Proving NCB before new insurance

[Lambie]

Hello all!

I'm a new driver, and I've had my licence since January this year. Despite bumping and pranging into various stationary objects I've avoided having an accident on my first year, so I've made zero claims so far (touch wood) :slayer:

I've run two insurance quotes, with and without a years NCB, and the price difference is dramatic. Right now my insurance is close to £3k a year. The quote for next year w/o NCB is the same, but with 1yr NCB it's close to 1.5k, which is a dramatic difference. However, before switching to a new provider I won't have technically had a year NCB when I purchase my second year insurance.

Does your insurance provider give you evidence of your NCB before your insurance expires, or should I buy my next year insurance without NCB and then phone them up during the policy to say I've got evidence of a year NCB?

I find this all very confusing, but could absolutely do with the cheaper insurance as I'm also trying to save other things which I can't do while being squeezed by insurance and petrol costs. Thank you!

 

[varesecrazy]

NCB - it's NOT legally binding,
it's essentially just a scheme to get custom.

you can buy 9 month "bonus-builder" policies when after 9 months..at "renewal" you get a "years NCB".

conventionally a MONTH before expiry you will get a renewal notice, and it SHOULD detail 1 years NCB..,

there are people on here within the UK insurance industry who will know more,

but I have MANY vehicle policies running, so have given you some of my many years of insured experience.

Charlie

 

[Lambie]

NCB - it's NOT legally binding,
it's essentially just a scheme to get custom.

you can buy 9 month "bonus-builder" policies when after 9 months..at "renewal" you get a "years NCB".

conventionally a MONTH before expiry you will get a renewal notice, and it SHOULD detail 1 years NCB..,

there are people on here within the UK insurance industry who will know more,

but I have MANY vehicle policies running, so have given you some of my many years of insured experience.

Charlie

Defo tell it's not legally binding considering the smallest claim and POOF gone. Or pay protection like the Mafia to keep it from being taken away when you rear end shunt a bush.

Thanks, so a month before renewal I get the NCB proof! Fantastic, I was so worried I'd have to scrimp hard for another year :bang: I've heard of the bonus builder, unfortunately Hastings didn't seem to offer it... Or understand what I was talking about!

 

[varesecrazy]

As I said.. they are "schemes" offered to draw you in as a new customer...

Example - if you start on a moped -aged 16, some companies will offer you the years MOPED NCD on your 1st year in a car - aged 17 ( can save you £2000..!!)
however at the end of the year in a car..you've only got the 1 years CAR NCD

like I said , it's a marketing ploy..

 

[AndyRKett]

As mentioned above, you should get proof on your renewal documents from your old company. You usually don't have to send proof till after the policy has started. So you can get a statement from your old insurer if you don't have renewal documents. Then you send that off to the new insurer.

On a new policy they will take your word for it for a period of time, but if you don't then send proof you will find they either whack the price up to full or cancel the policy without any refund

 

[doblovert]

Quote:

However, before switching to a new provider I won't have technically had a year NCB when I purchase my second year insurance.

If I read you correctly, you are considering taking out a policy of insurance with another insurance company on the basis that you have 1 years NCB, at a time when you don't actually have it? - telling them you DO have it, thereby obtaining a reduced premium.

There's nothing "technical" about that-- it's a "false statement to obtain insurance". That is an offence triable either at Magistrates or Crown Court (triable "either way") and carries up to 2 years imprisonment, a £2000 fine and 6-8 points on your licence. Even more seriously, the insurance would be invalid- so if in the interim between setting up the new insurance and actually achieving the 1 year NCB you had a prang, you would almost certainly be uninsured and the company would not pay out. They MAY also, even after you achieve 1 year, note (if you subsequently claim) that AT THE TIME you made the declaration to them it was false to obtain the policy, and therefore STILL refuse to honour the insurance even if you had passed the 1 year mark by the time of a claim. IT REALLY ISN'T WORTH IT !!.

Leave it until the day of you achieving the 1 year. Then insure on line or by phone - you can then honestly say you have 1 years NCB, and will have time to obtain proof of the NCB from your present insurers if the new company require it subsequently.They will not require to actually SEE the proof at the time of taking the new insurance.

Crown Prosecution Guidelines:


Forgery and False Information, etc.: Charging Practice
Sections 173 and 174 RTA and sections 44 and 45 Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994 (VERA) create a number of offences concerning forgery, fraudulent actions and false statements in connection with various road traffic documents. These offences are triable either way and punishable with a maximum of two years' imprisonment on indictment.

Acts which breach these sections will often also amount to offences of a more serious nature which carry greater penalties. In such circumstances you need to decide which is the more appropriate charge. But usually charges under RTA and VERA should be preferred unless a defendant has committed a series of offences on a substantial scale for personal gain

 

[Lambie]

Don't worry, I wasn't going to claim it if I didn't. I was thinking if I didn't receive evidence before changing insurance I would do the opposite, in that I would take out the insurance with 0 NCB and then tell them when I eventually received the NCB. Because like you said, if in the last month I had a bash I've lost it. It's my first car, so I was really hoping to understand how this confusing system worked.

I normally take the precautionary measures before proceeding with these things, I mainly asked because I wanted to see if I had to go for the 0 NCB quotes I received, but consensus seems to be that I'll receive the evidence close to the expiry date. In which case happy days, if not I'll take the honest route.

Thanks for quoting the law, always handy to have a fallback without going through the book.