How does modified/custom car insurance work and how is it calculated?

Akagi

Akagi

Akagi

Caporegime
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"Oh God not Acme again, I bet he is asking some stupid question about putting a V10 in his Polo LOL"

Hi all. When insuring a heavily modified car with a specialist such as Sky insurance, how is the insurance cost calculated?

1. Is it on an individual basis, or are there set "insurance bands" for the cars, based on some factors? (Power to weight, acceleration, safety rating of the base car, insurance bracket for the base car/engine car etc)

2. Also, when you heavily modify a car, does it have to be independantly inspected and re-registered, or do you just have to decare the extensive modifications and have a new MOT?

When I say heavily modified I mean:

- Non standard engine, possibly not from the same OEM
- Non standard gearbox, clutch, drivetrain, etc, possibly not from the same OEM
- Non standard suspension/ARB/links/etc
- Non standard brakes (incl rear disk conversion)
- Non standard wheels/tyre spec
- Non standard colour
- Non standard interior

3. And as an example (this might not be a question you can answer, if so, ignore) but if:

- A Polo 9N 1.2 costs £750 to insure
- A Golf IV R32 costs £2300 to insure

How much would a Polo 9N with an R32 engine, and all other relevant parts up-rated to suit (yes it has been done! :D) cost? I assume it would be more than the Golf R32?


4. How is road tax calculated? Based on the engine? Or would the car need an emmisions test (or something), and then it would be calculated from that?
There isn't necessarily any intent behind this question, but it is something I have wondered. :)
 
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insruance.jpg
 
With my insurer (A-plan) they weren't fussed about modifications that didn't affect the value or power of the car. If a single modification is under £500, they will put it on record, but not increase the premium.

Adding bits of carbon fibre to the interior or exterior did nothing the premium.
Adding wheels worth £2.5k increased the premium by about 5-10%.
Increasing the power of the car from by 100hp they said they will increase the premium by 10%. But then the premium would probably also go up due to spending money on parts to get this power increase.

Compared to my last insurer (Admiral) it's completely different as they would increase the premium for any modification, as well as charging a ~£15 fee to do so.

Like with any of my previous car insurance, they seem to just make it up using "facts" and figures that only they have access to and you can't really do anything except go elsewhere. (Perfectly displayed by the image above).
 
The way I envisioned the phone call is:

Me: "Hi, would you insure a 20 year old on a VW Polo with a 3.2 V6?"
Operator: *laughter* - *hangs up*

:p
 
Janesy B said:
It'll probably cost as much and you'll end up paying loads for a Polo with an R32 engine. Just buy an R32.
Click to expand...

As I said, it is more of a theoretical question out of sheer curiosity. I will admit that I have considered engine swapping the Polo instead of getting a new car, but if I did, I would probably put in a 1.8T or a 2.3 V5.
 
You can usually use the insurance cost of the donor car as a bit of a guide to the increase for an engine change, if you've got a relatively mod friendly insurer.

The insurer will look at the car the engine comes from, the power increase along with anything else you've done to it and plug it into the random number generator, or if that's not working they'll set the guy above to work.

For things like suspension, it'll be purely stat's based i.e how many people change it, declare it then wrap the car - also will it increase the desirability, does the cover dictate that they would replace like for like in an accident along with the fact that they just like to charge something, even if it's not a lot (again outside of the insurers who accept any mods not increasing power at no cost)

If your policy at the moment rockets because you change the colour of furry dice you've got then it's entirely possible that doing something like an engine change would either lead to lol premiums or just not being covered.
 
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if they can put a 4.2 v8 from on old S4 in a Lupo I'm sure it would fit in your polo ;) ....just sayin...... :D
 
Sasso said:
if they can put a 4.2 v8 from on old S4 in a Lupo I'm sure it would fit in your polo ;) ....just sayin...... :D
Click to expand...

