Car Insurance/No claims bonus question?

[Sara_H]

Having not owned a car of my own for about six years I'm considering buying a second hand car. Looking at insurance quotes but just wondering about no claims bonus.

When I last had a car I had 10+ years protected no claims bonus - can I still claim that or will I have lost it in the mists of time? Seems to make about £200 difference to the insurance quotes.

Have been on the OH's insurance as a named driver all the while, but that doesn't seem to count towards no claims.

 

[Blue]

In my part of the world some insurers used to give an introductory bonus to someone in your position. I don't know the current market situation, however, I would think it would be worth shopping around or getting a Broker to shop around for you.

 

[welsh dragon]

No claims bonus is only able to be used for a period of 2 years. However, ask your broker or an insurance company for an introductory no claims bonus. They will usually give you 2 years as long as you have not had any losses, accidents, convictions, or claims.


The amount they allow will vary from one insurance company to another, and they may not give you any discount, especially if you have not driven or have driven very little in that time period.

As for your spouse's NCD not being considered, that is because It is his , not yours. You were just a named drive.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

Ah you need to get back into the legalised theft industry, they will screw you over with their in-industry rules, should you be able to use your 10 years+ NCD of course you should, will they, NO!, should you be able to use the fact you have been named on another policy for that period & not had an accident, of course you should, will they, NO!

Car insurance is as above legalised theft & so corrupt it's almost as bad as the bankers I think I got he first letter wrong, who are now muscling into it as they see it as easy pickings.

One hope might be to approach your husbands insurers, they may give you an extra discount, or if they offer it a multi-car policy, although I have never found one of them any good for us.

Sorry car insurance is one of my pet hates, I, as I'm a petrol head have 3 cars, I have to pay VED & insurance on all 3 for all the time, yet I physically can only drive one at once, yes I know it's my choice as it's my hobby, but the combined mileage of my 3 cars is less than a 3rd of a friends, I pay over £500 for my VED he pays £30, pretty sure his diesel will chuck out more crap than all mine put together. Sorry Rant over, I do hope you find a cheap quote.

 

[sight-pin]

Your new insurance company will probably need proof in writing of no claims bonus from your old insurance company, just phone your old company and ask if they can send you a copy. at least that's what mine wanted under similar circumstances.

 

[Sara_H]

Ah you need to get back into the legalised theft industry, they will screw you over with their in-industry rules, should you be able to use your 10 years+ NCD of course you should, will they, NO!, should you be able to use the fact you have been named on another policy for that period & not had an accident, of course you should, will they, NO!

Car insurance is as above legalised theft & so corrupt it's almost as bad as the bankers I think I got he first letter wrong, who are now muscling into it as they see it as easy pickings.

One hope might be to approach your husbands insurers, they may give you an extra discount, or if they offer it a multi-car policy, although I have never found one of them any good for us.

Sorry car insurance is one of my pet hates, I, as I'm a petrol head have 3 cars, I have to pay VED & insurance on all 3 for all the time, yet I physically can only drive one at once, yes I know it's my choice as it's my hobby, but the combined mileage of my 3 cars is less than a 3rd of a friends, I pay over £500 for my VED he pays £30, pretty sure his diesel will chuck out more crap than all mine put together. Sorry Rant over, I do hope you find a cheap quote.

LOL! I agree whole heartedly. In all honesty this is part of the reason I've not had a car for the last few years. I had a very bad experience when my car was crashed into and I discovered that my insurance company had cancelled my policy a few days earlier due to an admin error without telling me.
It was all sorted in a couple of weeks but not before I'd been read my rights for driving without insurance and I'd had to consider all the potentially very expensive consequences.
I don't trust insurance companies as far as I can throw them.

 

[srw]

Car insurance is as above legalised theft & so corrupt it's almost as bad as the bankers I think I got he first letter wrong, who are now muscling into it as they see it as easy pickings.
.

This old nonsense again!

The private car underwriting market as a whole barely makes money. The banks have always sold insurance, but they generally act as distributors only. Unless, of course, you know better....

 

[srw]

LOL! I agree whole heartedly. In all honesty this is part of the reason I've not had a car for the last few years. I had a very bad experience when my car was crashed into and I discovered that my insurance company had cancelled my policy a few days earlier due to an admin error without telling me.
It was all sorted in a couple of weeks but not before I'd been read my rights for driving without insurance and I'd had to consider all the potentially very expensive consequences.
I don't trust insurance companies as far as I can throw them.

