[Finance] Car Ins - windscreen replacement & NCB

MJsGhost · Mar 26, 2024

Windscreen replacement now booked with National Windscreens (Allianz's specified repairer) in Hove.

I've re-run the search on moneysupermarket to add the claim and the cheapest quote is now £713 (still Marshmallow, but up c £50). The closest quote from a brand I recognise is LV at £730, which is about what it was yesterday. I'll go with that I reckon as it's a lower excess (£550 instead of £825). It'll also save me time doing due diligence on Marshmallow.
FWIW, I really don't mind going with a brand I don't initially recognise as long as research points to them being decent. Going with the big companies in a market leads to a big barrier to entry for new players, therefore low competition, worse service & higher prices/charges than you might otherwise see (e.g. the personal banking industry until recently).

EDIT: I needed to amend the date to start the policy on the LV website and moving the start date back 3 days put the premium up £16! I guess that's due to moving away from the perfect LV sweet-spot for the time before renewal mentioned by @Shropshire Seagull above. I'll wait a few days and try again.

Guinness Boy · Mar 26, 2024

Paulie Gualtieri said:
Very odd, on the price comparison site I used, there was at least 7 (5 I would say household names) that would do it cheaper than the renewal

Maybe Admiral want to shrink the customer book for a time until prices of parts return to normal?

Insurers will certainly 'right size' their books from time to time and I heard things in the industry that Admiral were one of them. They've now publicly stated their price rises are at an end and they're starting to decrease again.

Admiral signals end of car insurance price surge

FTSE 100 insurer says it has stopped increasing motor premiums as Aviva announces £300mn share buyback

www.ft.com

Shropshire Seagull said:
On renewals, Martin Lewis talks about an optimum sweetspot of 21 days prior to expiry to obtain a new quote.

Apparently, insurance companies look favourably upon folk who seek quotes at this 3 week window ...

I'm not sure they're legally allowed to do that any more. Renewals and new customers should, in theory, get exactly the same rates now. Do you know when he issued his advice?

Guinness Boy · Mar 26, 2024

MJsGhost said:
Windscreen replacement now booked with National Windscreens (Allianz's specified repairer) in Hove.

I've re-run the search on moneysupermarket to add the claim and the cheapest quote is now £713 (still Marshmallow, but up c £50). The closest quote from a brand I recognise is LV at £730, which is about what it was yesterday. I'll go with that I reckon as it's a lower excess (£550 instead of £825). It'll also save me time doing due diligence on Marshmallow.
FWIW, I really don't mind going with a brand I don't initially recognise as long as research points to them being decent. Going with the big companies in a market leads to a big barrier to entry for new players, therefore low competition, worse service & higher prices/charges than you might otherwise see (e.g. the personal banking industry until recently).

EDIT: I needed to amend the date to start the policy on the LV website and moving the start date back 3 days put the premium up £16! I guess that's due to moving away from the perfect LV sweet-spot for the time before renewal mentioned by @Shropshire Seagull above. I'll wait a few days and try again.

Retry daily if you've not bought and bound a policy yet. In volatile times carriers re-rate often to stay competitive. Some may also do 'deal of the week' with a comparison site to get nearer the top for cheapness and others may match cheaper quotes - eSure have done this for example.

I'm going to dig into how legit that MoneySavingExpert thing is. EDIT - probably still is. It was on his TV show in November last year after the price fix change. I suspect insurers are using the ability to price different channels differently legitimately to achieve this.

Paulie Gualtieri · Mar 26, 2024

Guinness Boy said:
Retry daily if you've not bought and bound a policy yet. In volatile times carriers re-rate often to stay competitive. Some may also do 'deal of the week' with a comparison site to get nearer the top for cheapness and others may match cheaper quotes - eSure have done this for example.

I'm going to dig into how legit that MoneySavingExpert thing is.