The engine bay in the Polo is huge because they put a 1.9 TDI PD130 with a 6 speed manual in the same shell. (The very same you would find in an A6)

I know that there is enough room for a 2.3 V5 and a 3.2 V6 without extensive modification to the bay. I doubt the 4.2 V8 fitted in that Lupo's engine bay. It probably went in the back or something. :p

---

Are there any specialist insurers who you can get quotes for heavily modded cars from, using an online system, rather than on the phone? Perhaps with a load of yes/no questions and text boxes, and then a long wait for a quote via email while someone in an office mashes some keys?
 
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You're better off speaking to them. The likes of greenlight or adrian flux will let you list the mods in a box but nine times out of ten they'll need to talk to you to make sure the appropriate information is passed over
 
Dale V said:
google 4.2 Lupo . it went in the front
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That is just completely stupid. I love it! :D

Oh the fun you could have at traffic lights... Oh the lack of traction... Oh the understeer and inevitible fatal crash you would have with those skinny wheels... :p
 
Acme said:
Are there any specialist insurers who you can get quotes for heavily modded cars from, using an online system, rather than on the phone? Perhaps with a load of yes/no questions and text boxes, and then a long wait for a quote via email while someone in an office mashes some keys?
Click to expand...

Yes, I wouldn't even bother phoning the bog standard insurance companies such as Admiral.

A-Plan
Adrian Flux
Greenlight
Keith Michaels
Sky

A few that I can think of :)
 
Acme said:
The way I envisioned the phone call is:

Me: "Hi, would you insure a 20 year old on a VW Polo with a 3.2 V6?"
Operator: *laughter* - *hangs up*

:p
Click to expand...

I insured a Triumph Dolomite with a 3.5-litre V8, different gearbox, exhaust, intake, fuel system and more for £500 when I was that age!
 
Acme said:
"Oh God not Acme again, I bet he is asking some stupid question about putting a V10 in his Polo LOL"

Hi all. When insuring a heavily modified car with a specialist such as Sky insurance, how is the insurance cost calculated?

1. Is it on an individual basis, or are there set "insurance bands" for the cars, based on some factors? (Power to weight, acceleration, safety rating of the base car, insurance bracket for the base car/engine car etc)
Click to expand...

Usually entirely done on an individual basis, although in a lot of cases mine simply seemed to work from a stock example and just lightly revised it to suit. Some aren't hugely fussed by the modifications themselves, they just want to know the total power output and the quality of the work done (i.e. sensible related modifications); a potential reason being is that if you're undertaking this kind of project then you probably intend to look after it. They will also look at the owner, the car, the car's history, who undertook the work (usually needs to be proved to have been done by a garage) and so on.

2. Also, when you heavily modify a car, does it have to be independantly inspected and re-registered, or do you just have to decare the extensive modifications and have a new MOT?
Click to expand...

You have to bear this in mind these days: https://www.gov.uk/vehicle-registration/radically-altered-vehicles

3. And as an example (this might not be a question you can answer, if so, ignore) but if:

- A Polo 9N 1.2 costs £750 to insure
- A Golf IV R32 costs £2300 to insure

How much would a Polo 9N with an R32 engine, and all other relevant parts up-rated to suit (yes it has been done! :D) cost? I assume it would be more than the Golf R32?
Click to expand...

Probably a lot less than an R32 - in general - but it's incredibly dependent on who's applying.

4. How is road tax calculated? Based on the engine? Or would the car need an emmisions test (or something), and then it would be calculated from that?
There isn't necessarily any intent behind this question, but it is something I have wondered. :)
Click to expand...

Depends on the age of the vehicle. You need to jump through lots of hoops to legitimately swap an engine these days, especially if it's into a newer car.
 
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I have submitted a comprehensive mod list to greenlight online, saying I was 21 with 2 years experience and 2 years NCB. Waiting to hear back...

If it is completely insane, I will write off any stupid ideas I may be having... :p
 
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