Insuring two cars, one driver.

[aryan57]

Would appreciate insurance advice from someone who has been in my situation. What was your solution?

I currently run a 25 year old car that qualifies for classic insurance. I wanted to add another 15 year old car to my policy but my insurer wants an arm and a leg. I have been advised that I should insure my older car on a classic policy with 0 NCB and apply my 12 years NCB to the newer car. Both cars have 2 litre engines and are not classed as performance cars. The older car is a saloon and the other is an estate.

What the cheapest way to do this?

 

[Mikefromlondon]

Unfortunately when you add another car, you have to start with 0 NCB, so you have already suggested transferring your 12yrs NCB to newer car and classic car with 0 NCB may be the cheapest option, however, what is the harm in going on line and filling in various insurance offering sites presenting them both scenarios, i.e. where as is with your just one car and ask for best quote based on 12yrs NCB, then not add another car with the same insurance company but apply independently as if you are applying for an insurance for the first time for your 2nd car, filling in details where they ask you if you have use of other car, and you tick yes, and for your new policy you state 0 NCB, some companies may offer you starting discount as they would be able to see you have held UK driving licence for over long period with no claims and speeding or other motoring offences, so they can offer you a starting discount, often after applying on line, they give you a phone number, you could speak to them and explain you also own another car and had held a clean license, pester them if they can offer you a 30% starting discount, for newer car, apply with several sites, you will often be surprised when you hunt around. Also helps to lower the premium when you volunteer for higher access, like they have compulsory access, and then you can add volunteer access, if you have been a careful driver, and had not had any serious claims, I even opt out of legal cover, and breakdown cover as I pay AA separately, I normally add up to a total of £500 access charge to lower the premiums.
I own 3 cars and I pay a total of about £800 for 3 seperate car policies all with 15+ yrs NCB each, two of them are sports cars with 2 liter engine and one with 1.0l engine. One of them capable of breaking speed limit twice and is not a BMW or Audi or Merc, or VW golf, and both of my 2.0 liter cars are very very rare now on British roads.

You could however say how much you are currently paying for your classic and how much you have been quoted for the 2nd car to give us some rough idea.

 

[alan333]

How do the multi car policies work? Would they 'allow' the discount on both cars?

 

[DaveHerns]

What you don't want with a multicar policy is to have an accident with one car and lose your NCB on both. Worth asking.

 

[Mikefromlondon]

I tried Multicar policy, it worked out far more expensive, and have to say a company that provides you cheap insurance one year will quote you stupid figures the next, even though you have made no claim, it seems that they don't follow any rules, they just seem to choose figures randomly. So each year I get insured by a different company on all 3 cars, days of loyalty are gone.

 

[foxhole]

Found multi car policy very expensive except in first year when insurer offered to match Ncb with existing car. A promotion which may no longer be available .usefull to me as wife went straight to having her own 5 year ncb.

 

[Doggit]

What you don't want with a multicar policy is to have an accident with one car and lose your NCB on both. Worth asking

Unfortunately, that'll apply to any policy you get. Once you have a prang, it affects everything on renewal. Asking you if you have had an accident in the last 12 months, or if there are any pending issues, is a standard one, and they advise you that they will check with other insurers databases.

Some insurers only allow you to apply your NCB to one vehicle, whilst others will just as for it as proof that you haven't made a claim, and are therefor entitled to a better rate; hence the question, is this you're only vehicle, but then no check to see where the NCB is being applied. But have you checked with your classic car insurers Aryan.

 

[IWalkLikeHimaMartian]

There is a type of multi-car insurance known as a trader's policy.
It is for someone who drives many cars, so there are no car details on the policy and you are covered to drive any car.
When I last used this type several years a ago, for three vehicles, it cost about £500 pa. fully comp, for one driver only, quite a bit cheaper at the time than three separate policies.
There may be a couple of drawbacks with this type of policy: strictly speaking, you should enter the details of the vehicle you are intending to use on the MID, otherwise there is a possibility of the vehicle being flagged as not being insured, on ANPR, and you then need to prove otherwise. Another drawback may be the ineligibility of transfer of NCD at renewal.
Now I use two separate policies, one classic and one normal, both with full NCD.
I also use the "another vehicle", "garaged overnight", "limited mileage" and "higher excess" options to reduce costs of policies.

As foxhole said, some companies may give you a 'starter' NCD based on your history.

Incidentally, a point some may not be aware of: if your policy lapses for about two years, and you do not renew it, you will probably lose any NCD applicable. Some companies may recognise the NCD for three years, as long as the policy is renewed with them, otherwise it reverts to only two years.
An easy way round this for say partners who have built up their own NCD, but now only run one vehicle, is to alternate, each year, as to the main named policy holder. This will maintain the NCD of each partner.

