car insurance - again!

[Michael Rolls]

I thought £1200 last year was bad enough - this year it is virtually £1800! OK, I can afford it but - but bloody hell! 50% increase as a 'reward' for living so long             

[GrannyMac]

Why is it so dear?  Is it based on the value of your car? Or is it age related? We are still under 80 which might be relevant.  Our latest quote is around £360.

[klondike]

Why is it so dear? 

Probably a reward for being a loyal customer. 

Never just accept a renewal quote always shop around. Preferably using the Topcashback comparison tool which gives you £45 cashback or did when I used it recently.

[Diasi]

Why is it so dear?  Is it based on the value of your car? Or is it age related? We are still under 80 which might be relevant.  Our latest quote is around £360.

My car insurance renews in May which is lucky as I'm 80 in June so I'll get another year at the under 80 rate.

Unless the scammers increase it because I'll become 80 during the year.

March 20, 2024, 08:53:23 AM

I thought £1200 last year was bad enough - this year it is virtually £1800! OK, I can afford it but - but bloody hell! 50% increase as a 'reward' for living so long             

For those who can't afford it they have to stop driving, lose their independence & probably die much sooner than they would have done after giving up on life.

[Michael Rolls]

I use a broker - have done for some years, and she finds a new deal just about every year. It shot up when I turned 80 and again at 85. For the first couple of years I did trawl around the comparison sites but never beat her quotes

[Diasi]

I use a broker - have done for some years, and she finds a new deal just about every year. It shot up when I turned 80 and again at 85. For the first couple of years I did trawl around the comparison sites but never beat her quotes

I don't understand why you automatically become a high risk at 80 & a higher risk at 85.

I've read the insurance industry blurbs but they are just rubbish.

You don't suddenly lose your confidence to drive or become a health risk.

Some people are never confident drivers from the day they pass their test & the driver of the Wirral school bus, who died at the wheel, wasn't 80!!!!!!!

However Mike, your premium sounds extraordinarily high for an 85-yr-old, even though the figures below are a year old.

How much does over-80s car insurance cost?
The average cost of car insurance for 80- to 84-year-olds is £416, based on fully comprehensive annual policies bought through MoneySuperMarket between November 2022 and February 2023.
 
As you enter your late 80s, however, the price of insurance jumps significantly. For 85- to 89-year-olds, the average is £519.
In comparison, the average for someone aged between 75 and 79 is £338.

[JBR]

I don't understand why you automatically become a high risk at 80 & a higher risk at 85.

Well, I suppose there are such matters as slower reactions, declining eyesight and slower thought processes.

I'm not saying I agree with increasing premiums, but there are possible reasons.

[Michael Rolls]

my reaction times are still pretty good. I test them on several web sites, one of which reckons that it can tell your age by your reaction times - it reckons I am 55!

[Mups]

I've read in the papers talk of making us oldies take our tests again,  along with our knowledge of the highway code.

Now they are upping our insurances so high that some won't be able to afford it any more.

Still,  that's another way to get shot of us off the roads.  

[Alex]

How does the broker make his money ? someone must pay for their commission.

[Diasi]

my reaction times are still pretty good. I test them on several web sites, one of which reckons that it can tell your age by your reaction times - it reckons I am 55!

I've just done some reaction tests & my highest age was 32 & my lowest was 27.

But a good driver doesn't rely on reaction times, a good driver is already prepared for when an incident could occur.

[Michael Rolls]

true but quick reaction to the unexpected helps - and no matter good a driver one may be the unexpected can occur like to time back in the 50s I was a passenger when the car suffered a front tyre blow-out. Driver coped OK, but then his hobby was racing formula 500 cars (think that's the right name)

[Diasi]

true but quick reaction to the unexpected helps - and no matter good a driver one may be the unexpected can occur like to time back in the 50s I was a passenger when the car suffered a front tyre blow-out. Driver coped OK, but then his hobby was racing formula 500 cars (think that's the right name)

In the 1970's I had a rear tyre blow out with a rear wheel drive car at 70 mph & I coped just fine, albeit I had to let the car go 180 degrees before I stopped it.

A front tyre blow out wouldn't cause me any concern even at my age as they're much easier to control.

There will always be unexpected incidents such as a vehicle flying through a hedge, as seen on YouTube footage, but I'm talking about general awareness such as gauging the speed of traffic approaching traffic lights to spot the one that's unlikely to be able to stop when he gets the red light & I get the green light.

[Diasi]

I've just had my renewal quote & it's gone up from £112 in 2022, £365 last year to £536 this year with the maximum 9 years no claims bonus each year.

It was still the next lowest quote on the comparison sites so I'll stay with them as the lowest was Avia Zero where everything in online with no phone numbers to call.

Listening to some of the people on the news motoring reports, my quote seems almost reasonable.

[Raven]

When my daughter first left school she worked for an Insurance Broker in Perth. Swinton, she told me not to use a broker as they add on a fee for finding you a policy and another fee for getting you to sign up. Cheap it's not, try one of the comparison sites online Mike, you could be much cheaper, AND, change it every year.