Admiral Insurance confusion

[R8Reece]

R8Reece said:

I've just emailed them a list of factory fitted options so will see what they say.

...and received a reply saying that "modifications are not covered under your policy" despite stating in my email that I was declaring factoring fitted options.

Feels like a call will be needed

Edited by R8Reece on Wednesday 14th July 22:03

Edited by R8Reece on Wednesday 14th July 22:03

[Superleg48]

R8Reece said:

R8Reece said:

I've just emailed them a list of factory fitted options so will see what they say.

...and received a reply saying that "modifications are not covered under your policy" despite stating in my email that I was declaring factoring fitted options.

Feels like a call will be needed :bandhead;

Yet, on their website when getting a quote and within the manage my account section, there is a raft of modifications you can declare and they adjust your premium accordingly.

[drcarrera]

Superleg48 said:

Yet, on their website when getting a quote and within the manage my account section, there is a raft of modifications you can declare and they adjust your premium accordingly.

Up to a point ....
It's not very granular so my leather interior became "interior changes" which could mean anything, really. There's not anywhere to put specific things like upgraded audio, electric seats etc in the standard fields.
As for nose lift, I guess it may come under "suspension modifications" but if you tick that it says it can't be changed online.
I gave them the full list of optional extras on my car (essentially Lux and Sec packs, VO paint and super L/W wheels) when I took out the policy and the only boxes they ticked were "Interior changes, Exterior decorative changes, Parking sensors, Parking assist".

[Superleg48]

drcarrera said:

Up to a point ....
It's not very granular so my leather interior became "interior changes" which could mean anything, really. There's not anywhere to put specific things like upgraded audio, electric seats etc in the standard fields.
As for nose lift, I guess it may come under "suspension modifications" but if you tick that it says it can't be changed online.
I gave them the full list of optional extras on my car (essentially Lux and Sec packs, VO paint and super L/W wheels) when I took out the policy and the only boxes they ticked were "Interior changes, Exterior decorative changes, Parking sensors, Parking assist".

I understand, but you can only reasonably declare things within the available categories they provide. If their website is not granular enough, that is not your fault. In the event of a dispute over a claim, I would wager that the ombudsman would declare in your favour, as you ticked the boxes they provided to cover the items you want to cover within the scope of what is available for you to select.

Of course you can avoid this altogether by going to a specialist insurer or an insurer that includes factory options as standard, such as Zurich. I opted for Admiral Multi Car because we have 4 cars to insure and the multicar policy is competitive, but with a couple of the cars, I have ticked just about every one of their modification box categories.

[R8Reece]

Emailed in to Admiral with a list of 15/20 factory installed options, charged me £9.50 to add them which I think is a standard change fee rather than a premium increase.

[drcarrera]

Superleg48 said:

drcarrera said:

Up to a point ....
It's not very granular so my leather interior became "interior changes" which could mean anything, really. There's not anywhere to put specific things like upgraded audio, electric seats etc in the standard fields.
As for nose lift, I guess it may come under "suspension modifications" but if you tick that it says it can't be changed online.
I gave them the full list of optional extras on my car (essentially Lux and Sec packs, VO paint and super L/W wheels) when I took out the policy and the only boxes they ticked were "Interior changes, Exterior decorative changes, Parking sensors, Parking assist".

I understand, but you can only reasonably declare things within the available categories they provide. If their website is not granular enough, that is not your fault. In the event of a dispute over a claim, I would wager that the ombudsman would declare in your favour, as you ticked the boxes they provided to cover the items you want to cover within the scope of what is available for you to select.

Of course you can avoid this altogether by going to a specialist insurer or an insurer that includes factory options as standard, such as Zurich. I opted for Admiral Multi Car because we have 4 cars to insure and the multicar policy is competitive, but with a couple of the cars, I have ticked just about every one of their modification box categories.

