Insurance renewal quote is a joke!

[Iamzod]

Got my renewal letter through today which confirms what i suspected when i looked online at my insurers website.

Apparently my insurance is "29% cheaper than last year" and all i have to do is "Sit back and relax" and they will renew it.

Like hell i'm going to do that, they want £1452 off me, yet if i was a new customer they only want £850, now there is a huge difference there!

Its not like i have made any claims or anything, i have only ever contacted them once and that was to see what they were playing at when i needed to tax my car & they still had not sent my certificate to me.

If i ring them do i have any chance of getting it at the rate their online quote thing gives like i did last year, or do i have to change insurers?

I have no idea on this stuff as i am only just ending my 1st year driving so have no experience of this.

 

[aztechnology]

As always, my advice is to shop around. Insurers rely on the fact that most of us are lazy, and won't check too many quotes, so renewal premiums are not always competitive. I once didn't take up my renewal quote, as it was too expensive, but the cheapest quote I could find was with the same underwriter! Bizarrely, I had to get my NCD proof sent to me, so I could send it back to the same broker!!!

JUst keep shopping till you find a price you are happy(ish) with. You don't have to go withthe renewal quote.

 

[JAzz]

I'm finding insurance brokers are the best people to go for cheaper insurance.

Just renewed mine and tbh I was kinda happy with my current renewal quote but I thought what the hell and rang one broker up and told them all my details, also lied to them about what my best quote was to see what they would say, they offered me the insurance for over £200 less than my renewal quote! My only regret is not telling them a lower figure when I lied as I reckon they would have matched that as well

 

[aztechnology]

My only regret is not telling them a lower figure when I lied as I reckon they would have matched that as well

whatever you tell them, they won't be making a loss

 

[Sp00n]

If i ring them do i have any chance of getting it at the rate their online quote thing gives like i did last year, or do i have to change insurers?

A very big chance, i did this with admiral and saved myself £200

They had no argument because the details were exactly the same so i dunno hwo they will take it with yours if they state the price is only for new customers.

 

[JAzz]

whatever you tell them, they won't be making a loss

Yeah I know, this whole insurance business is a legal scam as far as I'm concerned but can what can you do eh?

 

[ajgoodfellow]

I've never had a competitive renewal quote

For example, my renewal quote for my second year with Admiral was £1100. I got it for <£900 with Endsleigh. After my accident, Endsleigh's quote shot up to £1600 for renewal - as a new customer, declaring the accident with no NCB, I could get insured for £900 with Churchill

 

[n3vrmind]

I'm finding insurance brokers are the best people to go for cheaper insurance.

Just renewed mine and tbh I was kinda happy with my current renewal quote but I thought what the hell and rang one broker up and told them all my details, also lied to them about what my best quote was to see what they would say, they offered me the insurance for over £200 less than my renewal quote! My only regret is not telling them a lower figure when I lied as I reckon they would have matched that as well

Used to work for a brokers and my advice is dont bother, if u have a net connection shop around.. using a broker you'll miss out on '10% off for buying online' type deals and your completely right on the 'shouldve told them a lower price' thing, they'll only go far enough to beat what you say.. they get a %age so the less you pay the less they earn, i've seen customers easily sold a policy £100 more than they could be paying because of this

end of the day if u say it seems high.. they'll ask BS questions about whether u smoke n stuff and pretend they're requoting and magically find something better

 

[kaiowas]

I used to get this every year with elephant. I could always beat the renewal quote by running a new online quote and they always gave me the lower price once I phoned them up.

 

[thebrasso]

I wanted to renew with Admiral last month for my second year, but they couldn't come close to Adrian Flux. It wasn't just by a few quid either, it was a difference of £469.

 

[Jonny69]

Yeah I just swap about willy nilly, there's no point being loyal unless you're rich and lazy. My bike renewal came in at £155 - ooo cheaper than last year I thought - but shopped about and got one for £90. That's 40% cheaper for a few minutes on the internet

 

[Amps]

I had the oposite thing happen with admiral.

