[ChrisE91]

Hello chaps,

Only a day or two I get my new car and I really can't wait. Been looking for insurance quotes over the last few days and I'm shocked at how expensive insurance is.

I've had a company car for the last 3 years and cancelled my personal policy back in 2009 as my Punto GT I'm restoring was dismantled completely so didn't see the point in insuring it any more.

I'm an IT consultant and will be using my car for work so I need business insurance on the policy and that seems to put the price up a lot. Is there such a thing as a specialist insurance company for this type of policy? Cheapest monthly quote I've got so far works out to be £1018 per year with a £200 excess. That's 3 times more than I paid for my GT which was heavily modified.

Any suggestions? Thanks in advance.

[chris330D]

Be careful what insurance you are asking for it makes a difference if you just want to go to different locations compared to carrying kit around. I just have the first option and it costs me nothing extra. The amount of miles you do will also load it up.

[catdog1121]

Make sure they are only adding class 1 insurance, This will cover the policy holder only for travelling for your buisness, aka ur not a taxi driver or carrying loads ie courier driver. Ive never found it goes up much and some insurance companies will add it for free.

Also an interesting point if you have more no claims with your company than personal it can be better to use that, unfortunately you cant add them together though but they will accept no claims gained on company car.

Other than that shop around, add an older person to ur insurance as a named driver, saved me a fortune by adding my retired dad.

End of the day insurance has gone up, nothing much you can do about it but try to get the best insurance for ur money.

[ChrisE91]

Cheers.

I do roughly 20000 miles a year.

Would social, domestic, pleasure and commuting cover it then? I've been putting business use. I never carry kit, I just go to different locations every day.

[JLR1969]

Make sure you get the right business insurance, I would guess that you only need travel to different places of work and not the type where you carry samples and stock in the car.

Try the usual L&V, money supermarket, elephant etc.

[ChrisE91]

Reading up on the cover options. SDP&C only covers one permanent place of work, I don't really have one as I'm home based.

[catdog1121]

No you need class 1 insurance, it sometimes adds a little but most companies makes very little difference, im with aviva try them, or last time I was with tesco it was free but that was many moons ago.

SDP&C will not cover you.

[Em135eye]

We use Hiscox - so far so good.

[doughboy]

Defo Class 1 business.

I'm similar to you, home based small business and going out to numerous clients sites all the time.

Sounds daft, but try Compare the market.com, they beat all the other search sites for me by hundreds, even the same companies were hundreds less with the same details!!

Just be greatful you don't need commercial insurance, we're paying £2000 a year to insure a small van worth £4000!!!

[BGM]

fuck that i'm an it consultant too, i never put business specific miles down..

unless!

they specifically ask me to say if i commute to a single place of work or not..

[doughboy]

Not business mileage, just business use or not. I've never found an insurer that didn't ask you to specify the useage category. Even 10 business miles a year needs Class 1 cover.

If you select SDP+Commute it will clearly say 'commuting only to and from a single, regular, place of work'.

So if you're home based then you're screwed for a start as everytime you leave the drive for work its on Class 1 business use.

Even if you are a regular employee at one place and you work at the same office everyday, if you have to drive to one single meeting elsewhere then that is Class 1 business.

Most large firms now prohibit the use of private cars for work travel unless you can bring in proof of Class 1 insurance. Some have blanket bans and insist on providing hire cars even to pop up the road on business.

Sometimes I've offered to take clients to meetings and their HR departments have insisted I provide proof of Class 1 insurance before they will allow their staff to travel with me.

[BGM]

Originally Posted by doughboy

I've never found an insurer that didn't ask you to specify the useage.

If you select SDP+Commute it will clearly say 'commuting only to a single regular place of work'

Even if you work at the same office everyday, if you have to drive to one single meeting elsewhere then that is Class 1 business.

Most large firms now prohibit the use of private cars for work travel unless you can bring in proof of Class 1 insurance. Some have blanket bans and insist on providing hire cars even to pop up the road on business.

maybe i'm missing something?

business use implies i use the vehicle as an income generator i.e. taxi
commercial travelling implies the show and tell of goods and samples

therefore, i select social and commuting. nice

[m1bjr]

Originally Posted by BGM

maybe i'm missing something?

business use implies i use the vehicle as an income generator i.e. taxi
commercial travelling implies the show and tell of goods and samples

therefore, i select social and commuting. nice

Im afraid you are.

Its the wording of the Policy Document or Schedule that matters ATEOTD.

If you are the income generator by nature of your knowledge....

Im using Admiral and it cost almost nothing to add business use to our policy.

[BGM]

no my point is if they don't ask me (i.e. my screenshot, the correct option does not exist)

then what ya gonna do?

[m1bjr]

But its clearly business use.

You better consult the Policy Handbook for the exact definitions, as thats what their legals will batter you with

[BGM]

it's ok, i can't crash... it's unpossible

[urfankhaliq]

Interesting thread but also what if you are a home worker, dont have business down on the policy, just commuting and you have an accident...

The insurance company will never know whether you were driving to work, whether you were driving to see a friend (pleasure) or just driving for the sake of it!

[BGM]

i did some quotes with and without business mileage and it put like 35 on the premium

think i might as well just stick it on at renewal

[chris330D]

Best to be up front. If you check the wording commuting is defined as to and from a single place of work. If you travel to multiple sites it counts as business. Class 1 doesn't seem to add much, zero for me. In the event of a crash you don't want to give the insurer any wriggle room.

[ChrisE91]

Originally Posted by m1bjr

Im afraid you are.

Its the wording of the Policy Document or Schedule that matters ATEOTD.

If you are the income generator by nature of your knowledge....

Im using Admiral and it cost almost nothing to add business use to our policy.

Thanks chaps for the heads up. Admiral were my best quote so far. Are they and good?

[ChrisE91]

Originally Posted by chris330D

Best to be up front. If you check the wording commuting is defined as to and from a single place of work. If you travel to multiple sites it counts as business. Class 1 doesn't seem to add much, zero for me. In the event of a crash you don't want to give the insurer any wriggle room.

What I've noticed with most of the companies I've got quotes with is that they don't have different levels of business coverage.

I've selected business on all my quotes as I wasn't sure, until now.

[doughboy]

Originally Posted by BGM

maybe i'm missing something?

business use implies i use the vehicle as an income generator i.e. taxi
commercial travelling implies the show and tell of goods and samples

therefore, i select social and commuting. nice

No, business use MEANS using the car for business travel, i.e. going to a meeting off site etc, the little 'question mark' symbol next to each option would explain

Using the car like a taxi or delivery vehicle or travelling salesman are further increments in business use classes.

Its taken that you would have read the details when you acept the policy.