Has anyone seen their insurance go UP?
Discussion
Just curious, have been running a few quotes for a 2/3 year old X1, with me as the main driver (license 18 years) and adding the mrs as an additional driver (license 2 years).
She's been thinking of doing the IAM course and test, so out of curiosity I got the quote with and without the certificate for her.
With me as owner/keeper/main driver and no cert the cheapest non telematic quote came in at £731. I went back, and this time said she has the IAM cert, and the cheapest quote went up to £853 which I was rather surprised about.
Clearly her length of holding the license is a factor (without her my cheapest quote is about £570, though strangely the company that gives the best quote with her -Admiral- only comes in at £40 less by taking her off...) but overall, comparing like for like, I was very very surprised to see costs go up...
I know there are companies that discount for IAM members, but I'm now really wondering what the heck they're playing at. I know I know, skill for life etc, but its a huge detractor if costs go up!
She's been thinking of doing the IAM course and test, so out of curiosity I got the quote with and without the certificate for her.
With me as owner/keeper/main driver and no cert the cheapest non telematic quote came in at £731. I went back, and this time said she has the IAM cert, and the cheapest quote went up to £853 which I was rather surprised about.
Clearly her length of holding the license is a factor (without her my cheapest quote is about £570, though strangely the company that gives the best quote with her -Admiral- only comes in at £40 less by taking her off...) but overall, comparing like for like, I was very very surprised to see costs go up...
I know there are companies that discount for IAM members, but I'm now really wondering what the heck they're playing at. I know I know, skill for life etc, but its a huge detractor if costs go up!
martine said:
I've never heard of insurance going up as a result of an IAM test. Have you had a quote from the IAM's broker: Adelaide Insurance who run the IAM 'Surety' scheme? It's consistently the cheapest I can find and a good policy as well.
Focus ST - £180 per year is pretty good I reckon.
We have one car insured through Adelaide - v competitive on our X5 with both of us IAM and didn't require a tracker. Last year they wouldn't touch the 911 but this year they were very keen to price match - probably due to the Cornhill takeover. Didn't go with them simply because they don't cover track days inclusively. But always very helpful, IF you have a reasonably mainstream vehicle (my more obscure motorcycles flummox them).Focus ST - £180 per year is pretty good I reckon.
This kind of price variation is generally nothing to do with your parameters - it's usually sites reading your online activity and adjusting prices. In most price-sensitive sectors (insurance, flights, etc) and particularly through comparison sites, once you start searching multiple options the price will ramp up. They are pretty sure you're buying, see you looking for the best price, and all of a sudden it costs more.
Good general advice:
Browse prices from a computer/connection you don't intend to use to buy in case you need to check again later.
Buy quickly if you like the price - if you keep looking it's unlikely to go down.
Good general advice:
Browse prices from a computer/connection you don't intend to use to buy in case you need to check again later.
Buy quickly if you like the price - if you keep looking it's unlikely to go down.
Both myself and another guy in my office that were insured with Admiral noticed that at renewal time ours both went up by £40... Got a considerably cheaper quote from confused and when ringing them up they surprisingly managed to get within £10 of...
Have also had the interesting conversation where they cant guarantee a quote for 24 hours in case the price of insurance changes.. So if the price of insurance can go up or down, so surely now its completely by chance you will get the cheapest quote?
Have also had the interesting conversation where they cant guarantee a quote for 24 hours in case the price of insurance changes.. So if the price of insurance can go up or down, so surely now its completely by chance you will get the cheapest quote?
I drive a Porsche 911 Turbo (& Subaru) and found my insurance went up by about £20 in the last year even with the car increasing in value by around £4,000. The value doesn't seem to affect it much if at all. Im also an advanced driver but this doesnt affect the premium except on the more expensive insurers so yes I get a discount of £50 off my £500 quote but nil off my £250 quote. Guess which one I chose. The biggest items Ive found to reduce premiums is 1) Limit mileage to agreed figure 5,000 or 7,000 miles ? 2) Increase voluntary excess to £500 or more, 3) Nominate drivers. Other variables like alarm, garage dont seem to affect it. Postcode is a big one but you cant move house for your car insyrance.
I too am insured with Admiral...
Every year, I get the renewal through and the new quote is more than the previous year. I do a couple of online quotes in a fictitious name just to get the idea of the market average, subtract £50.00 plus from that quote, or, £50.00 from the quote Admiral give me, if theirs is the lesser amount, then call admiral to discuss.
When I mention the fact that I am a Class 1 Advanced driver x2 (Cars and bikes) and expect a lesser premium for that alone, have my partner, a teacher, and two mates who are RAF Fighter Pilots who fly Spitfires and Hurricanes and also a host of other vintage aeroplanes in their spare time, all on the policy and how on earth can they decide to increase my premium with all these experts in these separate fields, where most if not all of the competition are offering lower quotes than themselves! They go away, have a fag, sip mint tea and then come back, usually with a new quote under the price quoted I produced for them and all is good for another year. And all with the same cover. This year they threw in free recovery too with no extra charge!
Its all a big game to them and they start it off by inflating the renewal fee. I join in by trumping them with a 'new quote' and they come to their senses and give me the quote they should have provided me with in the first place. Particularly when I am yet another year claim free down the line.
Oh and the cars are an Audi S4 Avant and an MGF Lotus engined beastie for the sunny days out in the countryside with the dog...! (He keeps leaning the wrong way on the motorbike so MGF it is!)
They try it on all of the time.... I just join them at their own game.
Every year, I get the renewal through and the new quote is more than the previous year. I do a couple of online quotes in a fictitious name just to get the idea of the market average, subtract £50.00 plus from that quote, or, £50.00 from the quote Admiral give me, if theirs is the lesser amount, then call admiral to discuss.
When I mention the fact that I am a Class 1 Advanced driver x2 (Cars and bikes) and expect a lesser premium for that alone, have my partner, a teacher, and two mates who are RAF Fighter Pilots who fly Spitfires and Hurricanes and also a host of other vintage aeroplanes in their spare time, all on the policy and how on earth can they decide to increase my premium with all these experts in these separate fields, where most if not all of the competition are offering lower quotes than themselves! They go away, have a fag, sip mint tea and then come back, usually with a new quote under the price quoted I produced for them and all is good for another year. And all with the same cover. This year they threw in free recovery too with no extra charge!
Its all a big game to them and they start it off by inflating the renewal fee. I join in by trumping them with a 'new quote' and they come to their senses and give me the quote they should have provided me with in the first place. Particularly when I am yet another year claim free down the line.
Oh and the cars are an Audi S4 Avant and an MGF Lotus engined beastie for the sunny days out in the countryside with the dog...! (He keeps leaning the wrong way on the motorbike so MGF it is!)
They try it on all of the time.... I just join them at their own game.
Edited by FlyingFin on Tuesday 17th March 23:33
IAM Surety is no good on performance cars. I could get them to match and quote below comparison site prices on my as-Class but they can't match on my 911 Turbo. For E14 postcode, the S-Class was under £700 but they want £3,600 for the 911. They said the postcode makes the biggest impact on premium.
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