I started looking around 28 days out (locked in some quotes 3 weeks out after reading about the 21 day “sweet spot) and have taken up a renewal as a result (didn’t expect things to get cheaper)

Im still 16 days to expiry but compared fresh quotes yesterday and all had increased by variable amounts. It’s obviously hard to qualify if it’s affected by general market conditions or the algorithm knows I’m closing to needing a policy so the “urgency tax”‘increases.

It’s probably a combination of all factors to be fair

MJsGhost · Mar 26, 2024

Guinness Boy said:
Retry daily if you've not bought and bound a policy yet. In volatile times carriers re-rate often to stay competitive. Some may also do 'deal of the week' with a comparison site to get nearer the top for cheapness and others may match cheaper quotes - eSure have done this for example.

I'm going to dig into how legit that MoneySavingExpert thing is. EDIT - probably still is. It was on his TV show in November last year after the price fix change. I suspect insurers are using the ability to price different channels differently legitimately to achieve this.

Without expecting a particularly revealing answer, I queried the increase through live chat (if anything I hoped they'd just match the original quote given that an increase of over 2% to push a start date back 3 days is just WEIRD).
An empty "Unfortunately, policy start date can affect the premium quote" was the answer I got.

I'll look at it daily as you suggest seeing as it's not exactly time consuming... :thumbsup:

Shropshire Seagull · Mar 26, 2024

Guinness Boy said:
Insurers will certainly 'right size' their books from time to time and I heard things in the industry that Admiral were one of them. They've now publicly stated their price rises are at an end and they're starting to decrease again.

Admiral signals end of car insurance price surge

FTSE 100 insurer says it has stopped increasing motor premiums as Aviva announces £300mn share buyback

www.ft.com

I'm not sure they're legally allowed to do that any more. Renewals and new customers should, in theory, get exactly the same rates now. Do you know when he issued his advice?

They are not allowed to offer new customer [cheaper] incentives anymore, correct.

The Martin Lewis claim was aired last November - here's the link to his website

Guinness Boy · Mar 26, 2024

Shropshire Seagull said:
They are not allowed to offer new customer [cheaper] incentives anymore, correct.

The Martin Lewis claim was aired last November - here's the link to his website

Yeah I saw it earlier too. Seems like he could well be right, in that there's the ability to price different sales channels differently still. Certainly worth a go :thumbsup:

Affy · Mar 26, 2024

drew said:
A lot of these new names are just marketing and when you check the actual underwriter it is a well know name. I assume that each year you check on comparison websites even if you are staying with Aviva?

Yes you’re absolutely right. A lot of the banks offering cover are all arranged by the same company and yes, the underwriter can be a well known name but they company often have delegated authority to deal in the name of the underwriter. And their service levels are often slightly lower.

I do check comparisons each year but it has to be a significant saving for it to be more than a cursory glance. Maybe I’m old school but I stick with a company who has provided excellent service as long as the money is sensible. Some years I have to lapse my current policy and take a new one with Aviva online as a new customer but the new consumer duty regulations should start to stop such disparity between existing and new customers.
I understand the market so I have maybe more acceptance of premium increases.

One of my mates went with a “competitive quote” on confused despite me suggesting not to. He saved £100 but ended up having an accident and the hassle and delays he encountered were outrageous. Even in the current circumstances.

Of course not every cheap company will provide bad service and I’m certain Aviva have caused some people issues. It’s what works for you.

Affy · Mar 26, 2024

dazzer6666 said:
Wouldn’t worry too much about where they are based as long as FCA regulated, but would check review sites for claims experience in particular. Bigger UK firms don’t always fare that well.

If the actual insurer is based in Malta/Gib then they dont have to be FCA regulated. They may have a UK MGA who is and does need to be. It’s just more of a minefield than an established UK insurer in my experience.

dazzer6666 · Mar 26, 2024

Affy said:
If the actual insurer is based in Malta/Gib then they dont have to be FCA regulated. They may have a UK MGA who is and does need to be. It’s just more of a minefield than an established UK insurer in my experience.

Agreed - hence why I'd recommend using one that is...........

Eeyore · Mar 28, 2024

It's that time of year again for me.

