I had reassuring proof this week that good deals can be had.
Every year when it comes to car insurance renewal time, close friends tell me that I always seem to pay too much.
That was until a couple of years ago.
I’m the sort of person who won’t buy anything, be it a product or a service, before I’ve researched that particular field, found the best prices, or even asked myself if I even need it.
A bit of a bargain hunter, then.
Of course, everyone needs car insurance, and up until last year I was paying over £330 to insure a now thirteen year-old car, which did seem excessive. Always shopping around for the best deals, last year, just by switching insurers, I managed to save £100.
When the renewal quotation came through this year, it was cheaper, though not by much.
So, a few online quotations later, I managed to get it down to around £158 plus £25 legal cover. I wasn’t sure that this covered the car’s suspension modifications though (even though I had listed them), so called a specialist VW broker.
(Interestingly, garaging a thirteen year-old car, seems to make no difference to the insurance premium price.)
Tipped off by one of those close friends, Brentacre managed to find a quote at £190 (saving me £35 on the original renewal) with protected no claims bonus, a lower excess, and with scope for more modifications (I don’t think I’ll be using that benefit), it looked like a done deal.
That was until I called my current insurer back to cancel the renewal. Rather surprisingly, after finding I had been quoted a cheaper price, they managed lower their renewal price by £40. A protected no claims bonus was also chucked in (free of charge), after I called them back, because I’d forgotten to mention it when I called them the first time.
I was rather impressed.
Although, why wasn’t their price that good first time around? It just goes to show that the insurance industry is as competitive as ever.
But, this year, with the car’s premium at least, I have insurance assurance.