Interesting car insurance tips

[dbsmith]

HI All,
Thought I'd share with you some interesting stuff as I've been on an online car insurance configurator to insure my new car.

I'm ordering a Cooper S from new with a JCW Aero kit on it plus Chili pack. My occuaption can be interpreted in a number of ways, as can the config. of the new car, so I tried a few things on the online calculator. Prices were as follows from Admiral :

Main Occupation


consultant engineer £ 590.60
business consultant £ 590.60
head of marketing £ 590.60
adviser £ 590.60
senior executive- industry £ 590.60
senior engineer £ 622.10
engineer £ 622.10
consultant £ 635.75
management consultant £ 635.75
company director £ 668.30
marketing manager £ 702.00
retired £ 728.00
unemployed £ 795.00
Now, going to Bell insurance (always came up cheaper on the internet search engines & co-incidentally an Admiral company)


consultant - engineer £ 490.85
business consultant £ 490.85
senior executive industry £ 490.85
senior executive qualified £ 490.85
Engineer £ 517.10
consultant - engineer £ 519.20


So a £100 saving here from the same company even though it uses the same configurator.

Next, adding my girlfriend who is 1 year older and will never drive the car :
My quote alone £ 490.85
secretary, clerical £ 479.30
secretary, pa £ 479.30
compliance officer £ 479.30
personal assistant £ 479.30
office worker £ 483.50
recruitment worker £ 496.30
office manager £ 520.30
unemployed £ 525.50

So it pays to add your partner to the insurance & tell them she's (he's) a secretary of some form but not an office worker or definitely not an office manager. If s/he's unemployed, don't let her near the car


Now for the modifications & specifiying the car. Valued at £22K, CooperS + Chili + JCW Aero plus a few extras (eg sunroof, stripes, sports suspension) :

specifiying it as a Cooper S Chili + bodykit mod: £ 479.30
specifying it as Cooper S + bodykit + chili pack mods £ 495.05
specifying it as a Cooper JCW (2004 ->) + chili pack £ 468.80 (go figure !)

modifications :


Alloys + £5
Exterior decorative changes + £15
Uprated brakes + £15
Darkened windows + £22.50
Upgraded air filter + £22.50
10% BHP increase + £22.50

So, all in all, it pays to mess around with the insurance configurators.
Putting go-faster stripes on the car increases the insurance premium by 5%, and you're better off chipping it to make it go faster .
And if you have an unemployed girlfriend/boyfriend, spend the money on a JCW works upgrade kit and save yourself a packet !

Cheers

Dave

[minicabrio]

Of course, don't ever tell a porkie pie to your insurance company - the calls you make and the information you give over the phone is recorded, and if a claim arose, they could invalidate your policy

[RooniusMaximus]

The thing that annoys me (well, my missus as she sorts out hte insurance) is that most companies offer discounts to new customers, but not existing.

Every year we get a renewal through the post and it's a good £150 more than we are paying now.

Get a quote online as a new customer and it's about the same - if not a little less.

So every year, we get a quote online and then phone up to get that price instead of the ridiculous price they want to charge us.

This is with Elephant (been with for 5+ years) but I assume it works with others.

[dbsmith]

Quote: Originally Posted by minicabrio (original)

Of course, don't ever tell a porkie pie to your insurance company - the calls you make and the information you give over the phone is recorded, and if a claim arose, they could invalidate your policy

Absolutely agree - the point was that you can "configure" the insurance configurators to show the correct information in a number of different ways but still get completely different prices.

[MarkW]

it does I do it every year as well normally knock £100 off the renewal

certain occupations do get heavily penalised, I work predominantly for the construction industry which gets badly stung but as an environmental consultant i don't get the bigger premiums engineers etc get

[minicooperboyuk]

I full agree with all the points above. I used to work for a large car insurance company, and some of the lies I heard were unbelievable but the whole insurance contract is set up in utmost good faith.

All the best.

[Dave Bake]

Hi

I have always used Homeapproved Mini Car Insurance to obtain a new quote for my Mini Cooper.

Give them a try and see if they can get you a great deal.

Dave

[mib150]

I've used A-Plan insurance brokers in Hall Green, Birmingham (0121 7336999) for a couple of years now.
They have always found me a cheaper quote than I can find and come renewal time, they do their best to keep your business.

Worth a call - friendly bunch too!

MIB

[theskipper]

Quote: Originally Posted by dbsmith (original)

HI All,
Thought I'd share with you some interesting stuff as I've been on an online car insurance configurator to insure my new car.

I'm ordering a Cooper S from new with a JCW Aero kit on it plus Chili pack. My occuaption can be interpreted in a number of ways, as can the config. of the new car, so I tried a few things on the online calculator. Prices were as follows from Admiral :

Main Occupation


consultant engineer £ 590.60
business consultant £ 590.60
head of marketing £ 590.60
adviser £ 590.60
senior executive- industry £ 590.60
senior engineer £ 622.10
engineer £ 622.10
consultant £ 635.75
management consultant £ 635.75
company director £ 668.30
marketing manager £ 702.00
[SIZE=2]retired[/size] £ 728.00
unemployed £ 795.00 [size=2]Now, going to Bell insurance (always came up cheaper on the internet search engines & co-incidentally an Admiral company)

Dave

Quote: Originally Posted by dbsmith (original)

Absolutely agree - the point was that you can "configure" the insurance configurators to show the correct information in a number of different ways but still get completely different prices.

well firstly you either are or aren't employed ? (retired/unemployed)

secondly, any potential use will always be a factor, as insurers take into consideration how the car is to be used in connection with that job. i am not surprised the top 5 are the same as these are all primarily admin roles.

engineer and senior engineer infers, potential use between locations

the more use, the more risk....................the more risk, the more premium

[Bomber]

I have just discovered that swift sure wont update my policy as i have Braided hoses, a JCW Strus brace, Lowered, and now want to fit a Milltec Exhaust and Alta Air filter to a Gen 2 Cooper S.
Seems that at 53 i cant be trusted with the extra power.
can anyone advise on a good insurance company that will allow these upgrades?

[J8YMP]

Try Adrian Flux.

[batou]

Just let me point something out.

I spend a year looking forward to getting rid of Admiral. They charged me extra for factory optional extras and in the event of a valuation their added value would not be taken into account. Basically the payout would be that of a base model.

People keep banging on about "CHEAPER CAR INSURANCE!" on forums, internet sites, TV, pubs, work etc etc. I'm sick of hearing about cheaper car insurance all I want is proper car insurance!!

Incidentally I pay just £440 on a highly modded mcs (all of which is declared, covered and is added as value) and I'm 26

[BRG/Blk Cooper S]

Quote: Originally Posted by J8YMP (original)

Try Adrian Flux.

Adrian Flux are great..
I have a heavily optioned S with business use - the spec of the car is signed off on as is my occupation (Music Industry - an instant "No!!!" with many companies) and I pay aprox £600.00 a year in London.

I'm actually now looking to change my home and contents insurance over to them as well.

Even a small white lie will give your insurer the opportunity to deny a claim - worth remembering they employ people who's sole job is to find ways not to pay out........and they love using the concept of "interpretation" to their advantage..

A few £'s saved on a premium may cost you big time in the long run - just not worth the risk IMO.

[Mingkei]

bell insurance is really rock.

use the tips in this tread. and now i save 252 pounds compare to the gocompare and monysupermarket.

[Bomber]

I have now got insurance through Adrian Flux, all original mods included plus can now add mods without an increase in policy costs. By the way got my insurance for £550.: