Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Shopping

From everyday essentials to big purchases, swap tips and recommendations. For the best deals without the hassle, sign up for Mumsnet Moneysaver emails.

Original poster

Been in tears this morning -car insurance - how much?!

100 replies

TotorosOcarina · 30/01/2011 11:20

DH is 25, taking last lessons, plans to take test sn.

We have 3 DC and 1 on the way.

Are looking at a 2nd hand grand scenic.

We have saved up to buy the are (about 3,000 for car)

this is a huge amount for us, we have extra for tax, insurance etc,

BUT after doing lessons, saving for car ect... we have only just looked into insurannce.

On 'go compare' the cheapest insurance is £6200 PA!!

We can't afford even half of that.

I can't believe it, we've been saving and I've been dreaming of having a car for so long, im just devestated :(

Hes a 25 year old man with 4 kids, buying a family car

not some 17 year old nobby buying some modified race car!!

Should we just give up now?!

OP posts:
JaneS · 30/01/2011 12:02

Are you married? Oddly, my insurance went down when I got married (which I found annoying, and only thought to say because I was asked, so you might not have filled in that box?).

If you can afford to save a little more and wait, oddly, it will almost certainly get cheaper. That car is not very expensive for the size, and a newer, more expensive version might actually be cheaper to insure. This is I think because they expect you to have more accidents if you drive a relatively cheap old car.

Also, (again oddly), my brother waited for a year after he passed his test, before insuring himself of a car. He didn't drive at all during that time, but his insurance still went down.

It sounds like a heck of a lot of money, I'm really hoping you can find ways to bring the cost down!

kid · 30/01/2011 12:05

Insurance is a joke, our insurance goes up a huge amount every year, it has never come down in price.

I always shop around and now pay £450 a year for 7 seater zafira. Dh is the main driver, I am a named driver and we have both been driving for 17 years each.

Good luck with your search, I do think you need to look at a cheaper car/smaller engine even if it's just for a few years to get some NCB.

QueenLaQueefer · 30/01/2011 12:06

Totoros, may I ask how old you are?

Do you have a licence or provisional licence.

DH put me on his insurance as a learner when he was 23 and I was 27 and the price went waaay down, bizarely. Maybe because I was a woman over 25, even though I couldn't drive. Could you try that? Might it be worth getting a provisional for?

Original poster
TotorosOcarina · 30/01/2011 12:06

We are married yes.

Arghh its so frustrating. we don't have much more than the 3000 to buy a car.

OP posts:
stressheaderic · 30/01/2011 12:06

I would recommend looking through individual companies websites, rather than the compare websites. Then, spread the cost so that you pay monthly. And also go through a cashback website so that you get something back to put towards future monthly payments.

I sympathise with you OP. But good on you for doing all this and I'm sure having a car will save your family money in the long run (and make life easier).

wigglesrock · 30/01/2011 12:06

OP - you need to speak to a broker, not use a website. We are in NI, which has ridiculously high car insurance prices but have never been quoted anything that high. Go Compare was the highest quote we received!!!. Good luck.

Original poster
TotorosOcarina · 30/01/2011 12:07

I'm 26 and do have a provisional (got it for ID at 18!) but never taken a lesson.

OP posts:
TheCowardlyLion · 30/01/2011 12:08

Have a browse of this site - all about 7 seater cars!

thebountymuncher · 30/01/2011 12:08

Have you tried a quote for a Vauxhall Zafira (if you like them) I have a feeling they are a slightly lower insurance group, but will go and double check.

It's because he is a family man with 4 children that your quote is so high unfortunately- I got a quote without children and with just to see, and it was lower without (kids in the back are a distraction apparently, true for mine to be fair!)

Again, I really hope you manage to find one, must be so frustrating and gutting for you.

juneybean · 30/01/2011 12:09

Have a look at Bell Insurance, they did no claims boosters like getting a year for 10 months.

deemented · 30/01/2011 12:09

It's horrendous, isn't it?

I'm due to renew next month. Last year was charged £198 - and that was with 3 penalty points for speeding. Now have had points removed as they'd expired, so have a clean licence, 7 years no claims and the cheapest i can find is almost £500!!!

Add that to the price of diesel at the moment, and it's no wonder we're declaring the car SORN...

imustbemadasaboxoffrogs · 30/01/2011 12:12

We had a Fiat Multipla - ugly as sin on the outside but very very practical on the inside.

