to think my car insurance is very expensive?

[mykiddies]

Sorry not sure where else can post this. My car insurance atm seems v high - £550 or thereabouts. It went up last August by about £170 after an accident in 2009 (this claim is pending). Myself and husband are (40/46). My mum pays £290 as second insured with my dad and she has had 3 accidents in the last 2 years. Renewal is not up til next August. Can I shop around to get a cheaper quote if have pending claim(s) or do I wait until nearer this August to do that. I think my car was valued this renewal as to what it was purchased for. Should I contact them to tell them this was wrong and it should have been lower. Will that make a difference? Do you pay more being younger and the size/price of car? Sorry bit daft about this.

[glitzy]

Have you shopped around...if thats a renewal, they often hike them up by rediculous amounts, and it would be cheaper to change insurance companies. I change mine every year.

[BikeRunSki]

You can shop around even with the claim pending.

IF you or your immediate family have ever worked in the public sector, it would be worth seeing if you are eligible to join the Civil Service Motoring Association. Very competitive insurance through LV. Mine dropped from £600 to £300. CSMA

Bear in mind though that all insurance has gone up in recent times. If you havn't moved house or changed car since you last renewal, it'll be the pending claim that is making your insurance high. As you are in your 40s your age will be in your favour. The age of your car is not so much of an issue as the engine size I don't think.

If it is any comfort, I pay £600 for a van - non commercial use - limited to 8000 miles/year and we live in the countryside.

[mykiddies]

There is another snag. I had another accident just before Xmas and so it doesn't look good does it. I assume it will go up another couple of hundred so be near the £700 mark. Would I still be able to find anything cheaper. I have been v unfortunate in the last year, one in 2009 and the other before Xmas and I didn't have any for 14 years.

Also I noticed when you are looking a quote it says you have to put in any claims and how much etc. but these 2 are pending?

[Seona1973]

my cheapest quote for this year is £613!! I am 37 and had a claim in 2009 when someone went into the side of the car while it was parked in the school car park (and drove away without saying anything!). The car itself has driven the premium up though - volvo xc90 7 seater with 4 wheel drive.

[alypaly]

i found L
and V the best too.

[piratecat]

Not sure about your status with the pending claim. I am sure though that you are under no obligation to stay with them.

My insurance went up last year by about 50. Across the board it has gone up.

I also change my ins company every year, deffo shop around. Renewing with the same company is rarely going to save you any money.

[NigellaPleaseComeDineWithMe]

Go Compare, Compare The meerkat Market etc etc

Depends if you have protected no-claims - your circumstances may make the quote process on-line a bit more difficult but could show you some different prices.

All cars are grouped into insurance bands so the more powerful / expensive to fix up the higher the cost will be.

[Havingkittens]

Definitely shop around. Last year I was insured with Kwik Fit, who for the last 2 years had been the cheapest insurers I'd found on the comparison websites. I bought a new car a couple of months ago and when I called them for a quote they said the cheapest they could offer for the specific car was £1300 with Aviva. Bearing in mind that I am 41 with 8 years no claims and the car is a 1.5L Suzuki Swift I thought that was a bit of a liberty. After shopping around and calling Aviva direct my insurance, with the same company but without a broker, ended up being £280! Quite a difference.

If they won't let you change in the middle of a pending claim then I would advise you to shop around once the claim is settled. Most insurance companies will give you a more or less pro rata refund on canceling your policy. Although, even your existing insurer should adjust your premium once the claim is settled in your favour.

[piratecat]

i have been with,

kwikfit
halifax
sheilas wheels
and this yr i am with morethan.

in the last 4 yrs.

[deemented]

Gah, YANBU!

My car insurance is due for renewal next onth and i've been looking round.

Last year i pad just under £200 - and that was with a speeding conviction. That's now been taken off, i have 6 years no claims and the cheapest quote i can get through go compare ect is £400!!!!

[piratecat]

thats ridiculous, !!!

moneysupermarket?

[borderslass]

My insurance more than doubled last year from £400 to nearly £900 because I had to change from private use to business use all because the bloody council fucked up my sons school taxi contract I needed business use to receive mileage allowance as I'm 'classed as a contractor' now.
And because the insurance company I was using didn't do this class of insurance I had to cancel which cost me another £179 on top of everything else.

[biryani]

I pay £40 per month for my 2.5 litre volvo, with max no-claims. yours doesn't seem that high to me.