Does car insurance ...
 

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[Closed] Does car insurance bottom out?

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Im middle aged drive a sewing machine and live in a low crime area. My car is garaged alarmed etc and I have a maximum NCD it never really gets lower than circa £170 fully comp.

If I may be so gauche., what do you pay?


 
Posted : 04/01/2016 6:20 pm
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it does bottom out, yes, but bear in mind that the market is based on a lot more than just your own circs, sadly. at the moment, we've been towards/at the bottom end of a downward price cycle. this is expected to change soon, so your premium will most likely rise at next renewal. more price cuts are unsustainable for the industry as a whole.


 
Posted : 04/01/2016 6:26 pm
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Yes it does - two companies told me that they do not have lower premiums than around £160 and £170.

Direct Line - £160, no excess, Galaxy for 25k a year, incl. business miles.

Co-Operative - £170 per year, £100 excess, 12k per year, incl. business miles for Seat Ibiza ST. This I got with £70 cashback and a free pressure washer. Shame the washer never turned up - I think they clocked it 🙁

Cashback is the answer, and freebies like Direct Line offer, and use a GOOD insurer because you can and it costs no more.


 
Posted : 04/01/2016 6:26 pm
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Yep they all have minimum premiums and they are unlikely to increase substantially. I think the average has risen £20 in the last 10 years.


 
Posted : 04/01/2016 6:40 pm
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There is a minimum statistical chance of you making a claim, and their lowest premium will reflect that.

Plus costs, profits etc....


 
Posted : 04/01/2016 6:53 pm
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160 odd here, 47 yrs old, 26 year old Eunos, low mileage.


 
Posted : 04/01/2016 6:55 pm
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About £200 here for quite a few years now (45yo, though was that low before I was 40, currently a low spec Mondeo, previously a 406) - not sure why I'm so much higher risk than you lot 🙁


 
Posted : 04/01/2016 7:02 pm
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Probably locality...


 
Posted : 04/01/2016 7:03 pm
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My insurance has been around the £300 mark for what seems like forever. Brand new Peugoet Boxer this year, Renault traffic on a 57 plate for 6 years previous. Non commercial, 12K pa.

Clean license, max no claims Newcastle area.


 
Posted : 04/01/2016 7:42 pm
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Yeah there's a lower level, of nothing else they've got to cover the cost of forms / website / call centre etc.

Lowest I ever saw on a Car was £450, but my NCD history is patchy with bouts of not having a vehicle, company cars etc.

I was insuring a 50cc Honda Melody for £38 a year 😉 if only I could be bothered to keep it road worthy I'd have full no-claims and could theoretically buy myself a Blade or GSX1000R and get a heathy discount on the insurance for being such a careful plodder on my Melody.


 
Posted : 04/01/2016 7:51 pm
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Are you sure about that? Last time I insured a bike (which granted was a few years ago now) I was told that my full NCB on a car wasn't taken into account.


 
Posted : 04/01/2016 7:58 pm
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£220 for a 4.2l V8, cheaper than the tax! I've had a few speeding points in my time too!!


 
Posted : 04/01/2016 8:31 pm
 br
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Yep, late 40's/early 50's it seems.

Both our cars are circa £180, with me named on one and my OH named on the other. Hers is worth 5x mine too.

Incidentally my Mum's premium is twice ours, for a lower spec car but same cover and same postcode (about 50yds away). And we're both named drivers on hers which didn't impact the premium cost.

Location has a far greater impact on premium than the car type/make etc.


 
Posted : 04/01/2016 8:49 pm
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Managed to get a Volvo t5 at about £250 fully comp at 35yo and 9 years ncb.. Not driving now.. So I'm not sure how hard I'll be but secs if I don't renew within the 2 year window to retain the ncb..


 
Posted : 04/01/2016 8:57 pm
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@Cougar were on the same page I think, I've got Car and Bike NCB but you can't mix them.


 
Posted : 04/01/2016 10:14 pm
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Mine was £185 full comp for a 15 yo VW Golf, I then got £60 cash back. Bought a Passat in September, had to pay £30 to change the insurance details. A full year quote was £250. Newer car I suppose.

The Wife's Polo has been £120 for ever.


 
Posted : 04/01/2016 10:29 pm
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Are you sure about that? Last time I insured a bike (which granted was a few years ago now) I was told that my full NCB on a car wasn't taken into account.

NCBs aren't transferable in many situations - ones from domestic car to commercial van aren't for instance, also insuring a second car you typical have to start from scratch. It problematic for people who've shared a car as the NCB only gets applied to one driver

But more recently some insurers have started taking NCBs into account to an extent, whilst not applying/transferring an NCB as such. However when applying for insurance you'll only get that consideration if the application form asks questions about your use or ownership of other vehicles - so whether it gets considered depends on what broker you go through and what underwriters they use.

So currently on my second van I pay a premium that takes my other van's NCB into account and a price as if I had a full NCB but on the certificate /renewal its states I only have two years.

I seem to have bottomed out at about £160/year


 
Posted : 04/01/2016 10:33 pm
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Renewal quote on my old A4 was £158 but the premium I paid for the Passat I replaced it with was closer to £250. Surprising really as other than the new car being more valuable, it's got much more modern safety features so I'd expect it to be the same or less. Funny thing car insurance.


 
Posted : 04/01/2016 10:38 pm
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Indeed.


 
Posted : 04/01/2016 10:51 pm
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Tdi Touran. 42. 11 years ncb. 3 points. £700.

That's Liverpool for ya...


 
Posted : 04/01/2016 11:17 pm
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Really really pissed off when we moved house - MrsJulianA's premium went up by 38p, classic car insurance didn't change and my premium went up by ~£200. Classic car insurance and my insurance underwritten by the same company!

