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Ridiculous insurance prices

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Ridiculous insurance prices

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Danny1143

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Aug 26, 2015
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Hi everyone,

I'm looking at insuring my mk2 punto for which I've just bought some Abarth skirts( I'm 17 & have a provisional)

I'm being quoted £1300 as a provisional (still crazy but affordable) but as a full license this rises to £5750!!!!! :eek: just for adding a set of skirts which I bought for £50!!

The car itself cost £750!

It would be cheaper to just buy another if I ever wrote it off...

Sorry for the rant - does anyone have any advice at all?

Thanks
 
Danny1143 said:
does anyone have any advice at all?
Click to expand...
Yes. Take the skirts off again and leave the car completely standard at least for the first full year of insurance.

Danny1143 said:
The car itself cost £750!
It would be cheaper to just buy another if I ever wrote it off...
Click to expand...

Value of the car is irrelevant.

Insurance is about risk.
You present a risk.
The insurance company has to assess the risk and set a premium accordingly. They take into account your age, experience, where you live, type of car, etc.
If you hit someone, or several people, the insurance could have to pay out compensation. I think it is capped at £2million per person, but if you drive into a crowd your insurance premium looks very cheap.

Records show how likely your age group, gender, car, location, etc., are to cause a claim. Adding any modification places you into a higher risk category, as records show that cars with minor modifications are a higher risk.

Keep the car standard, add a parent as a named driver. Don't be tempted to not declare modifications. In the event of a claim your insurance could be void.
 
Last edited:
Hi,

Thanks - the car is fully standard (haven't fit the skirts yet) & that price is with 2 named drivers each with at least 22+ years of driving experience and one with no claims in that time.

If I were to change the alloys for ones from another punto mk2 would this need to be declared as a modification even though they were an option when new?

Also, I wasn't ever suggesting driving without insurance. I'm just saying that the prices in comparison to the average 17 year old's wage is way out of balance IMO.
 
Hi,
Please feel free to give us a try for insurance if you like. If you wanted to PM me some contact details I'd be happy to arrange for one of my quotes team to give you a call back.
Regards,
Dan.
 
portland_bill said:
If you hit someone, or several people, the insurance could have to pay out compensation. I think it is capped at £2million per person, but if you drive into a crowd your insurance premium looks very cheap.
Click to expand...


Bodily injury is uncapped. So could run into tens of millions in some cases.

£20million limit for 3rd party property normally.



Danny1143 said:
If I were to change the alloys for ones from another punto mk2 would this need to be declared as a modification even though they were an option when new?
Click to expand...


You'll need to check with your insurer. All are different on their requirements regarding mods.

Danny1143 said:
Also, I wasn't ever suggesting driving without insurance. I'm just saying that the prices in comparison to the average 17 year old's wage is way out of balance IMO.
Click to expand...


Your wage has little relevance. Driving is a luxury not a God given right at the end of the day.

All you can do is shop about and buy a car that's cheaper to insure, in time your insurance will slowly drop.

Try comparison websites as well as direct insurers such as Aviva and direct line etc who don't appear on comparisons sites ??
 
Thanks, I didn't realise that sites such as Aviva don't appear on comparison websites :)

Shouldn't have posted this really as there's loads of lads in the same boat but it is what it is, just gonna have to keep my skirts in the garage for a year & hope for the best regarding the alloys...
 
Changing the alloys could cause issues, so ask your insurer first.

A few years ago one of my learner students bought herself a Peugeot 106 with alloys on it. Although these were genuine Peugeot ones, that would have been fitted if the first owner had specified alloys as an option, she could not afford the insurance. These had been fitted by the previous owner. I sent her back to the vendor to ask about the original steels, unsurprisingly they were in his shed, as there is no market for 106/Saxo steel wheels. A neighbour of hers runs a tyre shop. He fitted 4 new cheap tyres to the steels, then sold her alloys and gave her some money back!

