Insurance testimonials?

[Mr_Groundhog]

I thought I'd ask about insurance: Which insurance do you use + are you happy? This is my 1st year with my IS300h and compared with my previous Civic the price I guess will be higher but I don't want to pay more than I need...

I am with Privilege insurance atm and they've been all right but I had a non-fault claim back in the summer. Now it's been five months plus, and they still haven't resolved it!

My fear is that as an "unresolved claim" it may affect my renewal price in the spring. Apparently the guy who hit me is lying (about who's at fault) and that's delaying it, but at the same time... it cannot go on indefinitely, can it?

(Was with Churchill in the past and they were a bit awckward but I know they belong to the same parent company)

[wharfhouse]

34 minutes ago, Mr_Groundhog said:

I thought I'd ask about insurance: Which insurance do you use + are you happy? This is my 1st year with my IS300h and compared with my previous Civic the price I guess will be higher but I don't want to pay more than I need...

I am with Privilege insurance atm and they've been all right but I had a non-fault claim back in the summer. Now it's been five months plus, and they still haven't resolved it!

My fear is that as an "unresolved claim" it may affect my renewal price in the spring. Apparently the guy who hit me is lying (about who's at fault) and that's delaying it, but at the same time... it cannot go on indefinitely, can it?

(Was with Churchill in the past and they were a bit awckward but I know they belong to the same parent company)

I've been through lots of insurance companies as each year I do a search using a comparison site against the renewals myself and my wife have been given. This often throws up cheaper quotes and so I switch. The insurance companies have no concept of loyalty so I have no qualms switching as needed. For the last two years Tesco insurance has been the cheapest for my wife's car (Toyota Yaris) and last year it was for my IS 300h too so we are both insured with Tesco at the moment.

[Malc1]

sadly it's the claims experience that affects us all the most 

Pricing is always a comparative issue but when it comes to helping you through the trauma of a claim, well, there's a lot of crappy insurers and their brokers and claims handlers out there 

AND there's some good one's too ........  to which I place Saga amongst the Top echelon   ( personal experiences sadly )

 

and sadly the Fluxii guys and their insurers and handlers way way way down at the bottom of the heap of the very few I've experienced a claim through

This might help one decide eh !

Malc

[Notamech]

If you read trustpilot all the positive reviews for these companies are around the purchasing process and all negative reviews are around the claims process. So its hard to conclusively say if one is better than another. And from what I understand they all try to wiggle their way out or are slow. Or charge you a fortune to do small things like update your info. So might be best to just go with the cheapest. 

[Moleman]

1 hour ago, Mr_Groundhog said:

I thought I'd ask about insurance: Which insurance do you use + are you happy? This is my 1st year with my IS300h and compared with my previous Civic the price I guess will be higher but I don't want to pay more than I need...

I am with Privilege insurance atm and they've been all right but I had a non-fault claim back in the summer. Now it's been five months plus, and they still haven't resolved it!

My fear is that as an "unresolved claim" it may affect my renewal price in the spring. Apparently the guy who hit me is lying (about who's at fault) and that's delaying it, but at the same time... it cannot go on indefinitely, can it?

(Was with Churchill in the past and they were a bit awckward but I know they belong to the same parent company)

I do tend to change each year, looking for the better price, not the cheapest.

Currently with Darwin for my partners Aygo, she had a small knock (non fault) just before Christmas, all credit to Darwin it was all sorted out and back with her in a week.

Other experiences may differ.

[D Johnson]

2 hours ago, Mr_Groundhog said:

I thought I'd ask about insurance: Which insurance do you use + are you happy? This is my 1st year with my IS300h and compared with my previous Civic the price I guess will be higher but I don't want to pay more than I need...

I am with Privilege insurance atm and they've been all right but I had a non-fault claim back in the summer. Now it's been five months plus, and they still haven't resolved it!

My fear is that as an "unresolved claim" it may affect my renewal price in the spring. Apparently the guy who hit me is lying (about who's at fault) and that's delaying it, but at the same time... it cannot go on indefinitely, can it?

(Was with Churchill in the past and they were a bit awckward but I know they belong to the same parent company)

When I bought my IS sixteen months’ ago I received many ludicrously high quotes (over £700 with many years’ ncd.) I found the cheapest option was to carry on with my insurer on my previous car policy which was Hastings.   They were offering  c £300.  I always shop around for quotes at renewal time but (one of the) Hastings companies is usually very competitive.  I cannot speak to claims processing issues (touch wood) as have not had a claim for a very long time.  

