Car Insurance

Everyday living
1

Happy New Year!

Hoping I get some advice on Car Insurance please?

I’m currently going through the process of early retirement through ill health and my car insurance runs out in a couple of weeks time.

Since being diagnosed with MS I’ve always told my insurance company of my condition and it hasn’t affected the quote price. But if I change my status to Retired / not working will it affect the quote?

Thanks

Sue

2

Hi,

I have just changed my car insurance and the new company wasn’t bothered about me having MS as long as the Dvla knew about it and they were happy for me to still drive.

When I was doing the quotes I found it was cheaper if i was classed as not working due to retirement / ill health.I think it was only £18 a year cheaper. But as I am still classed as employed I had to put my occupation down. But if i do have to take ill health retirement soon I will inform my insurance company.

Hope this helps.

3

My father’s car insurance went up by about £50 when he retired. He was told it was because he had more time available in which to drive his car. Silly really because he didn’t increase his yearly mileage limit so therefore couldn’t drive it more.

4

If you have adaptions made to your car, I’m guessing you need special insurance?\

1 Like
5

If it does, then it’s time to shop around. It didn’t change mine.

Alison

6

as Alison says, shop around.

  1. get best quote

  2. ask for a reduction in the price quoted - you will be given one.

  3. ask for time to consider the quote given

  4. get back to them ask if they can do it a bit cheaper i.e. haggle

1 Like
7

Hi - thanks for your responses they are really useful.

I will get quotes for retired / ill health from several insurers and as Krakowian suggests haggle for a reduction!

Thanks again

Sue

8

It seems to me that taking early retirement and declaring it is extremely unlikely to affect the price of insurance except possibly lower it because you are now likely to drive fewer miles and therefore be a lower risk. However insurance quotes do not always fit what we think and as has already been said the only answer is to shop around if you do not like the consequences of making declarations of this nature. There is little point lying to obtain car insurance because if you have an accident you could find your insurance invalidated and even a prosecution of not making factual disclosures. From my experience however having MS is sufficient problem without the other problems like this we face. Sorry I do not know the answer to that.

9

Hiya

Just to update - yes my quotes are all coming back cheaper as I no longer need insurance for “commuting!”

Thanks again for all your help!

Sue xx

10

That is good.

Just in case anyone is interested I have a car that has a host fitted and therefore counts as modified. This does make it more difficult to find insurance although so far as I can see I pay no more than I would for a car that was not modified. If you had modified controls than that would again mean that you would have to declare it is modified.

Most insurance agents do not actually have any interest in offering insurance for modified car. The reason they are concerned is off course related to a desire to have simple methods of setting insurance premiums and as soon as you declare that a car is modified it makes it much more difficult to set an appropriate premium.

There are however a number of specialist brokers/ agents who specialise in this type of business and my experience is for the modifications we have I do not get ripped off price wise. I use Chartwell Issuance but as ever it is always worth shopping around. My wife still has a driving licence which to use she would need modified controls but she now chooses not to drive so I have no experience of trying to obtain insurance for modified driving controls.