NCD new car/transition question

Soldato
Joined
2 Jul 2010
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3,098
I may be getting a new car at the end of this month.

However, I still need to sell my current car, which could mean potentially having to insure two cars at the same time.

The quote for the new car with 0 years NCD is £390 dearer than when I get a quote with 1 year NCD - I know, huge difference (and don't forget, you can only use your NCD on one car at a time).

Does anybody have any suggestions as to the best way to go about this? I do not believe my current insurer offers a multi-car policy at the moment.

Possible options I have thought of are:
  • Ask if the new insurer on the new car will temporarily accept my 1 year NCD despite it being used on the old car. Is this generally possible?
  • Buy the new policy with 0 years NCD and then make a mid-term adjustment for the NCD? Again, is this even possible? If not and if within the 2 week grace period, I am thinking it could be worth cancelling and restarting the policy with the NCD.
  • Cancel the policy on the old car and take out temporary cover on it instead. Then buy the new policy with 1 year NCD. The issue with this is a 3 week policy (assuming I sell the old car in 5 weeks from now, with the new one arriving in 2 weeks) will still cost around £200. However, this would save me £190 in the long run.
  • Prepare to compromise on the price I sell the current car for to sell it quicker, with the £390 insurance saving on the new car in mind.
I usually wouldn't care but £390 is 25% off and I do not want to leave money on the table, given I am already losing my 2nd year of NCD due to cancelling before the current policy renews.
 
Soldato
OP
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2 Jul 2010
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So I've rang the potential new insurer and they've said:
  • I'll have up to 2 weeks to give NCD proof from the inception of the policy but this is extendable by another 2 weeks if necessary
  • Failing that, or if it takes longer than 4 weeks from the inception date of the policy, they may be able to provide temporary cover as part of my new policy with them (at which point the NCD would be transferred over as the old policy would be cancelled).
All in all, I think I've answered my question unless there are any other suggestions.
 
Don
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Spalding, Lincolnshire
Why not just transfer the existing policy to the new car when you get it?

Either then take out temporary cover on the old car, or leave it uninsured (as long as it's on private property and SORN - although obviously if it gets stolen in the mean time you'll be out of pocket)
 
Associate
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The North
Also, can you not just ask your insurer to swap main cars and add your other car on a temporary basis while you sell it? I was planning on doing this and was told it was no bother, as it turns out it's worked a different way for me but insurers are perfectly willing to do it usually
 
Soldato
OP
Joined
2 Jul 2010
Posts
3,098
Why not just transfer the existing policy to the new car when you get it?

Either then take out temporary cover on the old car, or leave it uninsured (as long as it's on private property and SORN - although obviously if it gets stolen in the mean time you'll be out of pocket)

Also, can you not just ask your insurer to swap main cars and add your other car on a temporary basis while you sell it? I was planning on doing this and was told it was no bother, as it turns out it's worked a different way for me but insurers are perfectly willing to do it usually

My current insurer is fairly bad to be honest with you. High charges for changes and on the comparison sites for the new car, they're coming in a lot more expensive than other insurers (and almost double my current premium). The impact of 2 years NCD vs 1 year isn't enough for me to justify it.

With that in mind, I could ring them up and ask (who knows, I may be pleasantly surprised) but the customer service isn't too great either and probably isn't worth the hassle.

And in case you were wondering 'how bad can it be?', feast your eyes on this.
 
Associate
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Rugby
What I did the last couple of times I've changed cars was to transfer my current policy to the new car, and take out a new, standard policy on the old car. Once I got rid of the old car, I cancelled the new policy.
You have to be careful which insurers you us for this though, as most charge a large admin fee for any cancellations. There are a few, however, that have no admin fee for cancellations within 14 days (Directline & churchill iirc are ones I've used)
 
Soldato
OP
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There are a few, however, that have no admin fee for cancellations within 14 days (Directline & churchill iirc are ones I've used)

Unfortunately that no longer appears to be the case!

I've been able to find temp cover for my current car at a slightly lower price than in the OP too. I think this is likely to be the best option unless there are any insurers with 0 cancellation fees (not including the coverage used).
 
Associate
Joined
20 Feb 2009
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Location
Rugby
Unfortunately that no longer appears to be the case!

I've been able to find temp cover for my current car at a slightly lower price than in the OP too. I think this is likely to be the best option unless there are any insurers with 0 cancellation fees (not including the coverage used).
I used Directline a couple of months ago, and that was the case & I've just had a quick look at their website, and it's still saying that in the automated chat. You'll be charged pro-rata for the days used, but there's no admin fee within 14 days.
I found it to be significantly cheaper than the temporary insurance policies (the only ones I found cheaper were only valid if the car was covered by another policy fully comp)
 
Soldato
OP
Joined
2 Jul 2010
Posts
3,098
I used Directline a couple of months ago, and that was the case & I've just had a quick look at their website, and it's still saying that in the automated chat. You'll be charged pro-rata for the days used, but there's no admin fee within 14 days.
I found it to be significantly cheaper than the temporary insurance policies (the only ones I found cheaper were only valid if the car was covered by another policy fully comp)

My apologies in that case! Will dig further as that would definitely be cheaper than temp cover.

I wonder if this can be done successively for 4 weeks of cover.
 
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