 

[Mikefromlondon]

Incidentally, a point some may not be aware of: if your policy lapses for about two years, and you do not renew it, you will probably lose any NCD applicable. Some companies may recognise the NCD for three years, as long as the policy is renewed with them, otherwise it reverts to only two years.
An easy way round this for say partners who have built up their own NCD, but now only run one vehicle, is to alternate, each year, as to the main named policy holder. This will maintain the NCD of each partner.

If I am not wrong, there was a time once, when you could phone your insurance company and have your policy suspended, which meant any remaining valid period of your insurance can remain intact, along with NCB, this was primarily to facilitate for example you sold your vehicle and have not bought another one yet, or you may be going abroad for a long period, and your car is in safe storage i.e. in a garage lock up. Not sure if this facility is still available.

 

[aryan57]

Thank you gentlemen for some very useful advice.

I thought that I had sorted my insurance problem but not so fast! Today I get an Email asking why there is a discrepancy on a renewal date. My car has been continuously insured for 15 years and I never noticed a discrepancy before. They want me to prove that my 12 years NCB is genuine. How can I do that when i have already sent them my last renewal notice which clearly says 12 years NCB? Yesterday it was good enough and I was notified that it was accepted. Today there is apparently some doubt.

Rapidly getting ****ed off with insurance companies. They have forgotten that it costs money to find a good customer and he is the one who pays the bills!

 

[Mikefromlondon]

That is why to date I have not thrown away any of my car insurance certificates. Which would prove that my cars have been continuously insured. The thing is was there a gap and if so for how long?

This is what happened to me a long while ago, before the days of Internet insurance, I insured a car and its engine got seized, so it was not being driven, back then you did not have to worry if your car insurance expired and you were not physically driving it, even if it was parked ona public road, in those days the Police did not have ANPR or insurance alert system, so many people didn't need to worry keeping a car uninsured on a public road though it may have been illegal, but the risk only arises if you were driving a car (in DVLA term if you were using a car) so as far as I was concerned, I was not using a car.

Then I left that car a whole year and did not renew its insurance, got its engine sorted out and went back to the same Insurance Agent and explained to him why there was a big gap in renewing my insurance, he accepted it but the insurance company refused to accept, and would not issue me with a new policy, so I said well then to hell with you, so I went to another insurance broker, and had it re-insured and this time I told him that the car was taken off the road and stored away, and i am bringing it back in use, no further questions and I had my insurance and any NCB reinstated by a new company.

These days it is different and hard to get away, but i would not say I got away since my car genuinely had its engine seized up and I could not use it. I had a second car for use as well.

That is why days of sticking with one company are well and truly over, so insure each of your car separately, by seperate company. One company i can recommend is sent to your PM as I should not be advertising for all , so please check your PM.

 

[IWalkLikeHimaMartian]

They want me to prove that my 12 years NCB is genuine. How can I do that when i have already sent them my last renewal notice which clearly says 12 years NCB?

Contact your most recent insurer and ask for written proof of your NCD. I believe they are obliged to provide it. I have never had a problem obtaining such.
Sometimes they might provide it direct between insurers, but on occasion I have received it by post. On other occasions one company has telephoned another for confirmation.

 

[Mottie]

When I used to have the odd classic car (Anglia, Lotus Cortina, RS2000), the insurance with limited mileage and garaged etc was very cheap - less than £100 fully comp, agreed value, UK and European recovery etc. The rule at the time with all classic car insurances was that it couldn't be your only car - you had to have another car insured as a daily driver. I think that was to stop people using classics as their main car. In this case the OP could use his NCB on his youngest car and put the old one on a classic policy.

DON'T, whatever you do, get a traders policy if you are not a trader. Sure, they'll take your money and give you a certificate but if you have to claim, they will then want to see all kinds of receipts and accounts to prove you are a trader. If you can't provide them, they will refuse your claim, cancel your insurance policy and you'll be put on some kind of fraud register. Try getting insurance, any insurance - car or home, when you've had a policy cancelled through a fraudulent application. If you can find someone to take you on they'll want an arm and two legs!

The OP could try going to a specialist broker and let them do the leg work. Adrian Flux or Carole Nash might be worth a try.

 

[Mikefromlondon]

Good advise. Motman.

 

[aryan57]

Thank you Motman, I shall certainly heed your advice, as I am retired and not a trader. Someone on another forum recommended me to try A plan so I gave them a call. The cheapest quote they came up with was £397 but they would throw in a voucher for M & S for £50. Also got a quote of £220 from Sheila's Wheels. Got a few MoT problems at the moment, bottom ball joint, anti roll bar link, and one of the alloy wheels is dented and outside the regs. Mechanic says he will try to straighten it with a big a copper mallet., reckons he has had success with this method before. So once I am all legal again, i will search again for insurance. Thanks for the heads up!