Renewing car insurance

OK, here's a question.

Earlier this year I reversed into another car, only just slightly, because it was close behind me in a car park so there was minimal damage to the paintwork (IMO), but the gobby owner mouthed off saying 'you gotta pay for that, we wanted to sell it!'

I was just leaving a caravan site after a holiday and once home phoned the insurance company. The damage to my own car was almost nil so I didn't put in a claim for myself. This resulted in me not losing any NCD.

I have just received my car insurance renewal and notice it is about £60 more than last year but on closer examination the actual quote last year was just £10 less. I reckon I must have called them up asking if they could improve on the amount, because I only paid £344, as opposed to £391. The new quote is £402.

Now. When going through price comparision websites, if you try to click on 'yes I have had an accident in the last 5 years', it doesn't make allowances for the fact that it was the other driver who claimed but I didn't because it is asking for cost. Now, going through the internet I note all accidents are logged on a database so other insurers would know this. So if I wanted to change insurer (humour me!), how would I go about declaring the accident, even though I don't know what cost was paid out, or whether it's settled?

The accident was somewhere in the middle of the year. I've had several caravan holidays in 2012 and can't remember it exactly, but it was quite some months ago.

I haven't heard any more from the insurers about this accident, I accepted fault - totally - and they cheerfully said not to worry, let them get on with it.

Re: Renewing car insurance

When I renewed the last time I had had a claim against me during the previous year and had the same thing from my new insurers. I had to phone my old insurers to find out what it had cost and they were also asked to send a letter to my new insurers to confirm the amount. More bureaucracy to make life more complicated.

Re: Renewing car insurance

Naively I would have thought that this information would be on a shared insurance database somewhere, most everything else is these days...

Re: Renewing car insurance

I have been amazed a number of times when I have threatened to move my house insurance elsewhere, to another insurance company, how the costs have dropped very quickly. Rather than use a price comparision website straight off the bat why not play a little game with them mentioning you are considering moving?

Re: Renewing car insurance

You have had an accident which was your fault, and have admitted liability, you may not have made a claim for the damage to your car, but the claim the other driver put in was against YOU, and your insurance company had to pay it, Therefore your insurance company has suffered a loss caused by you.
If you have not lost your NCD you must have paid to protect it.

Re: Renewing car insurance

Good post MKJ.
I do that now - play one off against another, but I will only use Insurance Companies, not supermarket, AA, RAC or anyone else touting cheap insurances.

I'm with AVIVA now purely because they offered to undercut any quote I was offered, so I tried them out.

That was three years ago and I'm still paying almost the same premium bar a couple of quid on my car insurance but I still go to a local broker for my house insurance.

AVIVA offered to quote me on that and told me to use their online application.
They knocked me back two years ago because I have a tree within 10 feet of my property!

It's in next door's garden so there's not much I can do about that.

I went ahead with the house insurance via a broker again but a month afterwards AVIVA came up with the same offer to be any quote.

I told them I was covered but they still wanted to know and said they'd probably beat it so I told them.

Surprisingly they got back to me and said they couldn't beat that, and I'm with a major insurer too.

As for Jazzi's dilemma I do not know the answer so please forgive my wanderings off-topic! stevmk2

Re: Renewing car insurance

I was told I wasn't losing NCD because I wasn't making a claim for my own car, not because it was protected.

Re: Renewing car insurance

I will phone them tomorrow to ask. Need to update card for payment anyway, so need to talk to them.

Re: Renewing car insurance

Phoned insurance company. Reduced it down to £327.51! And the claim in July has been finalised with a paltry payout of £417.

Go me go me go me!!

Re: Renewing car insurance