[Nicaf]

I wonder how many Mini's out there are technically uninsured in the event of a claim?

We have been looking to renew our insurance policy on our MCSC. Some insurers (e.g Privilege) are happy to acknowledge that, in our case, the chilli pack isn't classed as a modification, yet others (e.g. Sheila's Wheels) insist that because our MCSC isn't "the standard basic model" then any optional extras are classified as a modification, and the premium is increased accordingly (approximately £25 in our case).

The insurers generally do not seem to grasp that virtually no Mini comes off the production line as standard. Esure state that a modification can be either 1) performance enhancing or 2) cosmetic (and this was only determined following a detailed discussion about the criteria underwriters consider as modifications) yet this is not clear when asked over the telephone or internet "does your car have any modifications". If you use Confused.com to obtain a quote, 99% of insurers say they won't quote for a modified car!

So how many Mini owners have taken out a policy and unknowingly, not declared any modifications in the belief that they have fonly added factory fitted options ?! and where do you draw the line? Bonnet stripes? Lighting packs? Chrome lines? Heated seats? etc! Some companies seem to know about the Mini variations and note it on the policy, and with no extra loading to the premium, but others do not!. Whilst we all take out our policies in the utmost good faith, in the event of a claim, this anomaly may lead to insurers contesting the validity of the policy! BEWARE!!!!

[supa-dupa-cooper]

Strange - i thought insurance companies had them all listed, eg. MINI ONE PEPPER etc


..........but then insurance companies are a strange breed

[S33BBY]

As supa-dupa-cooper says, every insurer I've ever got a quote from has them listed as different models, e.g. MINI Cooper, MINI Cooper Pepper, MINI Cooper Chili, so mine's insured as a MINI Cooper Chili. You mention tha Sheila's Wheels view a package as a modification and charge £25 accordingly. To be honest, even if they did recognise the different models with packages, you'd have to pay that anyway, plus £25 seems pretty fair to me.

The point is, a MINI with a package is generally worth more than a MINI without a package, and so the premium will increase slightly as a result. It could be viewed as a modification, but I think it's fair to say that 99% of insurers out there recognise the packages.