Insurer recommendations

[stevejmorgan]

Hi All
I'm (hopefully} about to buy a 1998 Chimaera 4.0. It will be a 2nd car probably do 2-4k per year.
I had a tvr in the early 2000s and insured through Adrian Flux.
Just wondering if current owners can give any insurer recommendations and what I should reasonably expect in terms of premium for full comp. I'm not after the cheapest & will take service recommendations into account but nor do I want to get ripped off being mid-fifties and +20 years no claims.
Thanks in advance!
Steve

[gamefreaks]

I'm with Footman James, 40's. Clean driving history. Pay about £300/yr on a Chimaera 4.0.

No idea what they are like to claim off though!

[sixor8]

I've used FJ several times but they are expensive for me now, IMHO. They wanted £600 for my Griff. Writing a 2003 Mini off in June 2025 didn't help I expect. Lancaster, Peter James and Classicline may be worth a try too.

I got a very good quote from Aviva (£250), but using some NCD and insuring as a 'normal' car. I said 2k miles estimated, but the schedule says 4k miles when I took it out, they probably don't go any lower. I have several amounts of NCD built up on multiple cars over the years.

[citizen smith]

Hi, I've insured my Griff 500 with ClassicLine for £320 with an agreed valuation by the TVRCC, plus you get FREE Breakdown Cover included. Used them for many years, when owning other TVR's.

[stevejmorgan]

Thanks folks - really appreciate the suggestions - you've given me 3 of 4 to compare.
I'll update with what I go with!

Thanks again!

[NordicCrankShaft]

Footman James here, 42, no ncb on this car 4k per year, £225 a year.

[Robbo D]

Lancaster on my Chim 400 £211 with 25k agreed value and 1500 miles pa limit

[OchAye74]

When buying my Tuscan in Feb I found a lot of insurers didn’t want to know because of the number of changes, all of which are pretty common on T cars like Nitrons and aftermarket wheels. I had a provisional quote from Aviva under £300 with pretty much all options added but the changes made it an auto decline. Most specialist insurers wanted over £1k with one at £2k! I nearly had to walk away from the purchase but went with FJ at £500 plus I think £30 for returning the parts in the event of a write off. Being a TVR Car Club member supposedly gave a 15% discount. I also found FJ much easier to deal with than the other specialists. I’m hoping the cost comes down next year as it’s my first classic and that lack of history seemed to go against me. I also used the car club’s free valuation service so membership has more than paid for itself.

[sixor8]

Ah, yes, I'd forgotten I had to declare non standard wheels on my Griff as I have the SP12 wheels fitted. It may be why FJ were so much; Aviva didn't seem to mind.

[Byker28i]

I binned Classicline. They upped my insurance to nearly £900 because they dropped my no claims saying I couldn't have it on a classic policy. It's my only car insured with my no claims on that they did for 5 years before.

They also claimed it added more for the mods, a quiet exhaust system, and softer shocks, even though they'd insured it with those declared mods for 5 years previously. Wouldn't touch them. I went with Admiral in the end, no mileage restriction, keep my no claims with them, less than £250

[Byker28i]

sixor8 said:

Ah, yes, I'd forgotten I had to declare non standard wheels on my Griff as I have the SP12 wheels fitted. It may be why FJ were so much; Aviva didn't seem to mind.

God point, just had to change mine due to a cracked alloy. £13 for the change to policy

[stevejmorgan]

Thanks the replies all!
This will be the first time I've owned 2 motors - I get the impression from some comments that NCB can only applied to 1 vehicle. It's that correct?

[sixor8]

Yes, that's correct, especially if they ask you to prove it.

I've managed to build up separate amounts, by accident to start with, when a classic policy awarded some. Starting with zero can be pricey to start with, but at a certain age, not too bad.....

[The Three D Mucketeer]

stevejmorgan said:

Thanks the replies all!
This will be the first time I've owned 2 motors - I get the impression from some comments that NCB can only applied to 1 vehicle. It's that correct?

Not my experience .. I had 4 cars and No Claims Discount on all 4 cars from day one of insuring them
3 were TVRs all with agreed values

[sixor8]

It is not legal to use NCD on more than one policy. An insurer may accept a declaration and ask for proof in the event of a claim, or may mirror it to give a discount.

Classic car polices, however, often neither utilise nor earn NCD. I've had polices like that, Footman James for example.

I have just provided proof of 8 years NCD to Aviva and this was clearly stated.



[footnote]

Edited by sixor8 on Tuesday 2nd June 21:23

[Mr.Grooler]

I’ve got my Griff and a couple of other cars insured through Howdens (formerly A-Plan); you call their office and speak to a real person and I’ve always found them very helpful, and competitive for most quotes I’ve had so far. It does need to be in normal working hours therefore, although documents go into an online portal.

There are so many variables in insurance costs it’s perhaps pointless to say what anyone pays, however it’s worth giving them and a few other brokers a call to get a good idea of a sensible price.

You can do a bolt-on breakdown cover through Howdens too, I think it’s about £40 or £50 for the Griff.

[TVR Tommy]

I’ve been with MSM insurance for 14 years. They are well priced and sorted out a windscreen claim with no faffing.

Also a polite bunch of people and are prompt to answer any questions.

[sixor8]

I thought you meant Money Supermarket until I did a search. Thar's a new one on me, I've tried for classic cover on TVRs for over 25 years on and off and thought I'd tried them all

https://msminsurance.co.uk/personal-insurance/moto...

[nawarne]

I've been with Mannings for the last 16 years.
I have shopped around from time to time, and although I might get quotes saving £50-£100, very few underwriters cover track-days which Manning's underwriter does.

Ultimately, for me, it's how well they treat you when(if) you have to claim. I cannot fault Mannings in this area.
Approximately 5 years ago I picked up a stone on the windscreen. The glass repair people could not find a Tuscan replacement screen in the UK at that time. I was put in touch with ACS near Frankfurt who had several in the warehouse. Outcome for me was that Ann Manning contacted underwriters and explained the situation. It was agreed I could have the screen replaced in Germany(en route back home from a French trip), and if I retained receipts, all I would have to pay was the £100 excess for using an independent glass supplier.
It's that 'extra mile' thing that counts for me......And, when renewing, you're never asked "how many seats does the car have"!!

Nick.

[sixor8]

It was the windscreen thing that was one of my reasons for going to Aviva with the Griff. The excess is higher than most for a new screen (£150) but there is no upper limit. My previous policy (KGM via Performance Direct) had a ceiling of £500 for a windscreen claim. They cost about that just to buy now, and in the last 8 years, I've had to have new screens in a Chimaera, a Cerbera and a Boxster.

Some of the cheaper fully comp policies do not cover glass claims, which means they're not what they say on the tin really. Modern windscreens can b expensive due to heated varieties, HUDs and cameras / sensors that need calibration.