless of age, NCB, experience etc...

I suppose in the current financial climate all companies are increasing their prices, the cost of running a car at the moment is !Removed! expensive.

Im 30 and i pay just under 400 a year for my fiesta, the same for my zafira. I really do not know how a lot of the younger drivers can afford to pay £2k+, its daylight robbery but there is not a lot that we can do about it.

[lufc_lad]

There are several insurance companies that aren't on the comparison websites, direct line being one of them i think. Maybe they will bring you more luck.

[Magenta]

If it's any consolation (and I know it isn't), this is the perspective from someone in their sixties. I think that the premiums that insurance companies are asking for here are totally out of proportion to the 'age risk'. It appears to rise exponentially whereas it should be in a more linear fashion to make sense. I have around fifty years driving experience, not totally unblemished by accidents I might add and pay about £400 which I think is still too much. I always shop around at renewal time and the best quotes I had were from Swiftcover and FordInsure/Royal Sun Alliance. I don't have a lot of time for the insurance industry. They bleat about increased risks and costs but are simply only interested in taking your money. When it comes to paying out, their main aim is to look for a get out. You complete your side of the bargain by paying your premium but they are very reluctant to keep their side of the contract. The sort of astronomic prices being asked for here are ridiculous I think.

[KeithC]

Liverpool Victoria are an excellent insurance company and you only realise how good insurance companies are when you need to claim. Think we pay around £220 for the Fiesta and that's with Protected no claims, courtesy car, legal etc etc and we also have my car and house insurance with them. I do get the impression they are not too interested in insuring high risk drivers, along with a lot of other companies, hence the very expensive premiums they are offering, which is good for me as they keep their costs down and my premiums low.

The OP's problem is his postcode and there's nothing they can do other than move. Yes, they may knock a bit off here and there, but they are going to struggle with that postcode. Age and postcode are the biggest factors in insurance when comparing like for like.

Ringing companies is also a better bet than the comparison websites as they can tailor the cover to suit exactly what you want whereas the websites won't offer anywhere near as many options.

[sussex]

I had to claim through elephant last year they were EXCELLENT.

All car insurance seems to be on the up anyway. got a quote last month and a quote yesterday, gone up 20%, thats pretty much across the board not just one company

[Kris Eagling]

Just to update a few of you, and answer a few of your questions.

I have found LV are a very good company but I simply cannot afford to pay the premium they are asking, like another poster said it is due to a number of factors such as age, postcode etc.

Another poster suggested I try direct line, online they were unable to offer me a quote online, so I haven't as yet been on the phone to them as I'm sure it's going to be an expensive quote.

I will get on tinternet and have a look at the others suggested and see what they conjure up.

Thanks for all the suggestions in the mean time

Kris Eagling

[iNath]

Follow this guide and you'll be able to get 200+ quotes fairly quickly.

[Nico.]

Try Admiral, they gave me the lowest price by several hundred pounds. Your insurance seems pretty steep even though you are young, my insurance was only £450 although I have £500 excess and low mileage but 0 years NCB :/ I looked at LV and they were a rip off. Fiddle around with mileage and excess, it may help.

the first year i was on admiral an this year am on elephant (part of admiral) i think? i gettin 2 and half k quotes... add parents on it :) my mum alone on the insurance as a second driver dropped it right down

[AndrewL]

Give Endsleigh a go - they're good with young people with decent cars and students etc.

[Mark M.K]

Avoid Direct line if you are under 25. They wont let you have any factory fit extra's (yes that does include the full dress up kit) or after market mods on your car untill you reach 25. I've moved to admiral who allow this sort of thing, and they are £200 cheaper than direct line

[sparticus5]

Sorry for the long reply :( A few pointers that may help:

There are no hard and fast rules for getting cheaper insurance, you just have to shop around as many companies as you dare. It's pointless taking advice from people who say try this insurer / try that insurer - insurance is tailored to YOUR individual needs. Even if twins with exactly the same driving records, who stay at the same address were to look for insurance, one drove a 1.25 Fiesta, the other a 1.6 it's almost guaranteed the same broker will not provide the cheapest insurance for both cars.

Get out the Yellow pages, list EVERY insurer and broker and get INTERNET quotes from all of them.

Price comparison websites have their place but remember one thing, who pays for that annoying moustache man to sing on TV? Comparison websites make their money by taking a % off YOUR premium.

Also worth checking cashback websites like www.topcashback.co.uk and see what they're offering. You normally get anything between £20-£100 back. (basically the commission the comparison websites take). Just to use as an example, Swinton are offering a £30 cashback on car insurance right now. However if you access their website via topcashback, you get another £40 back. That's a total of £70 off the price.

In my experience it's pointless calling insurers or even bothering talking to people who call up to say we may be able to lower your quote - they never can. The staff who call you up need to make a living and they too take a % commission - it YOU who pays for that.

Just because Company A belongs to the same group as company B, that doesn't mean the two prices will be the same - you must call every broker / insurer for a price.

I'm mid 40's, clean driving record, max ncd, live in a low risk area and my premium would have been around £290. My partner on the policy increased the premium, as did adding my fathers name, but if I added just my mothers name on the policy, the price dropped to about £240. And with various cashbacks and deals a protected fully comp policy on a 1.6Zetec S (new car) with Ford Insure cost me around £185 this year. It's certainly worth adding at least one parent on to the policy as a named driver.

I really do sympathise with young drivers though - prices quoted bare no relation to the increased risk, basically I couldn't afford a car if I were your age. And the reason they get away with charging these prices is because people are still willing to pay that sort of money. Everyone knocks the EU but I really do agree with them challenging the insurance industry - how can an insurer charge two different fees depending on your s*x? Take my twins example from above, this time they've just passed their driving test and both buy identical cars. The way insurance works right now, the male will be charged more than the female :o

The insurance industry stinks something rotten. And unless people do spend time searching around for cheaper quotes then insurers will be more than happy to rip you off.