I’m on that job again - chasing up quotes, trying to bring the costs down. Not good when the average premium went up by 40% last year. Won’t me renewing with the current insurers as they are far too expensive, but I’m finding better quotes from elsewhere. Still a lot though.

What In really hate is the need for mobile phone numbers now - I know these people has a habit of calling to close the deal. I’ll decide in my own time, but they seem not to like that.

I ended up putting my step-mum on the policy as a named driver.

That made the biggest difference in reducing the price.

It was still £460 and thats for a 1.5 Toyota Yaris in the safest part of Leeds parked in a locked underground garage overnight with less than 8000 miles a year.

No claims, no points, etc...

I'm not looking forward to this year's fun and games.

Best Beloved is no longer a driver, so having him as a named driver is out. I guess I could legitimately claim an annual mileage of about 300, because we simply can't afford to go anywhere or do anything beyond a bus ride nowadays.

I think I'll sell the car and get a pushbike. At least it won't cost me much to run, and it'll make me fitter.

I've been thinking about doing this for a whle.

I could get a decent road bike and full kit and a mountain bike on top by selling my car.

However, the down sides (i.e. my family live 40 mins drive away, dangerous roads on the way to work, getting home from work in time to go running/training, etc...) stop me from doing it.

There are downsides to not owning a car, that's for sure. However, the expense is a large factor nowadays - especially as I'm sans paid employment or any independent income at the moment.

I've been thinking about a bike for a while now. It would be handy to have one I can lob in the back of the car. If I go anywhere photographicating, I can dump the car somewhere and use the bike to get about more easily. Within reason I can cycle from here to Chatham and Maidstone if work should appear - the only real snag being I live on top of a hill here and everywhere else is downhill, meaning an upward slog on the home trek.

Work further afield, of course, would need a car or reliable public transport...

If I didn't have the car, I can always hire one for holidays and stuff, I suppose.

Another thing to ponder.

I have a classic policy, and I managed to pay roughly the same amount. Slight increase in the excess, and it's going to end up about 50 quid more over the year, as I couldn't stump up a lump payment. I also dropped my annual mileage, as I hadn't come close to touching the 6000 allowed previously.

I also saw a drop by putting my father on the policy, so worth doing if you have a family member you can add.

My insurance was £800 last year - and my current insurer quoted me a renewal of £373.

However - my car is broken and I'm planning to sell it.

That's why y'see. Broken cars are rather unlikely to be involved in traffic accidents.

Jon

Mine is going up to nearly a couple of hundred when I move house, despite the fact that being in an accident which I wasn't at fault it's the location that made the difference

Going to update it at renewal time as it'll be a good month or so before I'm properly living at the place, and that is when my renewal is due

Trying to renew mine at the moment... going to leave it at that for now because I am getting seriously stressed.

According to Watchdog a few months ago, if you are involved in an accident regardless of fault, insurers believe that you bare more likely to be involved in another. So your premium goes up.

Right now, insurers can't make the money they used to out of investments, so premiumsmgo up instead.

[LIFTED] capitalism.

They might believe it but staying in my current location brings my premium down, and my insurer have stated my premium will not go up because of a claim on 2 occasions now (first one someone reversed into my car after I had gotten out, reported but didn't claim as the guy that did it was a tunc and refused to give details and said "If you have a problem with it, report me"... so I did to both insurance company and police for leaving an accident without exchanging insurance details. Had told the insurance company I was only reporting it as I wasn't even in the vehicle at the time and felt required to as I had reported it to the police)

it only goes up purely based on location, same amount if I go on the comparison sites and quote on 0 accidents or the 2 (NCB obviously the same)

Unfortunately it looks like having my gf increases my premium now she has a job so she will be coming off

Ah, I'm glad this thread has cropped up. As you all (might) know I passed my test recently. Trying to find insurance has been a nightmare, many providers just won't even quote me. .

Can anyone recommend some insurers for young/recently passed drivers? I've already tried Endsleigh, not sure who else to try.

Adrian Flux used to be good for young drivers

Not really worth asking for a particular name, best just shopping around then contacting some insurance brokers, I got my first insurance on my Megane for £780 TPFT which was a good £500 less than other companies using a broker

If you really only need the car for the odd trip, then it would probably work out cheaper to rent a car 3 or 4 times a year, when you really need one, or take a taxi shopping etc.

Mine is coming down, gradually. When I moved here, I had a Mondeo estate, that cost about 2K a year to insure, I now have a new Verso (coming up for 1 year old) and I pay 520 for that. I believe, having grown up driving on the "wrong" side of the road had loaded my insurance for the first couple of years.