Baffling insurance quotes

[NightPHEVer]

Just been on GoCompare.com (Go Compare! Go Compare! etc... I can here you singing it now - and how annoying it is) to trudge through the annual process of trying to outwit the hopelessly confused world that is insurance. My two car renewal with Admiral has come in this year with a spectacular-price-rise-for no-apparent-reason at a total of £482 for a PHEV and a 2008 Smart (although interesting to see they won't currently give me a new quote for either at all on GoCompare) so I get a new quote on GoCompare from Esure of £183 for the PHEV, and from More Than £180 for the 2008 Smart fourtwo (both fully comp - yes I'm quite old and very careful). How can this be? The PHEV is insurance group 25 (or thereabouts depending on where you look) and the Smart is insurance group 7. So how can they be almost the same quote? I can't imagine fixing a £20,000 PHEV would be in any way comparable to fixing (or in fact writing off) a £2000 Smart car. Love to hear from someone in the insurance industry about this - after all, presumably it affects all of us. Even drivers who work in the insurance industry.

 

[Regulo]

Now where's that piece of string I had? How long was it again?

Insurance is a complete take on, but we all have to have it. I've almost lost count of the times an enormous increase has been followed by a large reduction, after going through a comparison site. Worst one of all was the renewal quote of about £450 being beaten by the same company through the comparison site by £150. When I phoned to see what they would do, I was told, "We can't reduce your renewal to anywhere near that, best thing to do is cancel this policy, and get the new one through the comparison site". Same company!!! Crazy!!!! I did.

 

[LondonLass]

I've just changed from a 3H to a 4Hs and with about 4 months remaining Direct Line are refunding me £25 or so.

 

[NightPHEVer]

Now got Smart down to around £150 so I guess that does make a bit more sense. 'Legal assistance' seems to be a bit of a lucrative add-on. Mind you with all the un-insured driver's and proliferation of nutcases that seem to be around now, I guess it's worth having. I find the 'excess' payable somewhat annoying as well, it's as if you're promising to insure your insurance policy should you have the audacity to make a claim.

I do wonder with the massive price hikes on renewals, if in fact the insurance companies prefer driver's who actually make claims - would give them and everyone else concerned with the claim the opportunity to make lots of profit. Some of the repair costs I've heard of seem excessive. I would think if there were any legal costs they would be suitably expensive and wholly unfathomable too.