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[nomad8459]

Your right JJ it doesn't and that was my main point really, something is fishy with insurance!

It is unfair that its compulsory and yet is unregulated to the extent that they can charge what they want, I wish I could set up a business where the government forced you to pay me whatever I asked of you!

Its everywhere, water, electric, gas, oil, insurance, council tax, national insurance, dvla, you are forced to pay to keep all these people in work! Its a great business model for the ones who own the businesses!

[funkydoodycool]

I got out of the insurance industry after 8 years of it, I once ran an insurance office.  There was so much corruption I couldn't stay part of it.

[nomad8459]

Good for you dude, I worked in insurance about ten years ago as a sales advisor, I remember shaming at the differences in premiums between their target market and their non target market, a lot of that particular industry was targeted by profession. I left partly because I couldn't sell the BS that they wanted us to!

Some quotes at that time could be as low as £198 all the way up to £3000! Its worse now of course

[funkydoodycool]

Maybe we shoulda stayed and fixed it

[nomad8459]

Head, meet wall! Institutions protect themselves!

[LadyV]

I work for many travel insurers and the policy s are pretty much the same as car in the sense that you have to declare everything, but it really is all about statistics...it's not fair but that's insurance for you. The only thing you can do is spend time researching what you really need out of your policy and compare, compare, compare.

[funkydoodycool]

It is unfair that its compulsory and yet is unregulated to the extent that they can charge what they want, I wish I could set up a business where the government forced you to pay me whatever I asked of you!

Regulation wouldn't help. The government stepped in to regulate rail fares, and this year they went up by "only" 8%.

Car insurers always get you. They always undervalue your car in times of total loss (I know because I was pressured to do it). Then they put up your premium to cover the costs over the next couple of years. They never end up out of pocket.

Sorry if I mentioned this one already, but on my primera I damaged an alloy. £500 for a new one. Decided to spend £500 on a nice set of after market wheels. Insurer offered to cover like for like... With an annual additional premium of £400 and an excess of £500 for the wheels. So every year they weren't stolen, I was paying for them again, and if they were stolen, the excess was their value. I asked why then was there an additional premium, and they told me because they're a high risk item an it's "like for like cover"!

[Big Dunc]

People (sometimes myself included) are very negative about car insurance premiums.

However, it is a very competative market.  They all want large market share.  They know, most people, only consider cost when choosing.

Therefore, people who shop around can get a lower cost.  Whether or not that is a better policy is a different matter.

[Problemchild]

its all a bit of a joke really and they will take money off you for everything.

have you looked at your windscreen cover recently?? replacement has now increased and this year the free repair that autoglass offer is now £10 (this is direct line who i consider one of the more straight laced)

also, add an aftermarket air filter and they add a bit to your premium, add bigger brakes or spend a decent amount on tyres.....they don't take any money off

it is all related to the claims - whiplash etc!! i know in some cases its a necessity but everyone is encouraged to do it now rather than just when needed.

i have never found insurance expensive. my saxo vtr i bought brand new with 2yrs free insurance which i kept for 5 years and yrs 3/4/5 slowly reduced as my NCB increased.

now i have full/protected NCB and never had an accident but have had windscreens, glass roof, 3 cars broken into and claimed for loss of personal effects and audio equipment, and on the fortwo, claimed for new leather seats, dash parts and window tinting as they kicked my side window through into the car and it tore the leather and scratched everything.

anyway - what rating are your postcodes? how many years NCB do you have? have you made claims?

JJ

[funkydoodycool]

Postcode D, 10 years no claims, no accidents they needed to know about, and one SP30 9years ago...

[Problemchild]

Age?

JJ

[funkydoodycool]

31

[Problemchild]

I'm just 35 so maybe why mine was lower but still seems to be quite a big difference but it wasn't much more when I bought it 3 years ago... maybe as a civil servant I'm seen as boring and grey

JJ

[Big Dunc]

I suspect that a large part of the difference is that JJ has his insured as a third car and it does a low milage.

I own other cars, which are I insure much more cheaply than the Brabus because they only do a low milage and are garaged.  I am sure that if I only did a few thousand miles in the Brabus I could insure it for half the price I do.

As said by JJ, the other significant factors are postcode, driver age and claims / accident history.

[Problemchild]

My BRAB is my main car - my pug306cab is my third car.

JJ