UK Car Insurance

Bill_P · 05-18-2016, 04:34 AM

My UK car insurance is up for renewal soon and with a new £38k X1 I thought I ought to give it a bit more thought than usual.

In particular I have been looking into who repairs the car in the event of an accident and who controls this aspect. We all know the Insurance Companies want it done at one of their "approved repairers" as they screw them down on price and may (probably) do NOT use genuine BMW Parts or paint.

The other option is BMW Insurance but of course at a much higher price.

For example I am working on 6,000 miles, 27 years NCD and just S,D and P (no commuting) - I can get fully comp with Protected NCD for about £175 with Admiral but BMW Insurance (Allianz) will be about £330

I am just wondering what other private (non company car) owners experiences and thoughts are, and welcome your feedback

Thanks

jsdh89j9ijkL · 05-18-2016, 04:41 AM

IMHO insurance is something paying that little extra for, if you can afford it.
Why? you'll see the difference on claims and the handling, plus they'll omit things you may have assumed would be standard for Fully Comp, going for the cheapest then looks expensive.

You have to check the small print.

Though if you're only doing 6000 miles with no commuting issues, your risk vs cost appetite is going to differ from mine ;-)

The Beast · 05-18-2016, 06:26 AM

I would go with the BMW insurance

I used to go with the cheaper options until my E70 was written off a few years ago. My insurance company spent more time and effort trying to do me over than they did pursuing the third party who was at fault for the accident. We took the case to the ombudsman and despite getting a judgment against the insurer for an additional payment they just ignore the ombudsmans and our calls. I will have to take them to the small claims court, this has been going on for over two years...

So my wife's A Class was insured via Mercedes Insurance, which provided gaurenteed Mercedes body shop and parts. I switched over the policy midterm to the F48 and they also gaurentee BMW body shop and parts for our new car. Although it felt wrong ringing Mercedes and switching the policy to a BMW!

Bill_P · 05-18-2016, 10:42 AM

Further investigation threw up Aviva and while getting an online quote there was a reference to an additional £200 excess if you do not use one of their approved repairers - but there was also a link to see who the approved repairer was locally - put in your postcode AND make of car - came up with the bodyshop of my BMW dealer. Usual get out clauses followed but I saved a copy of that info in case I decide to go with them. Cost was £207 so not bad at all

Les Paul · 05-18-2016, 10:59 AM

One thing to watch out for is that some insurers do not cover panoramic glass sunroofs.... sometimes hidden in the small print... so if you have one, best to get confirmation that it is covered.

Bill_P · 06-04-2016, 09:37 AM

Finally decided to go with the BMW Insurance while the car is still "new" - may revert to a cheaper insurer later in its life

CliveL · 06-05-2016, 01:06 PM

I've been getting quotes for the yet-to-be-built X1, and the one from BMW Insurance wasn't too bad, and half what my current insurer (Axa) want! Overall the quotes are coming in slightly lower for a brand new X1 than they are for my 10-year old 530d Touring, which surprises me when comparing the values of the two. I am hoping that delivery happens before early July so I can just cancel the last few days of the Axa policy and start a new one, probably with BMW Insurance (Allianz)

05-18-2016, 04:34 AM	#1
Bill_P Second Lieutenant 95 Rep 268 Posts Drives: X1 xDrive 20i xLine MW Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Hampshire, UK iTrader: (0)	UK Car Insurance My UK car insurance is up for renewal soon and with a new £38k X1 I thought I ought to give it a bit more thought than usual. In particular I have been looking into who repairs the car in the event of an accident and who controls this aspect. We all know the Insurance Companies want it done at one of their "approved repairers" as they screw them down on price and may (probably) do NOT use genuine BMW Parts or paint. The other option is BMW Insurance but of course at a much higher price. For example I am working on 6,000 miles, 27 years NCD and just S,D and P (no commuting) - I can get fully comp with Protected NCD for about £175 with Admiral but BMW Insurance (Allianz) will be about £330 I am just wondering what other private (non company car) owners experiences and thoughts are, and welcome your feedback Thanks
	Appreciate 0 Tweet Quote

05-18-2016, 04:41 AM	#2
jsdh89j9ijkL Second Lieutenant 65 Rep 200 Posts Drives: motorcycle Join Date: Mar 2016 Location: there iTrader: (0)	IMHO insurance is something paying that little extra for, if you can afford it. Why? you'll see the difference on claims and the handling, plus they'll omit things you may have assumed would be standard for Fully Comp, going for the cheapest then looks expensive. You have to check the small print. Though if you're only doing 6000 miles with no commuting issues, your risk vs cost appetite is going to differ from mine ;-) Last edited by jsdh89j9ijkL; 05-18-2016 at 04:48 AM..
	Appreciate 1 Quote

05-18-2016, 06:26 AM	#3
The Beast Lieutenant Colonel 268 Rep 1,597 Posts Drives: VW Transporter Sportline Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Wolverhampton iTrader: (0)	I would go with the BMW insurance I used to go with the cheaper options until my E70 was written off a few years ago. My insurance company spent more time and effort trying to do me over than they did pursuing the third party who was at fault for the accident. We took the case to the ombudsman and despite getting a judgment against the insurer for an additional payment they just ignore the ombudsmans and our calls. I will have to take them to the small claims court, this has been going on for over two years... So my wife's A Class was insured via Mercedes Insurance, which provided gaurenteed Mercedes body shop and parts. I switched over the policy midterm to the F48 and they also gaurentee BMW body shop and parts for our new car. Although it felt wrong ringing Mercedes and switching the policy to a BMW!
	Appreciate 1 Quote

05-18-2016, 10:42 AM	#4
Bill_P Second Lieutenant 95 Rep 268 Posts Drives: X1 xDrive 20i xLine MW Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Hampshire, UK iTrader: (0)	Further investigation threw up Aviva and while getting an online quote there was a reference to an additional £200 excess if you do not use one of their approved repairers - but there was also a link to see who the approved repairer was locally - put in your postcode AND make of car - came up with the bodyshop of my BMW dealer. Usual get out clauses followed but I saved a copy of that info in case I decide to go with them. Cost was £207 so not bad at all
	Appreciate 0 Quote

05-18-2016, 10:59 AM	#5
Les Paul Private First Class 38 Rep 103 Posts Drives: X1 2.0D Xline Auto Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: UK iTrader: (0)	One thing to watch out for is that some insurers do not cover panoramic glass sunroofs.... sometimes hidden in the small print... so if you have one, best to get confirmation that it is covered.
	Appreciate 1 Quote

06-04-2016, 09:37 AM	#6
Bill_P Second Lieutenant 95 Rep 268 Posts Drives: X1 xDrive 20i xLine MW Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Hampshire, UK iTrader: (0)	Finally decided to go with the BMW Insurance while the car is still "new" - may revert to a cheaper insurer later in its life
	Appreciate 0 Quote

06-05-2016, 01:06 PM	#7
CliveL First Lieutenant 163 Rep 334 Posts Drives: 2016 X1 F48 xDrive20i xLine Join Date: Jun 2016 Location: Bournemouth, UK iTrader: (0)	I've been getting quotes for the yet-to-be-built X1, and the one from BMW Insurance wasn't too bad, and half what my current insurer (Axa) want! Overall the quotes are coming in slightly lower for a brand new X1 than they are for my 10-year old 530d Touring, which surprises me when comparing the values of the two. I am hoping that delivery happens before early July so I can just cancel the last few days of the Axa policy and start a new one, probably with BMW Insurance (Allianz)
	Appreciate 0 Quote