Author Topic: Random Number Generator?  (Read 6123 times)

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Offline Joel

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Random Number Generator?
« on: December 28, 2017, 10:21:39 am »
Good morning,

In recent news, car insurance has apparently gone up a few percent, but I’m not so sure how it affects everyone else compared to me. Last year, I was paying around £1,250 for my 55 plate Honda Accord 2.4 VTEC Executive. When I changed it over to my 63 plate Mazda 6, it went up to £1,400. I bit the bullet and paid the extra. My insurance renewal last month from Tesco Bank was £2,250, despite earning another NCD. My record includes a speeding offence (46 in a 40 zone) with 3 points in 2014 and a non-fault collision which involved my Honda where a refuse collection truck reversed into it while parked and I was in bed. I opted to cancel my policy when it was due to end and searched around for better quotes. I was getting quotes as high as £3,000 from some insurers but couldn’t get anything decent lower than £1,500. The lowest was £850 but it had a black box. A few days before my renewal, I went through Tesco Bank’s form as a new customer, entered everything exactly as last year but adding an extra 2,000 miles onto the policy and it came out as £1,450. I’m not sure how or why, but I called them up and got it straight away.
As a PCV and CPC licence holder (driving buses and coaches), I assumed I’d have lower premiums than others since I’m a professional driver, but apparently they see it as more chance of being in a collision since I’m spending more time on the road. I even tried Cornmarket which I’ve heard specialise in professional drivers’ personal car insurance, but their system refused to give me a quote while I was on the phone to an advisor. Does anyone else experience the same? Direct Line, Hastings Direct, Churchill, Swiftcover, AXA and a couple more all say the same thing:
“Due to your unique circumstances, we are unable to provide you with a quote”.
Is it because I’m not a pensioner? I’m 25 and was under the assumption that insurance starts to decrease in price once 21-25+. I remember years ago my father had the same records as I did. 35 in a 30 zone with 3 points and a non-fault collision where someone opened a car door while he was driving past in his work van, ripping the entire door off and damaging the van’s bumper, headlight and bonnet. He said his insurance company didn’t penalise him for either that much, just adding £100 onto the policy but it went down the next year. I’m assuming this doesn’t happen anymore. Then again, he was in his 50s back then. I even have a forward and rear facing camera which shows my speed. Tesco Bank said it doesn’t matter whether I have them or not; it wouldn’t affect my policy unless I was 30+.

Thanks for reading through my entire rant, but if car insurance keeps up the way it is, I might have to sell up my Mazda 6 and buy an old Vauxhall Cavalier. Surprisingly, quotes came up as little as £250-£350 for me. Perhaps they’re considered classic cars, yet they’re easy to break into and hotwire?
Car insurance: more random numbers the the Euro Millions.

Offline apav

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Re: Random Number Generator?
« Reply #1 on: December 28, 2017, 08:29:16 pm »
There is no transparency as to how they calculate the numbers. So it is very difficult to know what is going on. You just go with the cheapest value for money policy. If you manage £1K discount for the Vauxhall, then this is the way to call them back and ask them what is going on. They could easily snap back that you should research both the car market and the insurance market before you buy it.

I was £360 per year, then moved cities and had to pay an extra £400 top up! I do not even know how that is possible. On the following year, they managed another 5% extra to renew the policy but when chatted with them on the online service, they managed a 15% discount as they said that I sounded unhappy.

Offline Tall333

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Re: Random Number Generator?
« Reply #2 on: December 29, 2017, 09:16:16 am »
Try adding a second driver.  My OH's came down when she added me, although this was a good few years ago.

Offline apav

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Re: Random Number Generator?
« Reply #3 on: December 30, 2017, 12:06:32 am »
It will work! Somebody had a thread somewhere in PH about adding his wife, a provisional or new driver, and while she would never drive the car, the premium went down.  :o

Offline Joel

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  • Colour: Jet Black Mica (41W)
  • Engine: 2.2L
  • Fuel: Diesel
  • Transmission: Manual
  • Trim: Sport Nav
  • Year: 2014
Re: Random Number Generator?
« Reply #4 on: January 25, 2018, 10:06:45 am »
Late reply, I know.
I always have my father on the policy as a named driver. He is a pensioner and has no points or convictions. It’s just so he can drive it back to my place when I head to the airport on holiday, or other similar scenarios. I dread to think what it would be if I didn’t have him on the policy though.

Regards