My Coupe insurance is up for renewal this March (I've started looking for quotes and saving already) and I have 3 points on my licence (SP30). Now these points expire on my licence in January so I was thinking great, save myself £40-£60 with having a clean licence.

I did an online quote that I have been tinkering with for an hour and found some interesting points:

1) Although the insurance company say that they take into account the fact that if you turn 25 halfway through the policy and adjust the quote, this is not true. I put my 25th birthday in as yesterday and got a quite £xxx, I then started a new quote with my birthday tomorrow and got a quote £xxx + £60. So for the 2 days I am 24 I get charged £60 I did this test because my birthday is in March, exactly 1 week after the policy is up for renewal.

I think I'll be getting the bus for that week!!

2) Points
My 3 points expire on my licence in January (after 3 years), leaving me with a clean licence. This surely means that I have served my time and I am now a responsible driver than obeys the 70mph limit at all times...So why are Elephant still trying to get an additional £40 out of me for this. This is unfair isn't it??

Elephant ask for a 5 year history of points.

3) This is more of a question for anybody in the know...

I crashed my 'mums' car on her policy last year (a Coupe 20V ). Now to make my policy much cheaper I put her on as a named driver. When I get to the section of "claims/accidents" I am stuck as to what to put.

Do I put

Mama Womack - Insurance Claim - damage to own car - no claims bonus still intact - £6k?
Policy = + £40

or

Womack - Insurance Claim - damage to...own car??? - Wasn't my policy so no loss in No-claims - £6k?
Policy + £80

or both of the above??
Policy + £100

Should I declare the same crash twice, and will they try to use this as a getout clause if I try and claim again without 'both' incidents listed??

So all in all with my age on the brink of 25, my 'expired' points and a crash on my mums policy, they are looking at extracting another £200 from my wallet.

Any ideas? I don't want to pay more than I have to.

-Should I delay my insurance and take the bus for a week while my age = 24 expires?

-Should I declare my "expired" points?

-Should I declare only my mum to have had a claim pay, then pay the mimimal £40 and hope for the best?

Thanks,

Womack

1. Whether you take the bus for a week is up to you. Is it worth £60 to avoid having to sit next to poor people? Remember that you'll feel pretty sick if your car gets nicked or catches fire in the uninsured week. You should be aware that, at some point next year, the law changes so that all vehicles must be insured unless you've declared that they are off the road, a bit like with the SORN thing.

2. Yes, you have to declare "expired" points. After 3 years the points no longer count towards a totting up ban and after 4 they can be removed from your licence, however, the insurance company are entitled to ask for any information they believe is material to your chance of making a claim. If you fail to declare the points then you have breached the uppermost good faith which forms the basis of your insurance contract and could end up being liable for any costs the insurance company incurs.

3. For similar reasons you need to be honest about the accident. You were driving, so it was you that made the claim, even if it was your 'mums' car. The "Lost NCB" question, as I believe it explains in Elephant's guidance notes, should be answered "yes" if you were fully or partially at fault.

For the latter two points be aware that insurance companies share information, as they tell you in the spiel they give you, about claims and convictions. This means that if you have previously declared the points and the accident it will trigger alarm bells if you suddenly drop them.

In a very worst case scenario that could see you hundreds of thousands of pounds in debt.

pay the £200. You can't mess around with insurance companies - can so easily get ruinously expensive.

Why not try other companies as well...Elephant may still be cheaper

...best to declare everything as if you make a claim, they will ask lots and lots of questions

Advice on the claim.

Claims history is down to the person that was driving, not the person that got lumbered with the claim on their insurance. So you have to declare it as your claim, under your name dude!

Also, points should be declared. Insurance companies ALL ask between 4-5 years. U got the points dude, bite the bullet!!

Ross

Got to say mate in this world they know alot more than you think, you now live in the most policed state in the world, a mine of personal data collected soley to catalogue individuals and there habbits. If you don't tell all as you should, it will stick with you for a very very long time, probably your life.

Sorry i know it sucks and ain't what you want to hear but thats England for you now, its no longer the happy go lucky 80's

You need to declare the accident and loss of NCB against your name. You should also declare the points, however I do wonder if the rehabilitation of offenders act may help, although the insurance company will no doubt still know about the points and it won't be worth the hassle.

As for the week before your birthday, check your policy. I've had policies in the past that offer 14 days extra cover if you genuinely are going to renew, but haven't got around to it.

When I was pulled yesterday by the police for speeding, the policeman told me how many points I had and when my insurance and MOT were due. So they already know how many points you have, so you had best declare them, as otherwise it will catch up with you

I thought the way they word it is

"any accidents/claims/convictions"

In your case u did have an accident whether it was your policy or not.

Lawyer friend once told me the story of a client who was with the same insurer for 20 years.

Had the occasional claim and never had any problems. Then had a BIG accident with mega costs involved.

"Sorry we aren't paying out this time, you never declared those points you got 5 years ago"

Basically like all risk industries insurers will turn a blind eye when it suits them to keep your business, but they know whats going on...

If it was 5 years ago then it shouldnt have affected the claim due to the fact that thye are outside the criteria!!

Ross

Can always go backwards if it interests you... they ask you for your life history, but is this for a getout clause nowadays?.
If they know the data anyway why ask you (anyone) to scratch heads for dates etc.?

Invoke the FOI act once you get insured..... ask THEM what thay have gathered about YOU

You want the DPA, not the FOI act.

The DPA is more useful i think? As to the point that they knew your insurance, MOT and car tax Jimo, the change in the law is just a cheap stunt by the government. It alows them to enforce sign up to the PNC forcing insurance companies to declare their customers (another civil liberty vanishes under our noses) meaning there will be no need for a producer, if the Police say your not insured your not and your under arrest cause computers never get it wrong! Anyone else see any problems with that?

Not to mention the plan to unveil a nationwide ANPR system that live tracks the use of every vehicle in the country and would be kept for 4 yrs. Which means no speeding (not that any one here does) and that you will be tracked every move you make in your life, like little lab rats.

Couple that with the filtering out of cash on the trains and tubes and the use of Oysters cards etc (another smart idea ) means one touch of the button they will know everything about you. Where you go and have been for the last 4 yrs what your bank account looks like (and yes they can see your bank balance) your isp information, your mobile phone positioning records and what products and food you bought with your credit card. Plus through rf cards they can see what you have only browsed and looked at. Oh don't eat unhealthy either cause life insurance companies have got there claws in too so if you buy unhealthy food they know so higher premiums!

Just love this "free" country we live in

Wow.... Personally i dont care. Maybe its cause im young. If i have insurance, mot and tax, i have nuthin to worry about!

Ross