Oddly, my insurer has increased mine by nearly £200 from just under £300. This despite no claims. Money Supermarket has others quoting up to £200 cheaper.

Annoying to move insurers again but needs must.

The cheapest quote has excellent reviews on Trustpilot. But I don't trust Trustpilot ! Most folk give 5 stars because their quote was cheap. They really shouldn't comment. It's about what happens if something goes wrong. And, surprise, surprise, their reviews are awful for that.

So... does anyone have an insurer they swear by for all relevant reasons for insuring ?

Guinness Boy · Mar 28, 2024

Eeyore said:
It's that time of year again for me.

Oddly, my insurer has increased mine by nearly £200 from just under £300. This despite no claims. Money Supermarket has others quoting up to £200 cheaper.

Annoying to move insurers again but needs must.

The cheapest quote has excellent reviews on Trustpilot. But I don't trust Trustpilot ! Most folk give 5 stars because their quote was cheap. They really shouldn't comment. It's about what happens if something goes wrong. And, surprise, surprise, their reviews are awful for that.

So... does anyone have an insurer they swear by for all relevant reasons for insuring ?

@Eeyore I've merged your thread with another recent one on the same subject as there's some good advice on here. In general:

1) See if you can find the timing 'sweet spot' Martin Lewis talked about.
2) If you're not happy with quotes on a comparison site then try another site or go back tomorrow
3) Car insurance is, in general, increasing in price. There are good reasons. Parts inflation, increasing claims and write offs due to software or electrics, Brexit. But the price increases are slowing down and many insurers have now right sized their books.
4) Some insurers will match cheaper quotes from competitors if you like the look of their cover better,

Eeyore · Mar 28, 2024

Guinness Boy said:
@Eeyore I've merged your thread with another recent one on the same subject as there's some good advice on here. In general:

1) See if you can find the timing 'sweet spot' Martin Lewis talked about.
2) If you're not happy with quotes on a comparison site then try another site or go back tomorrow
3) Car insurance is, in general, increasing in price. There are good reasons. Parts inflation, increasing claims and write offs due to software or electrics, Brexit. But the price increases are slowing down and many insurers have now right sized their books.
4) Some insurers will match cheaper quotes from competitors if you like the look of their cover better,

Cheers. Useful advice.

Lurker · Mar 28, 2024

Easy 10 said:
Thats a bit of a myth apparently. A few years back I had a windscreen repair guy come round to replace my windscreen after a crack was slowly making its way across. I mentioned to him that I was worried driving home that the whole thing was going to shatter - but he said short of someone taking a hammer to it, a windscreen will not shatter just because of a crack in it.

He seemed quite convincing.

Your man was absolutely right.
Unless it’s a vintage, nobody driving a car should worry about their windscreen shattering anymore. It can’t happen, unless someone decides to drop a brick or similar from a bridge as you pass under!
The advent of laminated windscreens put a stop to shattering.
You also won’t get a leak from a crack in a windscreen (unless the crack extends to the very edge of the glass, and even then it’s unlikely).
Windscreens are manufactured effectively as a 3 piece sandwich. Glass inside, glass outside and laminate sandwiched between the two.
Any crack in the outside glass will not penetrate the laminate and will not affect the inside glass.
You obviously can’t drive with a crack across your eyeline, so you can’t ignore it, but do not worry yourselves about possible shattering or sudden leaks … it won’t happen.

MJsGhost · Mar 28, 2024

I've just gone ahead with a new policy - £690 with 1st Central.

Although it's 20-odd quid up on last year, it's WAY better than the £900 to renew with last year's provider (Flow/Allianz) and £50 better than a quote I nearly went with a few days ago with LV.

That was through confused.com, which I had tried due to @Guinness Boy's advice to try different comparison sites (I had been just looking at moneysupermarket). There was a small difference between price from the same provider, so that underlines the benefit of using the different sites.

Thanks to everyone who has chipped in with advice and thoughts :thumbsup:

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[Finance] Car Ins - windscreen replacement & NCB

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