I've highlighted the pertinent phrase. There were no very expensive consequences for you, because you'd done nothing wrong.

Now try and get a bank or a gas company or an electricity company or an airline or a train company to admit to a mistake at all, let alone sort out a customer problem they've caused within a fortnight.

 

[Drago]

This old nonsense again!

The private car underwriting market as a whole barely makes money. The banks have always sold insurance, but they generally act as distributors only. Unless, of course, you know better....

It barely makes any money because they're shafting each other stupid with specious claims for loan cars and shizzle like that at stupid rates per day. They chose to play that game and now its bit them well and truly on the arse.

Car insurance has little to do with actual risk - although they will use genuine risk as a means to screw you over - but everything to do with where the insurer places on on the scale that you're able to pay. For example, 10 or 11 years ago I moved house, less than a mile. On a clear day i could even see my old gaff. My insurance went up. "why?", I asked. "Well sir, higher risk area you see" said they.

Is it really? I went to work, checked the crime stats to find my new address in an area with lower recorded crime. I also checked the local RTC stats for a 5 miles radius, no worse than the old place. I phoned the insurers back and told them this, and offered to email them the data, and asked why they were charging me for a supposed higher "risk", when the auto crime levels were demonstrably lower. After all, to make such a claim as a means of charging extra money when the claim is untrue could be construed as fraudulent, couldn't it? After lots of "oh...er...um..." they put me back on the rate I was at before.

Thieving gits.

 

[Sara_H]

I've highlighted the pertinent phrase. There were no very expensive consequences for you, because you'd done nothing wrong.

Now try and get a bank or a gas company or an electricity company or an airline or a train company to admit to a mistake at all, let alone sort out a customer problem they've caused within a fortnight.

There were potentially some very expensive and serious consequences - obviously those attached to being convicted for driving without insurance, and the possibility of losing my ob if convicted. Also I found out that that the fact that I'd had a policy cancelled by the company was going to impact massively on my premiums for ever more for ALL insurance, not just my car insurance.
The company eventually admitted their error, but I'd had to put a massive fight up, and even then the only reason they caved was because they'd made a second error in not paying my premium back when they'd cancelled my policy. And frankly, having to fight with the police over the their complete ineptitude over the hit and run driver who'd just written my car off, I could've done without the additional stress and hassle from the company who I'd paid hundreds of pounds to to protect me in such circumstances.

 

[Sara_H]

[QUOTE="Drago, post: 4482966, member: 22751"
Car insurance has little to do with actual risk - although they will use genuine risk as a means to screw you over - but everything to do with where the insurer places on on the scale that you're able to pay. .[/QUOTE]

Amazed me how my premiums went up after I'd divorced. Having been separated for several years prior to divorcing, nothing changed at all on the day my divorce came through. Except my insurance premium of course.

 

[screenman]

I find car insurance very good value.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

This old nonsense again!

The private car underwriting market as a whole barely makes money. The banks have always sold insurance, but they generally act as distributors only. Unless, of course, you know better....

Absolute brolacs you are clearly within the industry defending yourself, the whole process is corrupt, using 'approved' bodyshops, work could be done to the same if not better standard by lots of other shops at 30-50% cheaper, bogus claims, I was involved in a scam, the guy had 2 accidents in 3 days, in exactly the same car, he got 2 lots of repairs done, well not done but paid out for, 2 lots of compensation for an injury he never sustained, 2 lots of car hire through his friend, although he never actually had a hire car. All these details were known to the insurance company yet they still paid out.

It's legalised theft & you will not convince me otherwise, I know enough people in the garage trade to know the truth,

 

[welsh dragon]

Legalised theft isn't confined to insurance companies or other business or professions. Garages are also subject to that kind of behaviour as well. I have been taken to the cleaners more than once by Shister garages. It seems everyone has horror stories of the practices of both. Then there are solicitors, and and estate agents with dodgy practices etc etc. The list goes on.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

Your new insurance company will probably need proof in writing of no claims bonus from your old insurance company, just phone your old company and ask if they can send you a copy. at least that's what mine wanted under similar circumstances.

This is what I fell over when I came back to owning my own car. I'd not owned my own car for about 30 years, but during that time I had been driving company vehicles and hire cars. Because I couldn't provide written proof I had been driving as part of my job I got treated like a new driver, one company gone the other one still trading but I'd fallen out with the production manager so no chance of a letter, it was costing me £58 a month for a 2004 ford KA