Keep it standard, build the no-claims.
Without modifications it is also less attractive to the police, or thieves, hopefully.
 
Cheers Mate, just annoying when there's all these modification guides on this forum & I can't get near them for at least a year :cry:

I think my current plan of action is:

1. Insure it as standard & as a provisional (with a few more lessons done)
2. Ask them about the skirts, if they're gonna add a stupid amount to my insurance I'll either keep them in my garage until next year or sell them on
3. Same with the alloys (I really can't see the problem since they're manufacturer ones but I know full well that you don't give them any reason to not pay out ;))

Also looking at powder coating my current alloys but I think I'd have to ring up & ask to get a proper answer.

Just a shame that so many lads my age rag their cars around, makes it harder for everyone (n)
 
When I got my insurance through Direct Line, I told them I wanted to lower it & add alloys. My policy got declined - wouldn't even insure me. End of discussion. Took the alloys off - declined. Took the lowering off and put the alloys back on, came back at £300.

They also distinguish between aftermarket and factory alloys, so do tell them. But they're normally good at getting you a number of quotes!

Don't be inclined to go for Adrian Flux just because they allow mods, the cheapest they could do me was well in excess of £800 compared to £300!! Just keep it standard, drive it sensibly. Don't snub at a black box scheme either. Saved me £100+.
 
thought I'd just add, that initial massive increase you were quoted was probably more because of switching it from a provisional licence to a full licence, rather than adding the skirts. this happened to me when i passed my test.

if you've only got a provisional, you require a full licence holder (or 'proper adult') in the car with you when you drive, usually a parent for young learners. once you pass your test, insurance companies know you're gonna be straight off to thorpe park with your mates, obviously not driving as cautiously as your were before you got your new found sense of freedom.

that's what i've always thought anyway, the best way to get insurance down unfortunately is to just.....get older haha
 
kazer92 said:
thought I'd just add, that initial massive increase you were quoted was probably more because of switching it from a provisional licence to a full licence, rather than adding the skirts. this happened to me when i passed my test.

if you've only got a provisional, you require a full licence holder (or 'proper adult') in the car with you when you drive, usually a parent for young learners. once you pass your test, insurance companies know you're gonna be straight off to thorpe park with your mates, obviously not driving as cautiously as your were before you got your new found sense of freedom.

that's what i've always thought anyway, the best way to get insurance down unfortunately is to just.....get older haha
Click to expand...

To add to this, when getting quotes shopping about on a provisional, swap it to a full also, some insurers don't increase premium by much (if at all) unlike some who hike it.
 
I don't mind a black box at all, I'm not someone who's going to rag it around & yeah I need to have a play around with insurance, get to know all their little tricks ;)

Cheers
 
kazer92 said:
thought I'd just add, that initial massive increase you were quoted was probably more because of switching it from a provisional licence to a full licence, rather than adding the skirts. this happened to me when i passed my test.

if you've only got a provisional, you require a full licence holder (or 'proper adult') in the car with you when you drive, usually a parent for young learners. once you pass your test, insurance companies know you're gonna be straight off to thorpe park with your mates, obviously not driving as cautiously as your were before you got your new found sense of freedom.

that's what i've always thought anyway, the best way to get insurance down unfortunately is to just.....get older haha
Click to expand...
"Get older" hahaha well I'm not gonna get younger!

The lad from Adrian Flux is gonna give me a quote, if it's better than what I've been getting then good but otherwise I'm going to leave it for a bit longer.

