Practically Classics Forum

Had a letter last week telling me my car insurance was due for renewal. Last year I paid £243 fully comp with protected full NCB, strange then that having had NO accidents claims or convictions, no modifications, no change to my job, mileage etc it would cost me an extra £120 this year. I went on a few comparison sites and was getting quotes of around £235 inc breakdown cover, again fully comp with PNCB etc......

I phoned my insurance company to cancel the renewal of the policy and after being put through to Tom, Dick and Harry they came up with a new quote of £215???? £363 to £215 because I asked them to cancel the policy? B^&tards! I won't renew with them now on principal. What is going on and how the hell are they getting away with this? They even offered to add their breakdown cover, free of charge? Seems someone somewhere is rubbing their hands while millions are struggling to afford to keep their 'bread and butter' cars on the road.

Rant over

My renewal was due yesterday, between my ford and range Admiral wanted £2280, up from £1600 (or something like that) last year. A call to Swinton and i have now paid about £1700. In July I argued Footman James down from £215 to £120 by accusing them of profiteering and threatoning to report them to the FSA for wanting to charge me £3.50 to take a debit card payment as the only way to avoid being charged to pay was to pay by direct debit at 28% APR! I like their service but not their renewal policy!

I've said it before and will say it again (and no doubt again) that motor insurance in the UK is nothing other than legalised theft, particularly against the young and that prison sentences should be handed down to those responsible for some of the apalling amounts that they quote.

My son is a mere 32 yearold youngster and has experienced the massively hiked renewals reported by others. Usually a threat to go elsewhere has caused a competetive re-quote. One incident last year really got us steaming. His car was mildly restyled in a public car park by someone wiping their car bumper down its side. The other party did not leave contact details and may not have realised they were causing damage. The otherwise immaculate car was worth repairing but needed professional attention so a claim was made through my son's fully comp insurance. The insurers told him to take the car to their recommended bodyshop for inspection. We then had a 'phone call from the insurers saying that the car had aftermarket alloys fitted. Well, that turned out to be technically correct. We were unaware that they were anything other than standard because the car had them when purchased (2nd hand) and the wheels were standard size, clothed in standard size tyres per the vehicle handbook. The insurers said they would only repair if my son first paid £700 for the previous 2 years cover with the undeclared alloys. They could not answer the question 'how does a set of aftermarket alloys to original spec in any way change the risk?' We sought legal advice but were told that we were unlikely to win the case. My son sold the damaged car for peanuts in order to pay the back premium.

My experience with insurers has been less fraught. I go over the car each year so that all modifications can be reported to them. Last year I changed the air freshner from Pacific Breeze to Vanilla so its entirely reasonable that my 500 miles per year Reliant Regal MK6 policy should increase by £80 to £167 per year.

£167 for 500 miles, it's time to change insurers!

I think I'd better keep quiet - I've just had the renewal notice for £194 or thereabouts. It was £220 or so last year - same car, same (only) driver and full NCB for 20 years! I did frighten them about three years ago - they increased the premium to £240 or so, so I checked for other quotes and rang them up. They came back down to £170! Perhaps that is what's keeping them competitive - I've been with them for 25 years or so, only leaving one year (1992) when they quoted high after two claims in a year (the Montego!) and they made a mistake with the renewal notice - put a year's extra no claims on it, so I got a better quote elsewhere. When I rang them the next year (the other firm's quote was double for the second year), they were surprised when I said I had full NCB, but still quoted for that level!

My 19 year old son has just paid £2100.00 on a h plate fiesta costing £450 it is eye watering feel very sorry for some of the young drivers today what chance have they got

Insurance on the 1978 Mini 1000, Me, Main driver and registered keeper, Wife as named driver...£90

Add one 17 year old son, on L plates, obviously supervised at all times by either me or the missus, who'll be lucky to get an hour or so a weeks practice in...... Cheapest quote £450, heaven alone knows how much that will rise by when he actually passes his test

I remember putting the wife on my insurance 20 years ago when she was learning at 18, and no difference in premium, a very small rise when she passed her test and could go out unsupervised.

As I'm fond of saying, "at least Dick Turpin wore a mask"

Here's what you have to "look forward" to Arceye.

Lass at the back of me had a 13 year old 1.4 Fiesta in decent nick. She paid £200 TPFT. 20 year old son passes test and to add him as a named driver ups the premium to £1700.

That was last year before the most recent round of increases.

This is theft. There are no excuses. People need to be sent to prison for this.

As long as people continue to make spurious whiplash claims and insist on courtesy cars and compensation for everything of course it's going to go up and up! Miss Rusty passed her test last week, and insured her Metro (an hour afterwards ) for £1700, which i didn't think was bad considering the sheer amount of damage a teenager can do wether in a Metro or a Corsa or whatever. She passed her test and was driving to work unaccompanied the same morning