Spitting feathers

My daughter and I have always had each other on our policies (with the same insurer). I turned 76 this year and she discovered when renewing that her policy had gone up by £70. She took me off to see what happened and the £70 was removed. Meanwhile my policy came up for renewal and it has gone down which makes that £70 seem quite arbitrary and presumably ageist. I haven’t ever made a claim. It’s a real nuisance because my car on the drive often gets blocked in by white vans, especially at weekends, and I can no longer just use the other car.

When my husband left I phoned to get him off my policy and the call handler advised me not to as it would cost me more so he’s still on it nearly a decade later. I imagine having my daughter on the policy keeps it low too.

tanith I share your pain. Had to take H off for medical reasons. Premium went up and they wanted to charge an admin fee. After much discussion they waived the admin fee. Crazy!

Hi Tanith,

it was not a big mistake to take your deceased husband off your insurance as to keep his name on a renewal knowing he is deceased would invalidate your insurance.
and put you in trouble with the Law!

My friend works in motor insurance. She is single. Adds her sister who lives 350 miles away to her policy to reduce her premiums. It’s crazy. She says it’s the norm. Similar age and experience seems to be the best addition.

Young drivers can save quite a bit by adding an experienced driver, also by allowing their driving to be monitored. People who are employed can sometimes reduce their premiums just by describing their job in a different way. Martin Lewis has some very useful tips on his Money Tips website.

I've only ever had myself only driving! In fact, at the moment, I've got two cars insured with me only driving. I manage to get a reasonable premium by shopping around although I don't know what effect being the only driver has!

I insure my car as only driver and use A plan as they have been the cheapest for the last 3 years. My OH uses them as well now as his premiums went up when he retired this year, madness

I was told the same thing. It seems because you are deemed to drive the car all the time, you re more likely to have an accident.

I noticed when I added my husband, as he sometimes drives my car, onto my insurance that it went down and likewise his insurance went down when he added me.

BUT what happens if your second driver has an accident, in their own car, which you then need to declare? No problem with us, but if my second driver is a newer, younger driver, so statistically more likely to have an accident, would the cost all even out?

I can never understand how premiums can vary so wildly when I look for new quotes each year. They range from around £200 per annum to £4,000!!! That seems ridiculous, given that the information provided is the same to each company.

I am named as a second driver for both my sons on their car policies. I have only ever had one minor accident about 40 years ago so lower their premiums.

I now have both my son and daughter on my policy. They both have their own cars and don't drive mine but that worked out cheaper.

Four years ago I became divorced and moved into a flat so I notified my Ins Co of the change of address. Being divorced incurred a higher premium which was reduced when I remarried a year later! When I subsequently added my new husband to the policy, the cost decreased again!
Obviously, I was a crazy driver during the period between marriages but I’m staid and sensible again now! Bizarre!

I was on my daughter's insurance for about 5 years when she first had a car. It saved her £500 the first year, and eventually was cheaper for her alone. She simply checked every year. We lived 100 miles apart and I only ever drove her car twice, once to move it to a car park from a camp site and once for a long distance when she injured herself and couldn't drive home!

My ex has me named on his policy and I have him named on mine, even though we live in different countries and have been divorced for almost 20 years. I'm lucky in that he pays for my car and all associated costs.

Insurance companies are currently under investigation for ripping motorists off. Last December I decided that my car was not worth paying another £800 out to have it repaired yet again, so scraped it, (That’s another story) Anyway, LV insurance told me if I got a replacement car within 21 days then my 75% no claims would still apply. However I never bothered for ten months, my husband has a car. Then I decided that I felt that I had lost my independence so purchased another car. When I telephoned LV to insure it they told me “we have no records of you so we can only insure you as a new driver.” The cost £780 per year. I had been with them for 34 years. Another insurance company insured me for £268 per year. Rip off merchants or what.?

When my daughter got married and moved away I asked to have her name removed from my car insurance and, yes, the price went up - so I kept her on. Doesn't make sense to me!

It's also worth considering lowering your annual mileage if, with only one driver, you do less. However, it's important to be accurate, as has been said, or you may invalidate the policy.
It can be worth going to a specialist broker as well - Saga being an obvious one for older people. I still use the broker I had when I worked for the NHS - apparently community nurses are high risk (distracted & rushing I suppose!) but th specialist broker could point out that we also tend to be careful.

How I got round that I put my daughter on the car insurance ?
Which is handy also

Chelseababy Thanks for the info never knew that but ready and waiting when my next premium is due.

we found it also increases if you are living together and have different surnames. Changed my surname and the price went down.

Tanith, you did the right thing, change your company. But it may help if you put a second driver on the policy. Get the quotes for yourself as a single driver and for yourself plus one other.
My elderly mother has my husband on her policy as a second driver, it’s reduced her policy price by £200.

Tanith, I’m very sorry to read of your loss.

I asked if our daughter could be added to our Policy and the amount was reduced by over £30!

It's ridiculous isn't it. My uncle put me on his policy (my aunt had gone into a nursing home) and he saved approx £150

Good for you, ensure you get a certificatefor no cla8m Bonus and find another 8nsurer. only when they keep losing business will they finally get the message, we will not be robbed or pressured by black mailing threats