Thetownend.com

Good afternoon, good people of the TEF

I'm trying to get the best renewal quote available for my car insurance.  I've got two claims (both minor, one fault, one non-fault) and three points on my licence.  I'm 26 and, by most indications, male, with three years no claims bonus. The lowest quote I can find using the on-line comparison websites is an annual premium of £460 from Swift cover.  This doesn't seem all that great to me - paying monthly its still over £40 a month. I do quite a high mileage admittedly, but similar to my good lady, who is the same age, who pays about £300 annually with the post office. Does anyone know of any way of getting cheaper quotes, or are my claims and points coming back to haunt me?

Cheers people.

car insurance is rising.the 3 points dont help you either.i'd lie about the mileage to get it down(that's what i do)

Ah I see - the old "lying" trick - I'll give that a go.  Cheers.

What do you drive?

Hastings direct is pretty good - just over 200 for me fully comp.

go via topcashback too as most offer cash back.

Swift i think is 28 quid - used them last year.

2009 Grande Punto, 1.4 petrol engine.

Cheers, I'll give them a go.

i put my milage in as 7000,when it's nearer 10,000.that said i aint ever claimed so dunno how they check

Mines closer to 18k a year - might chuck 12 in and see what happens.

hastings for me too and also 2 mates of mine said they were the best.
pug 306 1.8xs im 25 no points (anymore) no convictions (anymore).no claims in 7 years 320quid.

and aviva quoted me £1200

Admiral have quoted me £730 yesterday, endsleigh wanted over 900£. Fuck knows how the work it out.

I don't see whats wrong with understating the mileage. Obviously not to a massive extent, but they won't find out will they?

I got another 58 quid cashback by going via topcashback for Hastings.  58 is fixed too irrespective of how much your insurance costs.  Definitely worthwhile.

Only other ways to get it down will be to up the excess and add the mrs as a named driver.

I'm already at £500 excess and the lady as a named driver.  I think I'll give a few a call and give it the old "well, I've been quoted [insert bollocks amount here] from elsewhere, can you beat that?"

Find the cheapest online quote, then phone the company and haggle it even cheaper.

Do you do any business mileage?

Direct Line have always been the cheapest for me

I hope you mentioned the fact that car when not being used, is kept in the garage.

Do you pay separately for breakdown cover?

They'll usually chuck that in if you're haggling, so £40+ saved on that.

Have you tried Privilege insurance? Mines about £220. Heap of shit Astra with 9 yrs n/c mind...

Elephant for me. More than renewal was £27 which went up even though i've been with them for 5 years and not claimed a penny! Elephant was £18 pm fully comp.

£18 fully comp insurance?

Only about 1,000 miles, but have to have business cover.
Got free AA cover for a year when I bought the car.

Thanks for all the advice chaps.  I'll get lying/haggling.

Last year Direct Line new quote was cheaper than Direct Line renewal quote. So I rang up and they price matched themselves. Bizarre quirk of new business v retention I suppose.

Not sure they price match themselves any more as they didn't with home insurance, but there is nothing preventing you cancelling the current policy and taking out a new one. Just be sure to check they are (largely)  equivalent on things like excess and glass replacement, etc.

My renewal is due in a couple of weeks. I'll check again on a new quote :)

Ask the Meerkat,  simples :D

I only ask because I have it too, but when I clicked through from the comparison site it had listed my total mileage as business miles. So it's worth checking as it will be cheaper if it's wrong and you correct it.

Have you tryed the Co-op thay where cheap for me plus + I dives too £££££££££££££

Yep. Per month.

Ohhhhhhh, that makes sense. Missed the monthly bit!

tesco for me and know quite a few ppl on them. always seemed the cheapest that i could find

It's probably the points rather than the claim that is the problem.  I had 6 points on my licence and during that period my insurance was roughly the same.  When I could remove them after 4 years, my insurance dropped by over £150.  I know a number of people who haven't told their insurance companies about points to avoid the extra cost, but very risky if you were to be involved in an accident.  During the period I had the points, More Than and Co-Op were the cheapest for me.

I just did a a search as mine's up. Privilege, who I'm with already, came in at £28 per month. Then I got a renewal letter through from them, saying £38 a month!!

Billy, I would suggest that you just give up driving as you are an A Grade cunt.

Is that helpful?

Just to ignite the smug seniority thing, my car insurance fully comp is £10 a month and my bike insurance (five motorbikes of varying ages) is £120 a year fully comp.

I hope you choke.

Umm, bit harsh?

More helpful than usual TT.  I expected to be told that insurance was a manifestation of big brother style mind control, probably driven by capitalism and as such a direct impingement on some theoretical notion of my intellectual and physical freedom.  Or at the very least, I expected you to advise me to fuck the system.  Personally, I think you are slipping into moderation and acceptance of the status quo in your old age.

And yes - I am a cunt.  Win some, lose some.

I love you billy. don't ever change. xxx

Exactly what I expected. Top man.

I only posted it as I have been well and truly fucked up the arse continuously since I was 17 by the insurance companies. I paid over £350 a year in 1978 for my motorbike (yeah yeah yeah - that was fucking sheldloads then). I think the point is that a lot of people deride getting older as if you are about to turn into some sort of wheelchair spastic with an incontinence problem when in fact the best bit is that you are no longer in the stranglehold of rip off insurance.

I love you really Billy.

Mine's still in my dad's name, earning no claims as a named driver through Direct Line... it makes no financial sense to change it at the moment.

There was a story on this on the news the other day - 'fronting' I think it was called. It's illegal but who cares, all my children will get the same treatment of cheap insurance through their parents.

Yeah, it doesnt seem too legit, but meh...

You're alright until a copper starts getting arsey with you :)

I hate police though. Guilty until proven innocent with them, always the way.