I told them over the phone every option it had so I should be OK.
Admiral were the only company who would quote me without the premium being well into four figures. The main sticking points with other companies being I hadn't already had the car for a year and it didn't have a tracker - one of the first things I asked the dealer about.
When I did collect the car after going with Admiral the dealer presented me with two tracker fobs and the tracker paperwork!
Anyway, at least I should be able to shop around a bit more next year ...

[Ray_MV]

it amazes me that people who spend £200k on a supercar take out the Tesco value equivalent of insurance for the sake of a few hundred quid. I got severely burnt by Admiral on a £100k car when I had a theft claim (now with the Ombudsman due to their terrible business practices).

You get what you pay for and my experience with specialist brokers and underwriters like Chubb etc for my supercars has been amazing. I wouldn’t dream of ever using a high street insurer again for such a special asset.

For example with First Point and Chubb: can I drive my friends Supercar fully comprehensive? Of course! Track day cover included? Absolutely and no additional cost. Change the exhaust? 100% fine and no cost. Agreed value? Without doubt! Will you cover my PPF replacement if the car is in an accident? Absolutely. VIP invitations to events? You bet.

I’d cancel the Admiral policy immediately and get some proper insurance for such an amazing machine.

[Cheib]

The likes of Chubb also don’t care about things like NCB….they look at your driving record and the car and asses on that. I’ve got a fleet/multi-car with Zurich Private Client for most of our cars but my classic 911 is with Chubb…valuable car that I wouldn’t dream of covering for what they charge…and yes the comprehensive level of cover is outstanding.

[spanner10]

Ray_MV said:

it amazes me that people who spend £200k on a supercar take out the Tesco value equivalent of insurance for the sake of a few hundred quid. I got severely burnt by Admiral on a £100k car when I had a theft claim (now with the Ombudsman due to their terrible business practices).

You get what you pay for and my experience with specialist brokers and underwriters like Chubb etc for my supercars has been amazing. I wouldn’t dream of ever using a high street insurer again for such a special asset.

For example with First Point and Chubb: can I drive my friends Supercar fully comprehensive? Of course! Track day cover included? Absolutely and no additional cost. Change the exhaust? 100% fine and no cost. Agreed value? Without doubt! Will you cover my PPF replacement if the car is in an accident? Absolutely. VIP invitations to events? You bet.

I’d cancel the Admiral policy immediately and get some proper insurance for such an amazing machine.

This^^

Exactly the advice I offer clients

Chubb and Zurich Private Clients both offer proper cover and in the context of £200k car what really is £500 ( many cases much less) extra premium? You may never have a claim of course, but if you do you will wish you had a proper insurer behind you . Debating whether £9.50 is due for something which was a common option should tell you exactly how they will behave faced with a write off. Agreed value alone is worth the extra

[12pack]

Cheib said:

The likes of Chubb also don’t care about things like NCB….they look at your driving record and the car and asses on that. I’ve got a fleet/multi-car with Zurich Private Client for most of our cars but my classic 911 is with Chubb…valuable car that I wouldn’t dream of covering for what they charge…and yes the comprehensive level of cover is outstanding.

Another vote for Chubb (multicar)

[davek_964]

I previously had one of these posh insurance policies - and despite being more expensive, I did like some of the benefits it gave me.

However - when I bought the McLaren, most of them wouldn't touch it because it wasn't garaged - and those that did, didn't offer any benefits over a much cheaper policy with Admiral except for their "brand" - and the hope they'd be more willing to pay out.

I will need to shop around in the next month myself - but I suspect I will have the same limited choice - probably even more so since I've stopped paying for Tracker.

[Pheedbak]

12pack said:

Another vote for Chubb (multicar)

I might be being slow but I can't seem to quote through Chubb online direct. It is directing me to a broker. Can anyone recommend a broker they have used?

Thanks!

[Cheib]

Pheedbak said:

12pack said:

Another vote for Chubb (multicar)

I might be being slow but I can't seem to quote through Chubb online direct. It is directing me to a broker. Can anyone recommend a broker they have used?