With the manufacturer alloys I want to swap onto it, I really don't understand why they'd be a problem. They're obviously made to the exact same standard as my current ones & were an option when new, just unlucky that my chassis no. Didn't have them :(
 
Hi all,

I think some people are getting confused with the quotes I put in my first post :)

As a provisional unmodded: £800
As a full license unmodded: £1300ish
As a provisional with side skirts added: £1250
As a full license with side skirts added: £5750ish

With alloys this quote goes up to £10,000 (no I'm not joking (n) )

As a bit of background I'm an apprentice & I'm grateful for every penny I'm paid but the low wages + crazy insurance isn't a nice combo (n)
 
The insurance company has to assess risk. They cannot come and meet you and watch you drive, so they categorise you according to various factors, including age, location, etc. Because lots of youngsters cause crashes, you all get a high risk rating until you prove otherwise. Records show that those that add alloys and other stuff have more crashes, so up goes the premium. Even if the alloys are OE it is still an addition so gives an insight into your risk.

If I remember the figures correctly, 17-24yr olds are involved in 24% of crashes, but represent only 11% of the driving population.
 
Danny1143 said:
Hi all,

I think some people are getting confused with the quotes I put in my first post :)

As a provisional unmodded: £800
As a full license unmodded: £1300ish
As a provisional with side skirts added: £1250
As a full license with side skirts added: £5750ish

With alloys this quote goes up to £10,000 (no I'm not joking (n) )

As a bit of background I'm an apprentice & I'm grateful for every penny I'm paid but the low wages + crazy insurance isn't a nice combo (n)
Click to expand...

Have only just quickly scanned the thread but observe/comment:

1) A young provisional license holder has to be supervised = lower risk
2) A young full license holder is unsupervised = much higher risk
3) ANY MODS young/new drivers make (be they provisional or full license holders) will be *very very* heavily loaded. Insurance companies want to 1001% deter (by excessive premiums) all vehicle modifications. Skirts, dashing wheels, tinted windows, go faster stripes = BOY RACER. I mean no offence but this is how they work and often justifiably based on statistics.

4) WELL DONE on you. You have taken the due care / diligence to contact your insurer and ask/get quoted for mods. As much as you don't like the response I think you can now appreciate that had you put some trivial skirts on your car or changed the wheels AND NOT consulted/advised the insurance company then you would have been totally uninsured.

The bottom line to being uninsured is not just a criminal record but having to pay ££££££s for the care / death of one or more people for the rest of your working life!

If it is any consolation (I don't know your age) but come 21+ then things get a whole load better.

Both myself and my wife did motor sport (sprinting and track days) in our road going cars. We declared *EVERYTHING*. e.g. brake hoses, safety stickers such as Ignition Off direction, yellow tape on battery negative lead, replacement of seat belt bots with "eye" bolts to take road legal safety harnesses, performance air filters (no other engine mods) and in my case a lower and stiffened suspension, free flow exhaust and wider profile tyres on alloy wheels (whopping 185s on my humble Uno SX).

We also submitted a planned "upgrade/change" list for approval (e.g. plumbed fire extinguisher, external emergency cut-off, and other mainly safety related stuff.

No problems what so ever and no premium increases.

The real ironic thing was one day a builders vehicle lost control and drove across our front garden and drive hit my Uno (which fortunately deflected the van from hitting my wife's Strada Abarth). Anyway an insurance company appointed independent insurance assessor came round. He tested the brake pedel, handbrake, tyre tread depths etc. etc. A long and detailed check list. When I asked why as the vehicle is OFF the road on my private property and does NOT have to be road legal for this incident he basically said I has a detailed check list to work to and this is a "vehicle state", "modifications" etc. etc. What the insurance companies do with the report is nothing to do with him.

I also remembering him saying that were this a Ford Cosworth/similar performance and engine management tuneable car he would have would have connected to the ECU and checked the ECU map checksum/image for changes.

People (all), please make no mistake. These insurance companies are commercial concerns with profit, viability and employees to support. If there is anything they can wriggle out of or reduce pay-out on then they will. You would do the same.