My current policy new of the internet would have cost me £1400 but when my renewal came round with identical details they only wanted £1100.

 

[Von Luck]

Insurance companies are thieving slags. I get all my insurance through a friend at a brokers and every year, without fail, their automated renewal system will post me a "your renewal is £stupid-amount" letter.

...then a day later my mate will get a reminder pop up on outlook saying "Von's insurance is due", and ring me up with a figure £200 lower (this year the initial quote was £646(!) which dropped to £430).

 

[shadowscotland]

Which? compile lists of insurance quotes for their 'best buy guide' so streamline your enquires and just call the companys below that coinside with your car's insurance group, and area risk. (sorry for it's length)

Which? Car insurance: Best Buy guide

Fed up with another premium hike? Switch to a Best Buy to start saving

Ten minutes is all you need to save hundreds of pounds on your car insurance. Just get a couple of quotes from the Best Buys, see below, and compare them with your renewal quote. We’ve checked 6,450 premiums from 41 car insurance companies in the UK to find our Best Buy policies. We’ve also checked hundreds of pages of policy documents to ensure our Best Buys offer the right level of cover. See the big table to see what features each Best Buy has and see policy features for an explanation of them.

Our Best Buys are based on comprehensive cover and take account of the policies’ excesses. For an explanation of the different types of insurance, see here. Most companies offer very similar levels of cover. If you are short of time try Hastings Direct or Marks & Spencer. They are good value for most drivers.

Some of the cheapest quotes we found were from companies that cut costs by not providing a courtesy car if you have an accident or your car is stolen. As we think a courtesy car is an important part of a comprehensive insurance policy we haven’t made any of these companies Best Buys. But if you’re happy to sacrifice the courtesy car for a cheaper premium, get quotes from Quinn Direct or Swiftcover.

How to choose a Best Buy

We list the Best Buys in order of price, with the cheapest at the top in each category. To ensure you get the best quote, try both a couple of phone Best Buys and online Best Buys in the category closest to your circumstances.

If you live in a rural area or small town, look at the low-risk areas part of the table. If you live in a city or large town, look at the high-risk areas part of the table and choose the category closest to your age and personal circumstances.

If you drive a small car (a Ford Fiesta, for example), look at the Best Buys in group 1 to 7. For a medium car (such as a Ford Focus or Vauxhall Vectra), look at the Best Buys in group 8 to 13. For a large car (such as a BMW 5 series), look at the group 14 to 20 Best Buys. If you aren’t sure what car group your car is use an online guide such as http://www.abi.org.uk.

Best Buys – Low-risk areas

Car group 1-7 (low risk)
Hastings Direct
Marks & Spencer
NAGc
Swiftcover a
Budget
Churchill

Car group 8-13 (medium risk)
Hastings Direct
Marks & Spencer
NAGc
Swiftcover a
Budget
Admiral

Car group 14-20 (high risk)
Hastings Direct
Marks & Spencer
Elephant.co.uk
Admiral
Budget
Marks & Spencer
Hastings Direct
Marks & Spencer
NAGc

Best Buys – High-risk areas

Car group 1-7 (low risk)
Hastings Direct
Marks & Spencer
Budget
Debenhams
Budget
AA

Car group 8-13 (medium risk)
Hastings Direct
Marks & Spencer
Halifax
RAC
Debenhams

Car group 14-20 (high risk)
Hastings Direct
Budget
Virgin Money
Cornhill Direct
Halifax
Yorkshire BS
Sainsbury’s

a Includes additional premium for optional courtesy car
b Maximum cover age 85
c NAG includes Yorkshire Bank and Clydesdale Bank
d Maximum cover age 75
e maximum cover age 90
f Maximum cover age 80
g Maximum cover age 79
h Maximum cover age 74
i Maximum cover age 70

 

[Mat]

Last time my renewal came up I went straight to Confused.com and found the exact same policy, with the same company for £160 cheaper (that was the cheapest one that came up). I dont know how the insurance companies get away with it fbh.

Give them a whirl.