Car Insurance

[Bendy]

There really needs to be a shake up of the whole insurance system.

I went to insure my car last month and am basically being treated as a new driver, even though I've been driving for almost ten years. Why? Cos I committed the crime of having a bike instead of a car for a few years.

Apparently that means that all the no-claims, all the experience I had racked up with my car is irrelevant. And strangely, though you'd think that a few years road experience on a bike would in fact make me a better driver, they aren't interested.

Then there's our old friend the NCB. Earn it on your bike and it doesn't count towards a car. Earn it on a car and it doesn't count towards a bike. Make a claim on one, it sure counts towards the other.

What I want is very simple. I want one insurance policy that covers me to 'operate a road vehicle'. I can't ride my bike and drive my car at the same time. I can't ride my bike and someone else's at the same time. Why do I have to pay to insure them both individually when I can only use one at a time? If my car's £300 tpo and my bike's £200 tpo, surely that car policy would absorb the bike one.

Fire and theft? Why can't I take that out as a separate policy on each vehicle? Protect the ones I want to, not bother with the ones I'm not bothered about and have none of this affect my driving/riding policy - after all, crashing and being a victim of theft are two very different things.

Fully comp? Great. Once you've been on the road long enough to rack up enough NCB to pay the extra to protect it... before that it's almost pointless.

Makes me sick it does.

[Kris]

[Kickstart]

Hi

Personally I think they should have third party injury insurance included in the cost of petrol. Instantly gets round all the uninsured drivers. 3rd party damage cover would then be optional but highly desireable.

Victoria in Australia has 3rd party injury insurance included in the cost of road tax (rego). The trouble with this is that you get hammered for "insurance" if you own more than one vehicle irrespective of how many miles they do, as a years road tax for a bike there is around £200.

Unfortunatly the main reason for the high cost of insurance is the cost of injury claims, which is pushed up by all the no win / no fee scams. That problem is getting worse, and may be made far worse as there are proposals that any accident involving a pedestrian or a cyclist will automatically mean that they will be able to claim a payout without any need to show blame. Just image you are stopped at some traffic lights and a drunken cyclist rides into the back of you, then claims off your insurance and wins a large payout from you for his own stupidity.

There are 6 wheel policies available to cover both a car and a bike on the same policy. Think both the BMF and MAG affiliated insurance brokers offer this kind of policy.

All the best

Keith
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Traxpics, track day and racing photographs - Bimota Forum - Bike performance / thrust graphs for choosing gearing

[Annabella]

Like Keith says you need to look for a Fiat Panda, or a Seat Marbella.... these are the only two groupp one cars I know of... (I think there's one of those funny old Citreon thingies with the removeable seats and the roll back roof but they're possibly even slower the and the Fiat and Seat.)


When I started learning to drive these were the only cars I could afford insurance on. My dad had an MG metro and when he tried to put me on his insurance they basically laughed.

Insurance is a big drain on the finances especially when you first start to drive.
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[stevo as b4]

Hey Evilbendy, I know the problem well of not being able to get any NCB for car insurance, after having ridden a bike for a while instead. I have 4yrs NBC on my bike insurance, but that means nothing to insurance companies when your trying for cover on a car. I did find a solution to the problem with my local A-Plan insurance branch. As i drive vans at work and have done for like 6yrs, they asked me to provide a letter from my employer to substansiate this, and that there are no accident claims on their records. because of this they were prepared to give me a 5yr introduction NCB, and im pleased to say that i can now afford to insure the car ive been looking at, as the 5 yr NCB has reduced the price from £1297 to £675FC. Im picking up my 03 Reg MGTF135 next week hopefully, which is nice!
Annabella, hey the MG Metro was the car that every 17yr old wanted when i passed my test, and i remember one kid who had a black one with tinted windows, and ashley competition exhaust, + a set of spot lights, in the days before LED washer jets etc. That seemed quite a cool car then, and the MGTurbo was even more so!

[sathyan]

i dont have a sharp idea .but have a look at this as it will be useful to you.
----
sathyan


Great Auto Insurance

[Polo]

I think he may have sorted it out by now and hopefully now has 5 years NCD behind him.
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My mum smells your fingers

[Smooth]

18 year olds with Manchester postcodes are looking at around £3000 to insure even the cheapest of cars.

[Gashead Harry]

A handy bit of advice is alot of car insurance brokers accept no claims from a motorbike. Youll need to ring up each individual one though as although they may say they accept motorbike no claims on the website, when it comes to filling in the quote there is no option to fill the bike no claims in.
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98' Honda CG125W --- 03' Yamaha DT50SM (Gone!) --- 05' (55) Suzuki GS500 K5