[Spock66]

I have made two claims on insurance in my motoring history:

Direct Line - Hit a deer at night time, terrible insurance experience with the claim and repair

LV - someone pulled out of a side road and drove into the side of me, very positive experience with the claim and repair

[DAN@ADRIAN FLUX]

Hi.

If you need any help with insurance then please feel free to drop me a line if you wish.

Regards,

Dan.

[VFR]

6 hours ago, Spock66 said:

I have made two claims on insurance in my motoring history:

Direct Line - Hit a deer at night time, terrible insurance experience with the claim and repair

LV - someone pulled out of a side road and drove into the side of me, very positive experience with the claim and repair

With LV here as they were the cheapest of the quality outfits (IMO) as I have a number other covers with them so that attracts a discount, oh! And they answer the phone quickly should you need to call. 

[Gaurav Bhandari]

LV does not offer it to new license holders I believe. Like I did not get it when checking for Lexus IS 300h as my license was only 2 years old (Immigrant 🙂 )

[Illogan]

As with so many others, I ALWAYS research insurance costs about 28 days before the end of the current policy, it is amazing how differently insurance providers can quote from one year to the next (without any tangible changes in my parameters save for age of my wife and me, my car's accruing mileage, and yet another year on my NCB)

I'm certain their quotes are affected by their own block quota requirements, and any changes in the crime / claim rates in a neighbourhood.

I also inevitably use a cashback operator like Quidco or TopCashBack  - - that often provides a further £30<>£50 rebate.

There are some extremely poor insurance companies out there, (over the 50 years+ I've experienced a few!) and no matter how cheap they may appear, if they don't provide a good service when you need them, it's money wasted!

A recent Which? Magazine report reported that the top six insurance providers (based on customer service/claims/communications etc) were

NFU Mutual

LV

Saga

Direct Line

AXA

(the) AA

Obviously these are results aggregated over many different ages, circumstances and areas, and everyone may have their specific criteria, but this appears to be a reasonable guide.

 

Edited January 26, 2023 by Illogan
punctuation.

[Notamech]

15 hours ago, VFR said:

With LV here as they were the cheapest of the quality outfits (IMO) as I have a number other covers with them so that attracts a discount, oh! And they answer the phone quickly should you need to call. 

I can second this. Customer service is good at LV in the sense that they answer the phone quick not leaving you on hold too long. I haven't had any claims experience. Negative reviews on trustpilot indicate they're just as bad as most others when it comes to claims. 

 

22 hours ago, D Johnson said:

When I bought my IS sixteen months’ ago I received many ludicrously high quotes (over £700 with many years’ ncd.) I found the cheapest option was to carry on with my insurer on my previous car policy which was Hastings.   They were offering  c £300.  I always shop around for quotes at renewal time but (one of the) Hastings companies is usually very competitive.  I cannot speak to claims processing issues (touch wood) as have not had a claim for a very long time.  

I feel like such a massive difference probaby is because for 300 you would be insured on your new car only until the expiry of your existing car policy vs 12 months on the quotes you found online. 

[Malc1]

just had my Saga renewal quote  ....  no changes for this upcoming 20th February renewal     BUT  the premium has escalated to £488 from £259  with zero changes to me or the policy terms and conditions 

WOT the F  c    is going on with these sour faced insurers eh !

Malc

[wharfhouse]

2 hours ago, Malc1 said:

just had my Saga renewal quote  ....  no changes for this upcoming 20th February renewal     BUT  the premium has escalated to £488 from £259  with zero changes to me or the policy terms and conditions 

WOT the F  c    is going on with these sour faced insurers eh !

Malc

Time to hit the comparison sites...!? 

[Mr Vlad]

As stated above somewhere. Insurance companies show no loyalty anymore. Last year was the first time in decades I paid under £500. This year about £425 with the RAC. Now then. Comparison sites showed RAC near 500. Martin Lewis site however 425. I don't expect it'll be RAC cheapest but I look 4 weeks before my insurance is due. Unfortunately one has to spend half a day looking at All the comparison sites and insurance companies directly who aren't on comparison sites. 

[D Johnson]

On 1/25/2023 at 11:37 AM, Notamech said:

I can second this. Customer service is good at LV in the sense that they answer the phone quick not leaving you on hold too long. I haven't had any claims experience. Negative reviews on trustpilot indicate they're just as bad as most others when it comes to claims. 

 

I feel like such a massive difference probaby is because for 300 you would be insured on your new car only until the expiry of your existing car policy vs 12 months on the quotes you found online. 

Sorry that I did not make this clearer, that is a like for like comparison in terms of time.  I am honestly not that thick that I couldn’t work that out 😂.   The £300 is what my renewal cost me after the interim period had expired.  Btw for info, the most expensive quote I received was from Adrian Flux.  

