[AlanHo]

I have just received my renewal notice from my car insurer - it has increased by £60 from last year and is now £443.

I always have comprehensive insurance with windscreen cover, no claims protection, and zero voluntary excess with my wife as a nominated river. I have not specified a courtesy car - but some insurers include it as standard.

Like every other year, I have spent a few hours trawling through the comparison sites getting quotes - which have ranged from £216 (Quote Me Happy.com) through to £1908 (Hy Performance.com). The moneysupermarket.com comparison site is my favourite because I find it the easiest to use and it enables you to select up to 5 quotes and get them compared in a tabulation showing exactly what is included and what is not.

Yesterday, my present insurer phoned to ask if I was renewing my policy and I told them that i had obtained other quotes and it looked as though I would be going elsewhere. She asked my for the lowest quote I was considering and I told her it was a £125 lower than the renewal they had quoted. She went off the phone to talk to her supervisor and offered to match it. I told her that I would not be accepting the revised offer as a matter of principle - why try and charge me £60 more than last year when they knew full well they could do it for £65 less than my previous premium.

So, after much analysis and comparing policies etc. I have just taken out my insurance with Tesco for £318.

Incidentally - the prices quoted on the comparison sites for Tesco were higher than I got from Tesco's own web site.

[Shambles]

My invitation to renew has ariva'd from Ariva - £408 with no additional driver (never done that before). Must see what adding an extra named driver does to my renewal quote.

Also, must try Tesco - I assume quidco/TCB applies for a new customer? Time to go and see...

[AlanHo]

My invitation to renew has ariva'd from Ariva - £408 with no additional driver (never done that before). Must see what adding an extra named driver does to my renewal quote.

Also, must try Tesco - I assume quidco/TCB applies for a new customer? Time to go and see...

You normally get a reduction when you name an extra driver - unless it is Louis Hamilton of course or someone with a criminal record

[asathorny]

Yeppers I renewed last month and moved from Esure, to RAC.  I'll be sure to check out Tesco next time round.   Thanks fo rthe heads up

[Dazzler]

I liked the good old days when insurance renewals went down..

Good on you Alan for rejecting the counter offer 

[Mad Dog]

Did you happen to notice what Tesco says about using Hy parts?

[succulant]

Sometimes changing your occupation in the quote can make a big difference. ie I'm a civil servant but I put computer operator and it generally saves me a few quid.
Also I had to add 500 business use miles at last renewal and the quote actually went down by a tenner! Go figure?

[eye30]

Here is my experience just last month.......... post #19

https://www.i30ownersclub.com/forum/index.php?topic=13220.msg145921#msg145921

AlanHo see post #01.

This shows excess of £250 yet you requested £zero.  Also, Courtesy car.


Renewal quote £443 but quoted £388 online then they were willing to offer @ £318 same as Tesco.  Is this £zero excess and courtesy car?

I take it you have checked out conditions re use of parts/ selection of repairers so you don't have the same problem as me

[AlanHo]

My insurance is as stated above. Comprehensive, 2 drivers, zero excess except for windows, no claim protection (max 2 claims in 3 years) etc.
Windows excess is £10 if glass repaired £75 if replaced.
I am covered in the EU for 90 days in the year (didn't realise this until I got the booklet)
Free courtesy car is included (Ford Ka or equivalent) if I use their approved repairer. I didn't ask for this - it seems to be standard.

Here  are some more details to answer your questions :-

[eye30]

I've got guaranteed NCD on my policy. OK I pay a few £% more but should I be in the position of having had 1 fault accidents say in year 1 then another soon after I won't be worrying that I might be involved in a 3rd before the first one has expired i.e after 3 years.
If your policy hasn't yet started it might be worth seeing if they will quote you for guaranteed NCB.

On my policy I had the EU cover removed as I don't intend to take it to the EU so why should I pay for something I'm never going to use.

Courtesy car may say free but it is included in the charge somewhere.

I've not come across the next to last sentence before:

If the condition of the car is better after the repair ............ we may ask you to pay something towards it.

I see they have included that non manufacturer parts can be used. This seems to have been a new condition which all insurance have introduced during the last 12 months.
This is what caused so much of a problem with the repair to my car.

[baroudeur]

I've got guaranteed NCD on my policy. OK I pay a few £% more but should I be in the position of having had 1 fault accidents say in year 1 then another soon after I won't be worrying that I might be involved in a 3rd before the first one has expired i.e after 3 years.
If your policy hasn't yet started it might be worth seeing if they will quote you for guaranteed NCB.

There is a theory that protected NCD may be  false economy as the premium can, and probably will, be increased to reflect the claim(s)

I've not come across the next to last sentence before:

If the condition of the car is better after the repair ............ we may ask you to pay something towards it.

Standard practice with insurance...it's called betterment.

I see they have included that non manufacturer parts can be used. This seems to have been a new condition which all insurance have introduced during the last 12 months.

This is  part of the result of manufacturers being forced into permitting servicing by non-franchised operators.

[baroudeur]

Yeppers I renewed last month and moved from Esure, to RAC.  I'll be sure to check out Tesco next time round.   Thanks fo rthe heads up

I am sure you realise that Tesco are not an insurance company!  Last time I checked' their' policies are bared to the bone to keep the cost down. For instance I require  foreign cover which  is an expensive extra. If their actual insurer is used for a quote it is often cheaper.

[AlanHo]

Teco Financial services are a registered bank authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Agency. I already use their credit card and have some savings invested with them. Like most car insurers (such as RAC, Churchill, Admiral, The Post Office, Direct Line etc) they use insurance underwriters - so are no different to any of the "front" organisations. I am quite sure that my policy provides all the cover I had with my previous policy - in fact more because a courtesy car is provided and I get European cover - neither of which I asked for or expected.

Take a look at their policy booklet - but do please let me know if I have dropped a horrible clanger - I may well have overlooked something

http://www.tescobank.com/assets/sections/carins/pdf/all-car-policy-document-nb.pdf

[Mad Dog]

I didn't notice anything particularly untoward. It irks me when they say the default scenario is that they will renew next year unless you tell them not to.

Oh - and in case of terrorist attack, you're on your own 

[baroudeur]

Teco Financial services are a registered bank authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Agency. I already use their credit card and have some savings invested with them. Like most car insurers (such as RAC, Churchill, Admiral, The Post Office, Direct Line etc) they use insurance underwriters - so are no different to any of the "front" organisations. I am quite sure that my policy provides all the cover I had with my previous policy - in fact more because a courtesy car is provided and I get European cover - neither of which I asked for or expected.

Take a look at their policy booklet - but do please let me know if I have dropped a horrible clanger - I may well have overlooked something

http://www.tescobank.com/assets/sections/carins/pdf/all-car-policy-document-nb.pdf

Like you we (read my wife) have much invested such as cards, savings etc with Tesco much to my annoyance.  In my view they are worse than the RM/NI empire in their attempt to take over the world.
However, I search the web and elsewhere every year before renewing any insurance.  I found that Tesco were cheasper but very basic in cover and that, in my case, it wasn't possible to get a like for like quote.  I thought Tesco only provided 3 days foreign extension of fully comp cover with any more being subject to a hefty premium but I will read through their policy again to check the details.