Hedgehog insurance

[Shahpor]

Hey chaps,

Has anyone heard of/used this insurance company?

https://www.hedgehoginsurance.com/

I ask because they have appeared on Confused and are by far the cheapest I have seen.

In my case they are offering it for less than £500 even though the next cheapest is over £750.  Their excess is also only £100 as opposed to the £400 the others have.

My insurance isn't due just yet, but as this seems almost too good to be true, I wanted to see if anyone else had any experiences?

Thanks.

[Texas]

So when ( hopefully not) you come to actually 'use' this cheap insurance what exactly is absent from this compared to the others at a lot more money, because something gotta give?

paul m.

[Britprius]

21 minutes ago, Texas said:

So when ( hopefully not) you come to actually 'use' this cheap insurance what exactly is absent from this compared to the others at a lot more money, because something gotta give?

paul m.

So if you pay loads of money the opposite will be true, but I doubt it. It's just that some companies are happy to rip you off for twice the money.

I can get fully comp insurance for my car on "compare the market" from a little over £200 per anum to nearly £5000 per anum. Do I get £4800 better quality insurance? You must be joking.

John.

[rayaans]

Should be okay. Insurance companies are all as bad as each other

If you're worried try and ring them, see how they respond

[Ala Larj]

I think they only pay out if the accident is caused by a hedgehog!

[Texas]

Best of luck and I hope you don't have to claim but if you do you might find out why it was cheaper.

paul m.

[royoftherovers]

32 minutes ago, Ala Larj said:

I think they only pay out if the accident is caused by a hedgehog!

or, more likely a road hog ?

[royoftherovers]

12 minutes ago, Texas said:

Best of luck and I hope you don't have to claim but if you do you might find out why it was cheaper.

paul m.

Hedgehog is backed by Berkshire Hathaway  not insignificant organisation.

Google it and you will find that they have identified a gap in the marketplace!!

[Malc]

13 minutes ago, royoftherovers said:

a gap in the marketplace!

wot  !!!  they only insure billionaire drivers over the age of 85 

Malc

[Ala Larj]

Not sure they'll even insure Philip after his recent escapades!

[royoftherovers]

2 hours ago, Malc said:

wot  !!!  they only insure billionaire drivers over the age of 85 

Malc

Been at the RIOJA  again Malc ?

[Shahpor]

I would give it a go, but like I said my insurance isn't actually due yet.

As John says, they are backed by a large company even though Hedgehog itself only started recently.

They claims to be using a new computer algorithm that will help certain demographics get cheaper insurance.

If they are still the cheapest when my renewal time comes around then I can't see why I wouldn't go with them, but I just wanted to see if anyone else had experienced this discrepancy in prices.

[olliesgrandad]

4 hours ago, Malc said:

wot  !!!  they only insure billionaire drivers over the age of 85 

Malc

If both parents are alive 😂

[Herbie]

Just tried Hedgehog out of curiosity and their quote came in at £630 but my renewal with existing company is £570.

Not only that but Hedgehog are including in the quote a sum of £10 "New business fee"!!!

So I'm giving them my custom and they charge me £10 for the privilege - I think not!!!!

EDIT - maybe this is why they come out more expensive for me because I don't fit their criteria:

Quote

A new motor-focused MGA is set to hit in the UK market later this year, backed by Berkshire Hathaway International Insurance.

Hedgehog Insurance, founded by CEO Pete Storey and business partner Ben Gower, who co-own travel insurer MGA 1Cover, will target drivers who face higher than average premiums.

The new MGA will be based in Gibraltar with its UK underwriting and claims handled by Cardiff-based sister company Rostella, run by director Nigel Lombard, who has 25 years’ experience in car insurance, e-commerce and operations.

Storey told Insurance Business that the MGA would be targeting what it sees as an underserved segment of the market – drivers aged 21 to mid-40s who face higher than average premiums for reasons such as holding points on their licence, a driving conviction, or being blacklisted by certain insurers because of their postcode.

“We think we can nip in and pick up some of the underserved bits of the market to give customers what they want and hopefully make a profit out of it too,” he said.

 

[NemesisUK]

“We think we can nip in and pick  up  some of the underserved bits of the  market to give customer s what they want and hopefully make  a profit out of it too,” he said ."

Yes, right up to the point the claims start rolling in and they realise why the other insurers won't touch them!

[steveledzep]

That's when they roll up into a prickly ball. 

[Shahpor]

Well, I don't have any points or driving convictions, so my only guess is my postcode is not liked by certain insurers.

As for the new business fee, I don't really care either way as long as it is still cheaper than others.

Thanks for trying it out Herbie  Incidentally, did you go direct or through Confused.com?

[Herbie]

Went direct Shahpor, just out of curiosity, but I'm 61, no points or convictions and I live in a decent postcode area so I really don't fit their target demographic at all.

And I know that the new business fee is only £10 (and like you, if I was getting a significantly lower premium I'd pay it) but it's the principle of the thing. Their whole reason for being is to serve customers; without customers they would be out of a job so you'd think they'd be happy with that. I repair computers for a living and charge my customers for the job I'm doing, but I don't stick an extra tenner on because they chose to come to me.

[royoftherovers]

"Their whole reason for being is to serve customers;" .....and to make a profit Herbie.

I believe that you and Shahpor are both correct given your respective perspectives and I admire your respect for your personal computer customers.

You are amongst an increasingly smaller breed, sadly.

[Malc]

1 hour ago, Herbie said:

no points or convictions and I live in a decent postcode area so I really don't fit their target demographic at all.

not on hedgehogs but on Saga ..........  just renewed mine with them ( Saga )  and seeing a 10% increase in premium from last year I called and offered them to give me their best price rather than me chasing round getting quotes.

After 15 mins and declining their first offer of just a 5% increase they settled on a 0.3% increase ( @ ) up from £328.28 to £330 dead

BUT they said one reason for the increase was possibly the underwriters claims experience in the area recently ...........  nothing to do with me being a 5 year established client with them ( and my Honda Legend too being covered with them )  AND I remembered whilst I was away for my month touring Ireland there was a drunk crashed into three cars just where I park my car usually ( in the road ) and wrote off two of those cars

Thankfully not my neighbours Bentley nor his Audi Q7 SUV thingy nor his Jensen Interceptor that parks in the road too when it's out having an airing  .  so i can sometimes see where they might be coming from with the postcode lottery concept...  oh and last year his Audi thingy was crunched parked out in the road in front of our properties too .......... so maybe being an innocent in all this doesn't help when you're being penalised by any insurer 

Heaven forbid if i actually ran over a hedgehog eh !

Malc

 

[Malc]

Warren Buffett CEO of Berkshire Hathaway aged 88 ............ has the second-highest amount given to charity ($30.80 billion) among the greatest philanthropists

............................. and clearly the insured drivers within his realm contribute to this 

so guys and gals, it might be the usual insurance rip-off BUT this really might be going to good causes 

Malc