A No-Claims Bonus question

[quisquose]

Okay, I'm, cough, approaching 50, cough, cough, been driving since I was 20 and never had a bump, made a claim, had an endorsement or anything.

 

(this is not boasting about anything, in fact it's probably thinking that I'm a crap driver that makes me safer than average)

 

Needless to say my insurance carries the benefit of full no-claims bonus.

 

Recently I decided to buy a toy, an old classic car, to play with. Probably driving no more than a few hundred miles a year in it.

 

I insured it with a company that specialises in classic cars, explaining precisely what I was going to do with it, and the price was pretty much what I expected.

 

I have just received a letter telling me that my no-claims bonus is invalid, because the evidence I provided was for a different car - the car that I actually drive. The company is telling me that no-claims bonus is applied to each car individually, and not the driver.

 

This seems odd to me, are they correct? I will be ringing them tomorrow.

[HeadingNorth]

There's no law that says an insurance company offering you a new policy, must take into account your no-claims bonus from a previous policy on a different car; but they're pretty daft if they don't, because lots of other insurance companies do exactly that and you'll be advised to remove your business to one of them.

[tyon60]

no claims bonus cant be used on two cars at once , some insurance companies will mirror your no claims onto a second vehicle but not all , best to shop around

[quisquose]

Thanks for your replies. I think the company needs a good talking to, or at least the admin lady who wrote the letter does. I assume she failed to realise that this was a classic car insurance, and my requirements were pretty comprehensively discussed with the guy in sales.

 

That said motor insurance is not something I take much interest in, so may have cocked up. Perhaps I need a good talking to (wife certainly thinks so). I won't mind if the insurance lady decides to decline me though, because I've since found out that I could have bought the insurance much cheaper elsewhere. I didn't really shop around because it was an impulse buy.

[Jim Hardie]

no claims bonus cant be used on two cars at once , some insurance companies will mirror your no claims onto a second vehicle but not all , best to shop around

 

I think this is a recent development. At one time no insurance companies offered this. It always struck me as unfair but I think it was just another cosy arrangement within the insurance industry.

[kidley]

if i have understood you, since when has a car had a no claims bonus

[quisquose]

if i have understood you, since when has a car had a no claims bonus

 

Is that question addressed at me? If so, I don't know, that's why I was asking the question. I thought it was the driver that had the no claims bonus, and if he/she made a claim they lost it, whatever car or cars they were driving. It seems that I was wrong.

[kidley]

sorry quisquose it was ment for you, i don't understand its the driver who has the no claims bonus, if i buy a new car or old one, i don't take on the cars no claims bonus, but as for insuring two cars ime not sure, my limited knowledge of classic cars regarding insurance is if you are taking/driving them to a show you can insure them for one day?

[medusa]

Yes, I think that the issue is that you're already using your no claims bonus on your normal car insurance policy, so since it's already in use the other insurance company won't use it for a second policy.

 

The obvious answer to this is to enquire with your current car insurer to see if they can add your new project car to your current insurance policy, which would bring it under the same no claims bonus as your normal car, without much addition in costs, purely because you won't be using it much.

 

If your current insurer doesn't do multi-car policies then there are plenty that do and I'd suggest organising a new policy to replace both of the policies with one that covers both. If you're not in the habit of making claims then you're making plenty of money for your current insurers, so it is in their interests to discuss with you how they can deprive you of more of your money with which to line their pockets to provide you with cover for both cars rather than just one.

[Bikertec]

Best part about that is you have 5 years ncb on your car and 4 years on your bike. Then you go and have a accident and both policies get effected not just the one you had the accident with. Insurance companies make it up as they go along.