Thanks!

I use Nowell and Richards....no affiliation other than I use them and were recommended by someone on here. Chubb, Hiscox, Zurich Private Client etc
They all have slight differences....Hiscox for example include GAP insurance for two years if you buy the car new. Zurich include track days, Chubb include diminution cover. That's why you need a broker really as you need to know which is best for how you use the car.

[Kyodo]

davek_964 said:

I previously had one of these posh insurance policies - and despite being more expensive, I did like some of the benefits it gave me.

However - when I bought the McLaren, most of them wouldn't touch it because it wasn't garaged - and those that did, didn't offer any benefits over a much cheaper policy with Admiral except for their "brand"....

I'd suggest though Dave that the differences would become very clear in the event of a serious claim(?)

[Ray_MV]

Kyodo said:

davek_964 said:

I previously had one of these posh insurance policies - and despite being more expensive, I did like some of the benefits it gave me.

However - when I bought the McLaren, most of them wouldn't touch it because it wasn't garaged - and those that did, didn't offer any benefits over a much cheaper policy with Admiral except for their "brand"....

I'd suggest though Dave that the differences would become very clear in the event of a serious claim(?)

I use First Point, ask for Gary. Chubb don’t insist on the car being garaged. Locktons (brokers) are also good in my experience.

Good luck with getting the true market value of your car with Admiral in the event of a claim. I would only have an agreed value policy for a supercar.

[T70RPM]

I spent 10 years in the insurance industry in a previous life, in both claims and sales, and I can recall that 'cheap' insurance usually a very risky prospect.
Companies like 'Admiral' and all the direct companies only want the perfect, minimal risk.
They will remove lots of what you would consider 'normal cover' to get the price down.
About the only thing you've got for your money is a legal document to wave which says 'your insured.'
If you're lucky, and you never have to claim, that is, of course, fine.....

[Rock Studly]

I have used Admiral for a number of years. Currently have a claim going through for flood damage on a California. The bill is in excess of £30k and they have been as good as gold - no quibble and very efficient. I don't know about values should the car be stolen or written off but my experience has been a happy one. And the renewal actually went down - <£500!!

[davek_964]

Rock Studly said:

I have used Admiral for a number of years. Currently have a claim going through for flood damage on a California. The bill is in excess of £30k and they have been as good as gold - no quibble and very efficient. I don't know about values should the car be stolen or written off but my experience has been a happy one. And the renewal actually went down - <£500!!

I've heard similar positive stories from a few owners before. I don't think Admiral are quite as bad as some people believe.

I will need to shop around in about 3-4 weeks, so I will update how I get on with my quotes then. But unless something has changed significantly, most insurers will refuse to cover my car because it's kept on a driveway without tracker. Doesn't really matter whether other people have got cover for that - I couldn't two years ago (and that was with tracker), with all of the names mentioned so far.
Even if I can - if it is significantly more expensive - I will probably stay where I am. The "at least they'd pay out properly" argument is moot unless it's agreed value, and there is a limit to how much more I'll pay annually just because they "might" be better in the event of a claim.
I'm sure insurance is similar to most things - you get what you pay for - but I'm afraid I don't believe that the expensive policies are going to be falling over themselves to offer you as much money as they can in the event of a claim. Insurance just doesn't work that way - so as I said, unless it's agreed value I really don't believe the expensive policies are any guarantee of a better settlement. IF they provide additional benefits - which my policies did before I switched to Admiral - then they may be worth a bit more money, within reason.

Last year, I think I paid around £1k to cover two cars. I'm now up to three, so I'm guessing renewal will be somewhere in the region of £1,300. I bet the "proper" insurers won't even match that for just the 650 (currently insured for 8k miles a year). But we'll see - perhaps I'll be pleasantly surprised.

Edited by davek_964 on Friday 16th July 08:21