Car Insurance

[Saracen]

Interesting, I didn't realise you could do that. One question though: how do you show your insurer that you haven't exceeded the allotted 3000 business miles?

In my case, they took my word for it. That "uberimae fidei" (utmost good faith) thing cuts both ways. HOWEVER .... insurers do have loss adjusters, claims investigators, fraud teams, etc so in the event I stick in a big claim, they can investigate where I was and why, and if it eas a businrss trip, and if so, the extent of my business use.

Personally, for tax reasons, I keep a running tally of business usage, and each trip is diarised (the paper kind, not on a smartphone) so I can back up when I was and wasn't using business miles.

I suppose, in my case, it wasn't just simply a case of saying " I do x miles" but rather more a case of explaining semi-retirement, might not do any business miles at all but would like to retain the option to do a handful per year. On the basis of an average of 150 miles each way, and 3 or 4 times a year at most, it shouldn't exceed 1500 miles, but as I keep an eye on it, I aas told "if it does look like going over that, let them know, shouldn't be a problem.

In fact, it's rare enough now I could probably do without any business miles but as it's costing nothing, and keeps the option open .... why not?

It is, I'm told, all about perceived risk. Givren my circunstances (no claims in a couple of decades, no convictions, age, semi-retired, etc,) I guess they see no extra risk in the few business miles. If they did, they'd price it in.

Also, it's kinda hard to customise like this if you get electronic quotes via a comparison site. But use a good broker you can talk to, and they can negotiate a variation direct with the insurer.

[Butcher]

I'm yet to find a broker who can come anywhere near the comparison sites, but I have fairly niche insurance requirements.

[Blaineoliver]

I'm yet to find a broker who can come anywhere near the comparison sites, but I have fairly niche insurance requirements.

Have you tried sky insurance or adrian flux? Sky insurance (nothing to do with murdoch) do specialist insurance.

[OilSheikh]

Unless of course there are other witnesses...



Keep THIS in mind - if you don't follow the book, or if you start lying by omission or commission to your insurance company, you are potentially storing up a whole load of grief, including having any claims refused, prosecution for insurance fraud, leading to a criminal record and the possibility that you will be uninsurable for a long period of time.

It's a game only for the incredibly stupid.

I did follow the book and look where it got me!
I gave my address and my car got vandalized and it now has scratches that I will need to repair and pay for from my pocket
My insurance has gone up by £400 despite me being the person who got hit.

[Disturbedguy]

I did follow the book and look where it got me!
I gave my address and my car got vandalized and it now has scratches that I will need to repair and pay for from my pocket
My insurance has gone up by £400 despite me being the person who got hit.

I got hit by a truck, completely the truck drivers fault.
My insurance went up, I queried why when it wasn't my fault and it's because of any "potential future claims" I make...

[Zak33]

or adrian flux?

i'd not bother with that.. long afgo they were awesome...

now... they're just not at all.. in fact I'd say they've utterly changed and I'd not waste the call. I've tried them twice and I'll never get back those wasted 30 minute calls.

[Zak33]

-. Always lie to say that you were coming back from shopping at your local supermarket. .

May I humbly suggest that this advice is wrong, bad, wrong and ... wrong.

and.. it's worth saying.. it's wrong and bad advice. And wrong

[Butcher]

Have you tried sky insurance or adrian flux? Sky insurance (nothing to do with murdoch) do specialist insurance.

Tried both, and others. Neither was close. AF got closest on premium, but with a £3k excess which I wasn't prepared to accept.

I did follow the book and look where it got me!
I gave my address and my car got vandalized and it now has scratches that I will need to repair and pay for from my pocket
My insurance has gone up by £400 despite me being the person who got hit.

Just think of how much more it would have gone up if you'd been found guilty of insurance fraud.

i'd not bother with that.. long afgo they were awesome...

now... they're just not at all.. in fact I'd say they've utterly changed and I'd not waste the call. I've tried them twice and I'll never get back those wasted 30 minute calls.

Agreed.

[Saracen]

I did follow the book and look where it got me!
I gave my address and my car got vandalized and it now has scratches that I will need to repair and pay for from my pocket
My insurance has gone up by £400 despite me being the person who got hit.

Nobody thinks the way insurance works is fair, but ... you being the one that got hit isn't quite the point. It's whether the insurer can lay the costs off on someone else, and if they can't prove fault on the other party, or they're uninsured .... it'll come down on you. Remember, it's a no claim bonus, not a no blame bonus.