*uck with them and they will *uck you over even more. Be honest and open with them and then if you have made a genuine oversight then there is unlikely to be a problem and they are more likely to want to advertise their behaviour to genuine errors.
 
s130 said:
Have only just quickly scanned the thread but observe/comment:

1) A young provisional license holder has to be supervised = lower risk
2) A young full license holder is unsupervised = much higher risk
3) ANY MODS young/new drivers make (be they provisional or full license holders) will be *very very* heavily loaded. Insurance companies want to 1001% deter (by excessive premiums) all vehicle modifications. Skirts, dashing wheels, tinted windows, go faster stripes = BOY RACER. I mean no offence but this is how they work and often justifiably based on statistics.

4) WELL DONE on you. You have taken the due care / diligence to contact your insurer and ask/get quoted for mods. As much as you don't like the response I think you can now appreciate that had you put some trivial skirts on your car or changed the wheels AND NOT consulted/advised the insurance company then you would have been totally uninsured.

The bottom line to being uninsured is not just a criminal record but having to pay ££££££s for the care / death of one or more people for the rest of your working life!

If it is any consolation (I don't know your age) but come 21+ then things get a whole load better.

Both myself and my wife did motor sport (sprinting and track days) in our road going cars. We declared *EVERYTHING*. e.g. brake hoses, safety stickers such as Ignition Off direction, yellow tape on battery negative lead, replacement of seat belt bots with "eye" bolts to take road legal safety harnesses, performance air filters (no other engine mods) and in my case a lower and stiffened suspension, free flow exhaust and wider profile tyres on alloy wheels (whopping 185s on my humble Uno SX).

We also submitted a planned "upgrade/change" list for approval (e.g. plumbed fire extinguisher, external emergency cut-off, and other mainly safety related stuff.

No problems what so ever and no premium increases.

The real ironic thing was one day a builders vehicle lost control and drove across our front garden and drive hit my Uno (which fortunately deflected the van from hitting my wife's Strada Abarth). Anyway an insurance company appointed independent insurance assessor came round. He tested the brake pedel, handbrake, tyre tread depths etc. etc. A long and detailed check list. When I asked why as the vehicle is OFF the road on my private property and does NOT have to be road legal for this incident he basically said I has a detailed check list to work to and this is a "vehicle state", "modifications" etc. etc. What the insurance companies do with the report is nothing to do with him.

I also remembering him saying that were this a Ford Cosworth/similar performance and engine management tuneable car he would have would have connected to the ECU and checked the ECU map checksum/image for changes.

People (all), please make no mistake. These insurance companies are commercial concerns with profit, viability and employees to support. If there is anything they can wriggle out of or reduce pay-out on then they will. You would do the same.

*uck with them and they will *uck you over even more. Be honest and open with them and then if you have made a genuine oversight then there is unlikely to be a problem and they are more likely to want to advertise their behaviour to genuine errors.
Click to expand...
Thanks for your reply,

Bit of light reading after work ;)

I know full well that I need to be insured perfectly in terms of modifications & that they obviously charge us all so high in case somebody else does £100,000s of damage - I have to say though, I still don't think me adding side skirts will automatically make my car anymore dangerous or more likely to be stolen (which is their usual excuse).

I could understand if I'd bought the skirts from an aftermarket place but these are manufactured by the same company as the car itself, made to the exact same standards & probably in the same factory!

Ah well, I'll see if I can stick them on next year. Just getting on with my lessons & insuring it stock as a provisional for now!

Cheers :)
 
Danny1143 said:
I have to say though, I still don't think me adding side skirts will automatically make my car anymore dangerous or more likely to be stolen (which is their usual excuse).
Click to expand...

You're missing the point, if you modify your car you falling into the group of 'modifier' and modifiers generally have more claims. That's all it is.

No different to if you live in Bradford, doesn't make you any worse a driver, but statistically you're more likely to claim.
 
It's true. I ran quotes for 2 addresses - one Surrey, one just a mile over the border in Hampshire.

One was far more than the other. Simply because of address.


I've been lucky and am able to put alloy wheels on. Score!

It does seem daft, but prices do fall eventually. My friend who's 21 as well just insured a 2.3L supercharged SLK for the same price as his Lupo last year and my 500 last year. :cool:
 
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