D2 insurance renewal time

[27litres]

That's interesting.

RACV down here are very good. They cover both the person who takes out the cover (for any car they may be driving at any given time), and one or more specific vehicles (for whoever may be driving them at the time).
They of course have various levels of cover, starting with Basic (roadside assist in any state (reciprocal arrangements with RACQ, RACSA, NRMA etc) with 3 free tows a year to a max of 50km I think), to which you can add extras (caravans, trailers, accomodation etc) or increase the levels of cover (which may have extras included). I'd have to ask Mel the cost - around $100 a year I think for basic.

Had cause to use them a few weeks back when the Volvo's alternator failed. Got free tow home without bothering with roadside assist, no questions asked. There within 45 mins on a Saturday afternoon. Can't argue with that service!

They offer insurance too, but I've always found them expensive for cars I've owned - I'm sure they're cheap for Yaris owners!

[tintin]

Originally Posted by steamship

Was surprised by the cost differences that Mark and Stephen posted, but then I suppose it all depends on what options you tick. I was curious about the RAC of ~£90 so went onto their site to check it out. Best I could manage with the options was around £120. The obvious question to Mark and Stephen then, is do you get some sort of loyalty/no claims discount with the RAC?

It's a bit like the comment I made earlier on this thread re: insurance companies - i.e. they'll charge what they think they can get away with, and fleece anyone who they can. In my case, it's a mix of loyalty discount and playing a bit hardball when they get things wrong: It's just annoying to have to play these sorts of games to get a renewal quote that's reasonable value - a waste of time really.

[HPsauce]

Originally Posted by briang9

I am currently with rescuemycar on a vehicle based policy for each car, however looking at changing to these when renewal is due

https://www.autoaidbreakdown.co.uk/

their personal cover is cheaper than rescuemycar and includes spouse free of charge, lot's of good feedback on them on various other forums too. They don't have a vehicle age limit either, I phoned them to ask

So the time has come to change my breakdown cover and this organisation does indeed look interesting, especially as our Volvo has an element of cover via Volvo but that doesn't cover everything I want.
Does anyone have any experience of them? Brian, did you move to them?

I'm probably changing my insurers for the Volvo at the same time as Privilege have upped the premiums by over 30% with no changes at our end.
(Weirdly the S8 was renewed with them earlier this year and the premium was LOWER than last year! )

For reference my current favourite for the Volvo is Aviva, their newish AvivaPlus Premium policy. It is not only cheaper but also has a few interesting extras, e.g.:
1. European cover included as standard (required to go to Irish Republic for example)
2. Comprehensive cover driving other cars, provided you notify them, max 5 days at a time (handy when on holiday with family and want to use their car); 3rd-party is standard without notification.
3. Manufacturer-fitted updates are NOT modifications even if they improve performance (so my Volvo Polestar upgrade is considered standard and has no cost).
4. Renewal guarantee that you won't be charged more than if you were a new customer.

[The_Laird]

I’ve been with AutoAid for over 30 years and had cause to use them a few times. No problems at all and I’d recommend them to anyone. They obviously don’t have a breakdown fleet, but have deals with a network of garages up and down the country. And they insure the person(s) on the policy in any car. So when I was driving my daughter’s car and it broke down, that was recovered without any fuss at all.

[HPsauce]

Originally Posted by The_Laird

I’ve been with AutoAid for over 30 years and had cause to use them a few times. No problems at all and I’d recommend them to anyone.

Thanks Jim, do you happen to have a discount code for use when signing up or a referral link? I have a few days yet to sort this out.
(The signup page has a space for a code, but I've not found one yet.....)

[The_Laird]

No , sorry. Just checked my documents and there’s no discount code for referrals.

[briang9]

I went with them Andrew, not used them yet however, but they do have lots of good feedback on a number of forums. And no I don't have a discount code either

[The_Laird]

I’ve called them out at least three times over the years: Christine called them first for a breakdown in Dunfries & Galloway; I called them from the M6; and again for the breakdown in Gemma’s car. There can be a wait for a a pick-up truck, but I suspect that’s the same with anyone, but they always sort it without hassle.

When I made the first claim (probably over 20 years ago) you had to pay the recovery costs and claim back, but now that
They’ve since sorted that out so the recovery truck turns up and yo have no need to part with any money and reclaim. And they took me from Manchester to Helensburgh once without a ‘relay system’ which some of the other insurers use, which can add hours to the journey.

[Adrian E]

Just signed up for them too

Was paying £121 last year for Britannia Rescue (with 'Boundless' membership for civil servants)

I honestly can't remember the last time I needed recovering - I suspect it was when my BX 16 Valve died with an ignition fault on the A3 near Kingston in about 2001......

[HPsauce]

Just swerving back to the starting point, insurance renewal...…..
I got an email from Privilege (who I switched to earlier in this thread) saying my renewal was nearly due and to review the paperwork with quote etc..
That of course hadn't arrived, but it did so today.

Gone up by almost 10%, so I did my usual rummage online. Couldn't actually find anything much better value. Cheaper yes, but not matching in cover.
I've also been thinking, as I guess many of us have, about SORNing the Audi for a while.

So I went online to see how their renewal process worked (I usually phone) and tried to find about insurance during SORN. No real guidance, just suggesting phone in but due to the current situation lines will be busy, prioritising etc. etc.

So I rang the number suggested (NOT the one on the paperwork) and it was answered within seconds by a cheerful chap with a Scottish accent clearly working from home, but with everything to hand.
After discussing the options around SORN, which is basically either don't insure (not a risk I'd take) or drop to 3rd-party, fire&theft (hardly any cheaper) he sensed my caution and said "lets see what we can do about a loyalty discount" which brought it down below last years. Then we discussed probable mileage which brought it down even further.
I think there are probably specialists who do "laid up" insurance but I don't see the point, being an optimist.

So I ended up renewing, with all features intact, for significantly less than last year, which I'm happy about.
And I'll probably SORN at the end of April, taxing again as and when I decide I need it. Online that's easy now.

I guess we're all different, but for a 2nd car that's cherished but not going anywhere for a while, it's worth asking the questions....