I get why you're not happy BUT .... doing it your way will be far, FAR worse if you get caught. Firstly, the money could be way worse, but secondly, for a lot of people a fraud conviction could ge a job-loser abd/or career-ender.

Just not worth it, IMHO.

[pp05]

I got hit by a truck, completely the truck drivers fault.
My insurance went up, I queried why when it wasn't my fault and it's because of any "potential future claims" I make...

So assuming there are no claims in the next 12 months it should go down ?

It does point to some truth that if you are involved, whether it's your fault or not, they mark you down for it. It's no wonder for small repairs nobody wants to inform them.

[rich835]

I had a similar discussion with my insurer (Admiral) only a few weeks ago, when our fully comp multicar policy was up for renewal.

There are 4 cars in my household, mine, wifey's, son's and daughter's. As is the case every year, I do a compare the meerkat and always find it cheaper. I go back to Admiral, tell them the deal, they make a few tweaks and drop the price.

We were all named drivers on each others vehicles, but it was cheaper to remove that option. Admiral told me that on each of our policies, we are covered to drive each others vehicles anyway (and anyone elses vehicle), with the owners permission, but 3rd party only. They told me that this is pretty standard, and if someone doesn't have this on their policy, then there would be a reson for that.

3rd party only isn't ideal, but in our case, we were happy to go with it, as it's very rare that we drive each others cars, and they are not high value vehicles anyway.

[Disturbedguy]

So assuming there are no claims in the next 12 months it should go down ?

It does point to some truth that if you are involved, whether it's your fault or not, they mark you down for it. It's no wonder for small repairs nobody wants to inform them.

I have no idea, my claims weren't effected so I don't know what will happen in 12 months.

[OilSheikh]

Chaps, I can't reiterate enough. DO NOT give your address, your name or your phone no. Only give your License no, your insurer's name and your Policy no. That should be good enough for the other driver.

There are proper pscychos out there and you don't want to endanger yourself or your family. If the other party decide to do a drive by shooting and kill your family, what then ?

[Saracen]

Chaps, I can't reiterate enough. DO NOT give your address, your name or your phone no. Only give your License no, your insurer's name and your Policy no. That should be good enough for the other driver.

There are proper pscychos out there and you don't want to endanger yourself or your family. If the other party decide to do a drive by shooting and kill your family, what then ?

And I can't reiterate enough that the Road Trafiic Act stipulates that you must. If, for any reason you don't, you MUST report the incident to the police. Failure to do so IS an offence.

Yes, there are nutjobs out there but it's a minority, but that's a risk of driving.

We each have to make our own minds up and take responsibility but I for one am not going to take that advice, and certainly not about deceiving my insurance company. Sadly, again, it's a cost of motoring that you can and probably will have an accident sooner or later, and if/when you do, the odds are that doing the right thing may cost you. Doing the wrong thing could very well cost you a hell of a lot more.


As for a drive-by shooting of entire family, that same driver could easily respond to being cut up, or a minor accident scratching his oaint, by hauling out his Mac-10 and lighting you up on the spot. The solution to that is to give up driving, or buy Trump's 2nd hand "Beast".

Mind you, by staying home. you run the risk of being in your home when ir's flattened by a crashing plane, meteorite strike or the neighbour's boiler exploding. A friend of mine has contacts with a company offering nuclear bomb shelters???

[Butcher]

Chaps, I can't reiterate enough. DO NOT give your address, your name or your phone no. Only give your License no, your insurer's name and your Policy no. That should be good enough for the other driver.

There are proper pscychos out there and you don't want to endanger yourself or your family. If the other party decide to do a drive by shooting and kill your family, what then ?

Where do you live, Detroit? There are countless accidents on the roads every day, how often have you heard of a drive-by shooting over an insurance claim?

Mind you, by staying home. you run the risk of being in your home when ir's flattened by a crashing plane, meteorite strike or the neighbour's boiler exploding. A friend of mine has contacts with a company offering nuclear bomb shelters???

I'm not sure I want a nuclear powered bomb shelter.

[Saracen]

....

I'm not sure I want a nuclear powered bomb shelter.

Ho ho.

Actually, if I was in the market for a shelter, nuclear-powered makes some sense. Batteries will run out, generators require fuel and produce poisonous emission and solar panels would give away your location and provide an easy point of sttack. My own personal nuclear piwer station makes me power sekf-sufficient for a long period.

Now all I need is to find where to get one.

And get a shelter to put it in.