Does it matter who insures my car? (UK)

[tekno]

I've got quite an expensive car and the insurance is up for renewal.

Current insurer (Direct Line) £670
Cheapest (Norwich Union) £270

But, when I add my girlfriend who is younger and not been driving too long:

Direct line - £2,100
Norwich Union - won't quote
Admiral (cheapest on price comparison site) - £552

So, Direct Line, Admiral, Norwich Union etc. etc. Does it really matter who insures me? Interested to know anyone's thoughts or experiences.

 

[Shaun.P]

Admiral was my first insurer, and I have also been with Norwich Union (AVIVA).

I found both to be fine. In the grand scheme of things you'll probably find both insurance companies offer similar services. I would check all excesses though.

I wouldn't go for a company you've never heard of, like "1st Central" which is a basic, no-thrills insurer that seems to give good quotes to younger driver. Reviews of this company are not too good! However, that being said, I went with a basic, cheap Irish insurance company that was cheap at the time and it was OK - although didn't have to claim (Quinn Direct).

Depending on your age, I would try adding on one of your parents onto the policy as a named driver (the most experienced). It is perfectly legal even if there are no intentions they will use the car. This would also be an advantage if they occasionally wanted to use your car.

 

[R94N]

Once you start looking at reviews you'll see there are horror stories for all of them. Maybe worth asking to see who your friends or workmates are with.

 

[Portaluk]

The insurance industry is heavily regulated, in the unlikely event of a claim if your not happy with their treatment there is always the option of taking it to the ombudsman/authority.
In my experience (from colleagues) all insurance companies will try to avoid paying out and when they do they will pay out the least they can get away with.

Personally when I renew I usually go with the cheapest company that I recognise, this is because I have found in the past that the smaller no name companies have poorer customer service compared to the larger companies.

Also you may find some of the local high street brokers are cheaper than you think and more willing to negotiate as they have less overheads (no call centres etc).

Also as the previous person stated review sites are unreliable, the only people that post on them are ones that have had a very bad experience or ones that have had a very good experience.

Also try http://www.simplyswitch.com/insurance/index they are currently doing a £40 cash back promotion and http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/car-insurance/ for lots of good advice.

Good luck.