[Mr Vlad]

Yes absolutely. Adrian Flux are cowboys. Always the dearest and the so called customer service is a farce as in its full of liars.

[Malc1]

On 1/28/2023 at 4:45 PM, Malc1 said:

just had my Saga renewal quote  ....  no changes for this upcoming 20th February renewal     BUT  the premium has escalated to £488 from £259  with zero changes to me or the policy terms and conditions 

WOT the F  c    is going on with these sour faced insurers eh !

Malc

Just had a quote from Swinton at £907  ............. and from Chris Knott at £391 with increased mileage to 8k pa and reduced excess to £200  

wonder with whom I might be transferring my business this year come 20th February ??

Malc

[DavidCM]

I,'ve just renewed at £198.21 incl tax for my RC300h.Comprehensive cover for me and wife through LV and used broker A Plan private clients in High Wycombe.

Most of the premiums mentioned seem horrendously high.My excess is £600 but that is protected by a separate policy at £49 pa.

[Malc1]

17 hours ago, Malc1 said:

Just had a quote from Swinton at £907  ............. and from Chris Knott at £391

and Age UK at £971  ...........  do they think we're made of money !     😅

Malc

[Mr_Groundhog]

On 1/24/2023 at 7:26 PM, DAN@ADRIAN FLUX said:

Hi.

If you need any help with insurance then please feel free to drop me a line if you wish.

Regards,

Dan.

Thanks for offering, but it seems to me other drivers in this forum aren't too happy? 🤔

[LenT]

On 1/24/2023 at 10:32 AM, Mr_Groundhog said:

Apparently the guy who hit me is lying (about who's at fault) and that's delaying it, but at the same time... it cannot go on indefinitely, can it?

I make no apologies for repeating this, but when an HGV wrote off my Accord on the M25 by pulling out into the lane I happened to be in, his Insurers (Aviva) were proving less than helpful.

But then I was able to provide my dashcam footage to my Insurers (The AA) and Aviva settled in full without further delay.  So I would say the best insurance policy is fitting the car with front & rear cameras!

When it comes to choosing an Insurer, it’s entirely possible that I could spend time shopping around and maybe shave a few ££s off the AA premium on the Lexus - and possibly the 3-year Fixed Price deal for our other car with Saga when the time comes.  (Although I do find that for the effort of making one phone call, both Companies do then make a small discount.)

But on the rare occasions that I’ve had to call on either Company, the efficiency with which they have always dealt with potential claims, is more valuable to me than any apparent saving offered by an untested rival.

Personally, when Insurers start offering very low premiums, I wonder where those savings are being made.

[Mr_Groundhog]

9 hours ago, LenT said:

I make no apologies for repeating this, but when an HGV wrote off my Accord on the M25 by pulling out into the lane I happened to be in, his Insurers (Aviva) were proving less than helpful.

But then I was able to provide my Dashcam footage to my Insurers (The AA) and Aviva settled in full without further delay.  So I would say the best insurance policy is fitting the car with front & rear cameras!

When it comes to choosing an Insurer, it’s entirely possible that I could spend time shopping around and maybe shave a few ££s off the AA premium on the Lexus - and possibly the 3-year Fixed Price deal for our other car with Saga when the time comes.  (Although I do find that for the effort of making one phone call, both Companies do then make a small discount.)

But on the rare occasions that I’ve had to call on either Company, the efficiency with which they have always dealt with potential claims, is more valuable to me than any apparent saving offered by an untested rival.

Personally, when Insurers start offering very low premiums, I wonder where those savings are being made.

Yes the dashcam (front and rear) is next on the list. I think I may go with the ones offered by Lexus delareships themselves because the last thing you want is to pay that much to then have strange rattles and noises inside the car if it's not done well.... I'm a bit skint right now but as said, it is next on the shopping list. Actually this claim I had would have been resolved pretty quickly if, as you say, I had been able to send them footage 😕

[LenT]

1 hour ago, Mr_Groundhog said:

 Actually this claim I had would have been resolved pretty quickly if, as you say, I had been able to send them footage 😕

It’s probably no consolation, but at least your experience should serve to encourage others!

As it happens, Lexus does offer its own unit which is based on the NextBase camera.  The advantage is that it is neatly styled; the disadvantage is that Lexus dealers often charge rather a lot to install it.

 

An alternative is to get your own unit - such as one from the excellent BlackVue range - and find a competent local auto-electrician to install it.  Fitted in conjunction with their Power Magic Pro, it will enable the camera to operate in standby mode when the ignition is off ie when the car is parked.

This article by Lexus gives you more information on their offering:

https://mag.lexus.co.uk/dash-cams-should-i-buy-one/