And they're cheap as chips to buy, which should leave you more money for the insurance?

Fitted 6 of us plus dog plus crap no bother.

And the insurance was no more than the car my (now X)H used to have.

BaggedandTagged · 30/01/2011 12:20

It seems really odd that the lowest quote is twice the value of your car. I know insurance also covers risk to other people's property/ persons but even so.

Maybe call an insurance broker and then at least you'll find out what it is that's making it so expensive. However, I imagine it is

newly qualified driver+massive car

I've always found e-sure to be the cheapest

HeroShrew · 30/01/2011 12:37

DP's insurance quote went up from £950 to £1900 in a year Shock he's in his thirties but a relatively new driver and had a shunt last year.. oops.

He called the NFU (no online quotes, you need to ring 'em) and got it down by a fair bit.

It is still OTT expensive, no wonder there are so many uninsured drivers out there Angry

LoopyLoopsPoopaScoop · 30/01/2011 12:42

Try Swift Cover, they are online only and therefore you can get some really cheap quotes.

Original poster
TotorosOcarina · 30/01/2011 12:48

Thanks for all the advice, we are going to sit down tomorrow morning, ring some numbers and see what we can do.

OP posts:
pointydug · 30/01/2011 12:51

That sound s bonkers.

I looked up moneysupermarket last autumn and brought our insurance down from £500 to £160. Fully comp but both driving for 25ish years with no claims discount.

Yes, shop around some more and phone up.

Thistledew · 30/01/2011 12:53

Try calling the companies rather than applying on line, as the on-line systems often just calculate by the engine size rather than the type of car. They might offer you a better deal if they realise it is a family car rather than a powerful supercar. Also, the premiums may be lower if you can get a diesel rather than petrol version of the car. NFU would be a good place to try- they are used to insuring practical work vehicles that may have a large engine but are not boy racer mobiles.

LIZS · 30/01/2011 12:56

Renaults can be expensive to insure anyway and to maintain. £3k for a Grand Scenic probably will only get you a high mileage elderly one (they came out in 2004/5 ish iirc) It may not be your first choice but maybe a Vauxhall Zafira, Toyota Corolla Verso(Picnic)or Previa, Ford Galaxy, Seat Alhambra/VW Sharan or Mazda 5 are also 7 seaters which may have a range of smaller engines and therefore lower insurance groups. Agree with others that a recently passed driver may find such a large car a challenge though.

Original poster
TotorosOcarina · 30/01/2011 12:58

Hes driven my mums 7 seater no problems.

Am going to look at different cars too.

OP posts:
Appletrees · 30/01/2011 13:02

have ou tried THE CO-OP

I love the Co-op

thekidsmom · 30/01/2011 13:03

Would it make a differenec if the car was insured in your name and he was a named driver?

We've had to become experts in car insurance for teenagers these last two years - two driving under 20s here - and it is horrendous even on our Yaris.

The sooner you take the plunge, the sooner the prices come down - its experience, not age, which seems to be the main facotr....

upahill · 30/01/2011 13:08

Thekdsmom. You have to be careful doing that. I think it is called fronting and if DH was going to be doing most of the driving it is illegal.

I heard something about this on Jeremey Vine/Martin Lewis.

Check out Martin Lewis' website for info for getting cheaper car insurance.

kid · 30/01/2011 13:09

Just remembered something that might help you save some money.
On moneysavingexpert.com there is a section on car insurance. Your job title can make a difference to your premium so if you type in the job title, it offers alternative titles and how much it will save you.
Just thought it might be worth a try?

exexpat · 30/01/2011 13:17

Definitely try an actual insurance broker as well as all the online options - they are used to dealing with more problematic cases.

I moved back to the UK after 12 years overseas - I'd had a UK licence for more than 20 years, but no recent insurance history or no-claims bonus in the UK and all the websites were quoting ridiculous amounts if they would even quote for me at all. The broker found me a more reasonable offer, which has decreased over the last four years as I have built up history, and at my latest renewal I found lots of fully-comp offers for under £300.

But realistically I think you are going to be looking at four figures for a brand-new driver with a big car. The premiums should go down quite fast over the next few years though.

Swipe left for the next trending thread