Car insurance costs

[mint]

Bonjour, everybody

Just want to run these costs past you so that you could advise me as to whether they are OK-ish?

Insurance for 2 cars with recovery in Dordogne region, in the countryside

1 car over 10 years old, only 3rd party, 1600 cc

1 car 6 years old, comprehensive 2000 cc

The demand came this morning, approx 680 euros.

Reasonable or not, please?

[Mr Ceour de Lion II]

Sounds very cheap to me. I was paying 480 euros for a 5 year old convertible, 1.6 fully comp.

Now I'm paying more, liability only for an 8 year old 2.6l. Gotta love American insurance companies, they don't even recognise my insurance from overseas. Still, the gas is cheaper here, so swings and roundabouts.

[mint]

Thanks for the prompt reply, Richard

Guess I'll just tell them to go "right ahead" (as you Americans would say![:D])

[britgirl]

That's one of the things I do miss about France. It's the car and not the driver that's insured.[:D]

Here in Blighty I have to pay extra because I'm a widow. [:(]

[Val_2]

Why for goodness sakes?? That is discrimination, I am appalled[:@] and you should take the matter up. I am one also and have not been penalised here in France one bit.Does being bereaved make you a dangerous driver or something?? Absolutely typical of the UK these days.

[Russethouse]

BG, did you have no claims bonus in your own right before your husband died?

[Mr Ceour de Lion II]

In the US, most insurance companies take into account your college degree education too. What does having a degree or not have to do with how you drive? Sounds like the UK is taking on this daft line of reasoning too.

[Quillan]

[quote user="Val_2"]Why for goodness sakes?? That is discrimination, I am appalled[:@] and you should take the matter up. I am one also and have not been penalised here in France one bit.Does being bereaved make you a dangerous driver or something?? Absolutely typical of the UK these days.[/quote]

Beat me to it, I think that's terrible especially as statistically women have less accidents than men, widowed or otherwise. I agree with Val, speak to the Insurance ombudsman.

[Russethouse]

I'm not sure you are correct, many women with just one car in the family remain as the named driver for many years and do not always accrue " no claims bonus ". Then they are left a widow and the cost rockets.

I did some research into this earlier this year and couldn't find any real consistency about it, different companies had different policies, or at least different ways of expressing their policy

In the end I became the named driver on our car, but Mr R H will lose his credit for a lifetime of no claims after just two years.......

It's all very confusing and often at a time when things are fraught anyway.........

[britgirl]

Val 2, having just gone through the stress of the 2007 French Health reforms, I didn't have the Ooomph left in me to do battle with insurance companies. I do agree it's not fair that I am perceived to be more of a risk. That's the differance between the two countries. One insures the car, the other the driver(s)

RH, I didn't have insurance in my own right, just a named driver on the OH's UK policy. I did get some no claims bonus, but tbh I can't remember how much. Things became more complicated because I had just returned to the UK, and wasn't working.

[Russethouse]

Then I don't think it was because you were a widow, our insurance was dearer because like you I had only been a named driver for the past 10 years or so.......

[mint]

Spoke to our agent who are based hundreds of miles away in Burgundy but she said that she couldn't find a cheaper quote.

However, she did say that I have a few days (till 1st June) to find something on line and I only need to notify her sometime next week and she could cancel our policy.

Does anyone have any suggestions of any insurance companies, on line or off line, from whom I might be able to get a quote?

I looked briefly on the Allianz site but had to go out this afternoon so didn't follow it through.

As well as choosing the level of protection (basic, intermediate and fully comp), you could also specify mileage and recovery such as only if you are far from your home or even if you are quite close to home, etc etc.

Any suggestions or accounts of a good experience when you have had to claim?

[Quillan]

I wish I could find the Insurance Comparison website I used but I can't. I did a search and Another came up with this one.

http://www.assurland.com/

Hope that helps.

[powerdesal]

Just for comparison:'

'

2.0 l turbo diesel 4 x 4 3 yrs old self and wife driving. 55% no claims approx 375 euro fully comp. Axa.

[Val_2]

Well I switched to Groupama about three years back and have been very satisfied.They paid out quickly and more than we thought on a written off vehicle,helped my son when he had problems with the attitude of Citroën locally and gave me a very generous cheque as a token of condolence for the loss of my husband which had nothing to do with insurance. I have just bought a new car and got a very good deal on it including the price paid for the next three years should anything happen to it. I deal with an office a few miles away but they are always on the ball and very helpful.Before that it was AGF,Winterthur,MMA and Allianz and none of them came near Groupama.

[AnOther]

Sweets TBH the premiums you mention are somewhat meaningless without knowing how much NCB you each qualify for.

That said the figures don't seem horribly far out of the ball park even with 50%.

PD, I though maximum bonus in France was 50% ?

[mint]

[quote user="powerdesal"]Just for comparison:' ' 2.0 l turbo diesel 4 x 4 3 yrs old self and wife driving. 55% no claims approx 375 euro fully comp. Axa.[/quote]

Impressive, Steve.

Erns, we have full NCB, however many percent that is.

 

[mint]

Val, I see Groupama adverts all the time on TV, so may have a look in Pages Jaunes to see if there is one near us.

Thanks for the suggestion.

[Val_2]

We were lucky because the wife of the man who taught both my kids to drive is the head of the Groupama branch I use,she is recommended by hubby because they tailor policies to suit the newly qualified young drivers and their parents to find a solution that fits the pocket and criteria.

My new Ka Titanium with every conceivable bit of cover you can think of and including prix achat for the next three years is €300 with no claims either here or in the UK since 1978(I know that is not relevent).Breakdown also included from home.

[powerdesal]

[quote user="AnOther"]Sweets TBH the premiums you mention are somewhat meaningless without knowing how much NCB you each qualify for.

That said the figures don't seem horribly far out of the ball park even with 50%.

PD, I though maximum bonus in France was 50% ?

[/quote] I'm pretty certain that the figure mentioned on the recent renewal was 55%, it's not to hand at the moment but I will check. An interesting additional note is that we were not happy with the increase over last year's premium so I complained and got an immediate E25 discount, the premium is quite close to the one we paid last year as a result.

[Quillan]

I just used Another's link I gave earlier and mine (2ltr estate) came out at between 240 and 380 Euros fully comp. I don't need it at the moment so I didn't bother to see exactly whats covered and what the access is although normally it seems the cheaper the insurance the more access you pay.

[mint]

I have been emailed a copy of our NCB and yes, as I thought, we are on 50%

As to my second question to the agent which asks for separate premiums for the 2 cars, she said that we have a "group contract" and therefore the quote is just the one sum.

Hey ho, so that's my homework for the weekend then....get some quotes on line and see if the Groupama agent in town opens on Saturday morning.

[idun]

Have you tried the MACIF, which is a mutualist, if my old memory is not playing up, and it could be, judging by something that has happened today.

 

And re reducing insurance to 'just' one driver.

 About 18 months ago, my brother's health problems led to him to the decision that he should no longer be driving. I must add that he went for a test and passed. And as far as I was concerned he was still OK, but 'he' didn't feel OK, so stopped. His wife informed the insurance company and had him taken off her insurance, not his, her insurance, where he was a named driver and her insurance went up. The reason they said was that there was no shared driving, and 'just' one driver was perhaps more of a risk.