Much shopping around reduced my premium by ~£160 with the same company.

Asshats.

Don't know about bottoming out - £360 odd quid here with max NCD at the age of 50. Clean license as well.


 
Posted : 04/01/2016 11:34 pm
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Well loddrik, stereotypes and all that, you know........

😉


 
Posted : 04/01/2016 11:37 pm
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loddrik - Member
Tdi Touran. 42. 11 years ncb. 3 points. £700.

That's Liverpool for ya...

Ouch! Move house... Mind you, house prices are probably 4x what yours are - £350k for a two bed bungalow in a dire state anyone?


 
Posted : 04/01/2016 11:42 pm
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for my motorbike insurance I think the premium floor was about £70pa.

Dont forget that within your premium is an insurance premium tax, a contribution via ABI to cover uninsured drivers and of course the admin of the insurance itself (which is rarely covered via the brand but shoved up to a a big ugly reinsurer)

given the potential cost fo claims, I think for most reasonable drivers its not a bad investment.


 
Posted : 04/01/2016 11:43 pm
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@Cougar were on the same page I think, I've got Car and Bike NCB but you can't mix them.

Sorry, I misread your post, I thought you were talking about a car not a bike. Ignore me.


 
Posted : 04/01/2016 11:48 pm
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I'd love to just ditch the car but the wife has told me I can't. I loathe spending a single penny on motoring these days. I could cycle more or less everywhere I go although it'd spell the end of my mtbing which I couldn't do.


 
Posted : 04/01/2016 11:49 pm
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Try adding some bottomless tokens.

Should help your insurance problem.

K-dunk - chish...

IGMC 😀


 
Posted : 05/01/2016 8:12 am
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Been with direct line for 10 years as tbey always came out near the best. However after congratulating me for 10 years of custom in my renewal notice they'd up it by 25 %.
Wtf?
I compared the market, got my cinema tickets and saved 60 quid.
185 brake mazda 6 sport, 16 years no claims at 40 I'm paying 285 for 8000 miles which seems a bit pricey looking at at some of the above ❓


 
Posted : 05/01/2016 8:19 am
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39 and live in Leeds. Been paying about £320 for a few years now on a passat before and now an Smax. Hoping it goes down a bit once I turn 40??


 
Posted : 05/01/2016 8:44 am
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Agreed sub-200 for an ordinary motor and ~100 for any kind of motorbike is as low as it gets ime

Irritating how the renewal is always loads more than the original premium


 
Posted : 05/01/2016 8:50 am
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Tdi Touran. 42. 11 years ncb. 3 points. £700.

That's Liverpool for ya...

much the same here in east Bristol, although my family wagon is a 2002 mondeo estate. 0 points ever, 5 years ncb.

one of the downsides of buying a house somewhere where houses are affordable... (that said i wouldn't really want to live in a posh area anyway.)


 
Posted : 05/01/2016 8:54 am
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Averages about £400 here.

That's a Fiesta & similar for a 54 plate Mondeo.

Many years no claims etc. Mrs FD and myself.

Joys of living in an affluent part of an otherwise scummy city (Bradford)


 
Posted : 05/01/2016 9:29 am
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Tdi Touran. 42. 11 years ncb. 3 points. £700.
That's Liverpool for ya...

much the same here in east Bristol, although my family wagon is a 2002 mondeo estate. 0 points ever, 5 years ncb.

one of the downsides of buying a house somewhere where houses are affordable... (that said i wouldn't really want to live in a posh area anyway.)

But I live in a nice area in south Liverpool, never been a victim of crime, let alone car crime. I'm pretty sure the reason Liverpool is as high as it is isn't due to us having higher car crime but down to the fact that there seemed to me more 'crash for cash' claims here than anywhere else.


 
Posted : 05/01/2016 9:58 am
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tdi touran or "minicab" as its otherwise known.....

bet tourans are involved in alot of crashes as oppose to thefts...


 
Posted : 05/01/2016 10:04 am
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Yes there is a minimum.

Plus costs, profits etc....

As an aside insurance companies set premiums at a level pretty much equal to claims, ie they don't make a profit via that route. They make a profit primarily via the fact you pay upfront and claim later plus a further delay in them paying out. All the time they are making investment returns on the money

EDIT: I pay £450 for Porsche Cayman S, max and protected no claims (9 years I think, no claim in 15-20 years), 52. A little pricey I think, my 63yr old friend pays £300 for a 911. Surrey/Hampshire


 
Posted : 05/01/2016 10:09 am
 mboy
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Looking at some of the other quotes on here, seems it's all down to location and shopping around...

Almost every year, my renewal quotes go up... So I shop around... Which then brings a huge saving typically.

For reference, I'm 35, 6yrs No Claims, 6pts, driving a 10yr old BMW 330D that lives on a driveway overnight in a part of Worcester that I genuinely could leave the key in it and it wouldn't get stolen (I'm not about to try, but it's quiet round here)... Cheapest I got quoted was £158 per year!

Decided to go for another policy with more bells and whistles, a lower excess etc. But still paying well shy of £300 per year on a car that will do 0-60 in 6.5s and is limited to 155mph! My Dad's 61 and gets his insurance through SAGA, drives a very safe and boring Merc E220CDI and lives in the quietest village in the world, yet his insurance is no cheaper!


 
Posted : 05/01/2016 10:43 am
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intresting
me 50 yrs old NCB 10 years plus no points no accidents
Ribble Valley NW England though a Blackburn postcode (BB)
Car Seat Altea FR diesel
M and S £566 with business use

????


 
Posted : 05/01/2016 11:04 am
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NW is one of if not the most expensive area to insure a car in the UK, all those gangs doing fake BI claims.


 
Posted : 05/01/2016 11:20 am

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