Car Insurance

[Brenbo]

I have just recieve my new insurance quote from VW Insurance and it is extortionate.  More so than previous years.  For my Golf R which is one year old, perfect record on NCD, claims etc, and garaged overnight I have recieved a quote for just shy of £600.  I have looked online and the quotes I am getting from LVE and Aviva etc,. are around half this price with a better excess amount. 

VW Insurance have also informed me they have mentioned to Alliance Insurance about their prices being too high but they will not budge, so they would not even check the amount they quoted and offer a small reduction to keep me as a customer.  I was told that is the quote and it ain't budging.  So I said right i'm off too get a better deal elsewhere. 

So I am writing this thread to ask which insurers you guys would recommend to try and why, before I take the final plunge?   

[kalimon]

I used LV on my A3 but they wouldn't insure my GTI unless I fitted a tracker.
They are a good company though.
I now just use the cheapest I can find that is underwritten by a reputable company.
And switch every year because the robbing pricks show their customers zero loyalty!

[Watts]

I'm with Direct Line. The first premium was very competitive, they don't grumble with simple modifications nor charge if you need to amend your cover (which was the deciding factor for me). Bit miffed on renewal as my premium jumped though in fairness because of a claim in January complicated by being with a foreign registered lorry which still hasn't been resolved due to issues with identifying the insurer. Second claim seems to be going much more smoothly.

[kalimon]

I'm with Direct Line. The first premium was very competitive, they don't grumble with simple modifications nor charge if you need to amend your cover (which was the deciding factor for me). Bit miffed on renewal as my premium jumped though in fairness because of a claim in January complicated by being with a foreign registered lorry which still hasn't been resolved due to issues with identifying the insurer. Second claim seems to be going much more smoothly.

In 35 years of driving, I've never once had a competitive quote from Direct Line.
It's obviously due to where I live but it's still bizarre.
I can use Saga now it's sad to say but I found they are crazy expensive after the first year.

[SRGTD]

I’m insured with Aviva. I found them to be competitive on premium and excess, and they were willing to reduce my premium at renewal when I phoned and explained I could get cover cheaper elsewhere, so good customer service too, to retain an existing customer.

My brother is also insured with Aviva and recently had a claim and he found their claims service to be excellent, as were the repairs to his car; the Aviva approved repairer was also approved by his car manufacturer (I checked, and they are VW approved too).

At the end of the day, insurance is a necessary evil that we all need to buy, but the cheapest insurer isn’t necessarily the best (nor is the most expensive). Aviva weren’t the cheapest for me, but they were competitive and were prepared to be flexible on price to keep my custom, and based on my brother’s experience, have a good claims service.

[Paul70]

Try Direct Line - straightforward and good value if you meet their customer profile.

[Watts]

I can use Saga now it's sad to say but I found they are crazy expensive after the first year.

Me too I won't get a quote from them on principle, I'm in that famous river in Egypt......

[2007GTI]

I was with direct line for years until they attempted to double my mk5 GTI cover so went to Aviva, who then also went north.  So 2 years ago I went with Esure and then just yesterday I had to take out a new policy for the Mk7 GTI, based on 9 years NCD, living in London (not a posh part, but not a sh!t part), late 30s, and it was £350, before any extras, once you add motor legal, hire car, key cover, all the stuff you hopefully never need, which they kindly package up for you, it ended up at £450. I don't wish to get into argument about that £100 worth of extras being unnecessary, but the older I have got the more cautious I have become.

What I have learned is that if insurer has had a lot of claims on one particular vehicle, their system will automatically push the premiums up for everyone else, thats exactly what happened at direct line from what I understand.  A few big claims and everyone suffers. 

On another note, my mum has a Polo and is with VW insurance, and she had a claim and they were excellent, and the bodyshop they used was top notch, amazing job, you would never know the car had been painted and I'm fussy.

The one thing you could do, is push your voluntary excess up, but it's a risk like everything else.

[Brenbo]

Many thanks for the info.  I have now just managed to get my insurance with Aviva for £297.  This is almost -£300 less than VW Insurance quoted (or should I say daylight robbery).   

[Brenbo]

I tried to get VW Insurance to budge at least £1 on their quote and they said there is nothing i can do to get the quote to change.  I think there would have been more reaction from a brick wall. 

I would have liked to stay with VW Insurance but lossing £300 more than I have just paid for car insurance would have been madness.