Touchy subject so I apologise in dvance.
I changed from FJ a year ago and bought cover from Lancaster. What a disaster!!!
Thought I would check out FJ again this year and the cost of returning to them has doubled from the premium I paid with FJ in 2018.
I applied as I would normally do…limited mileage, club member, car garaged no modifications and I’m old with a clean driving record.
The quotation came out at £398.
Lancaster in 2019 was £212.
Seems a huge difference to me?
Confused?
Ah.
The annual motor insurance fan-dango. (Q Strictly Come Dancing tango music)
Call them as I do every year ( given these auto-quotes are “Computah sez neaooow”) driven and, as I am certain you will very politely, suggest they insert it where God’s sunlight may experience a technical issue shining.
My favourite phrase is" Online right now, and you have £XXX.XX to beat…take it or leave it"
It works for me.
It’s all just a B.S. game.
Try Direct Line. I’ve just renewed with them for my NB. I’ve been with them for three years (after one of the insurers in the so-called “Club scheme” demanded a 23% increase at first renewal). DL’s cost has remained the same as the first year, less than half of your £398!
As said above hit the comparison sites for an estimate, mainstream insurers will quote you.
Nothing special with Lancaster or FJ, quite frankly I found them very OTT on price and the former, well read the reviews, nuff said.
For me Admiral, third year with them and each renewal I beat them down on price or I go elsewhere.
I’ve probably mentioned this before on the forums, but the first time I received my FJ renewal it had increased by something like 70%.
They contacted me to ask if I’d been renewing and I queried the price hike, but they said there was nothing they could do so I said I’d have to look for cheaper insurance since there was no way I could afford it.
A week later I was surprised when FJ phoned again (just after I’d received my quote from a much cheaper company actually), and said they had seen my renewal price, looked into it, and discovered the person who had done the renewal had forgotten my club discounts.
It came in at £3 or so less than the year before, and was now cheaper than anywhere else so I renewed with them.
Subsequent renewals have seen it come down in price (not by a large amount, but always better down than up) however the tax they charge has gone up - so it averages out to only a few pounds less each year.
Just had an email renewal quote today, up from £186 to £260, rang them up and suggested that the price was over the top and i would look else where, literally within a 30 second discussion with his supervisor my quote came back (with apologise) at £189 which is a £3 rise from my original price.
Same thing happened on my other car 3 weeks ago with a £4 decrease at £186…esure.
I have a multi car policy with Aviva, I’ve got a Mk1, a Mk2.5, a Toyota Corolla & SHMBO’s Alfa Guilletta, with multiple drivers for £450ish. This means they are all accruing no claims discounts, the Mx5’s have 2 years each the other 2 have 5+. I phone them every year and expect to spend 30 mins on the phone haggling, if I don’t get a significant reduction I ask for the supervisor and keep climbing the tree til I get the deal I feel is acceptable. Insurance companies are just a load of glorified street hawkers and should be treated with the contempt that they deserve. I have often suggested to an insurance company manager that I will name and shame them on the Mx5OC website and this often helps. For my sins I also have a Mo Ho and that has to have specialist insurance, the company I was recommended to specifically asked me to to give them a mention on MotorHome Fun, which is the equivalent of this site and Soft Top Hard Top, I have no problems with a recommend for good service and good premiums.
So in short try a multi vehicle policy, all the big companies do them now, unlike FJ and co. and you’ll be getting on going savings on your NCD’s
Cheers!
Russ
Russ, good idea; I too have considered that route. I do have a multi-motor bike policy for my two but haven’t yet done so with our cars only because it would involve losing quite a bit of money by cancelling their existing policies, to bring them all in line.
Thank you everyone for all your helpful replies.
I do have a couple of other cars on a multi policy with Aviva and I intend to discuss adding the Eunos to this policy.
To date I have been swayed by those insurance partners mentioned by the club and have arranged “classic car” cover. I think the matter of an “agreed value” has led me to go with FJ or Lancaster.
However, I believe I have been naive and I would have been better to access the market and determine whether more beneficial options exist.
Whilst value of the car is fairly important I believe as I get older there are two more important considerations:-
1/. Cost of the insurance
2/. Claims experience/payment in the event that I need to make a claim.
Thanks again everyone.
Grant
Yes I’ve got the Admiral multi policy, 2 cars and home insurance= £460.
I could get the cars policy down a tad by going individual, maybe saving £20 but it was the home insurance price that swung it to stay on a multi.
I have a multicar with Admiral.
I negotiate every year with them.
The MX5 costs me about £130 for the year.
I have added and subtracted vehicles left, right and centre on my Aviva policy, we’ve just acquired a Mk2.5, I added at it Christmas to my policy that will renew in May 2020, they wanted £50 to add the new vehicle. I added my daughter’s boyfriend to her Corolla for the remainder of the cover in November - £17. My daughter still hasn’t passed her test and has accrued 5 years NCD … as a learner driver! (Note the policy is in my name but named driver/main driver earns the NCD.) But I haggled a bit. the key phrase for those too scared to haggle is “Is that the best you can do?” and now the cruncher!! … remain absolutely silent until they respond, if they say “Are you still there?” say “yes” and go silent again. Brits hate pregnant silence on the phone and they will eventually answer “I’ll see what I can do.” If there’s no joy then ask for their manager and go again. It’s not a patented process but it’s saved me £000’s on phone contracts, car insurance, and lots of retail situations. I have to say I learnt the technique from my ex, now late, Mother In Law, she was in Marks n Sparks and asked for discount on a pair of Sloggi quadruple gusset up and over tie em in a bow under crackers, she got 25% off as they had a very slight mark on them… I was mortified but have used it ever since!! Don’t ask why I was with her when she was buying her undergarments!!
Cheers!
Russ