# is it me or are small cars dearer to insure than fast big cars



## robtech (Jan 17, 2011)

what is it with can insurance pricing,,i can insure a classic porsche 911 3.3 turbo for less money than a 10 year old 1.1 fiat siencento sporting...cheapest was 260 quid for a toy car.


or i can insure a 2001 alfa gtv v6 all singing fast car for 150 quid more...its mental ive got full ncb been driving for 19 years ...or i can insure a v8 rover muscle car for 114 quid a year on a classic policy..its crazy..folks what kind of dosh are you paying for insurance..my mk1 golf convertible on a classic policy all in is about 176.

car insurance is mad,,i bet the goverment is part of it with the cheaper road tax,eg its cheaper to tax a small engined car but then to insure its the same if not more than a big engine.

lol moan over


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## Avanti (Jan 17, 2006)

Although cars are in insurance groups, there is loading on some vehicles, my Corrado was cheaper to insure by a long way than the GTI mk 2 that it replaced, a colleague's son young lad had a Punto and was paying through the nose for insurance, now has a BMW 1 series and was gobsmacked that the insurance was much cheaper for a newer more powerful car.


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## Ross (Apr 25, 2007)

My Spec b is very nearly cheaper to insure than my 2 liter Toyota I had.


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## Strothow (Oct 29, 2009)

2466 On a 1.2 Corsa  :devil:


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## mattsbmw (Jul 20, 2008)

its because they are on classic policies which usually mean you have to garage and re deemed to "look after" them more.

Its just the same with my cars


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## bigmc (Mar 22, 2010)

Insurance is odd, I don't understand it any more, when I passed my test it went along the lines of "the faster the car/bigger the engine the more it cost", recently changed ours from a modified vectra gsi to a Mazda 6 diesel and it was more expensive to insure the mazda. The same company was £250 less to insure a new shape STi.


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## centenary (Sep 5, 2010)

robtech said:


> what is it with can insurance pricing,,i can insure a classic porsche 911 3.3 turbo for less money than a 10 year old 1.1 fiat siencento sporting...cheapest was 260 quid for a toy car.
> 
> or i can insure a 2001 alfa gtv v6 all singing fast car for 150 quid more...its mental ive got full ncb been driving for 19 years ...or i can insure a v8 rover muscle car for 114 quid a year on a classic policy..its crazy..folks what kind of dosh are you paying for insurance..my mk1 golf convertible on a classic policy all in is about 176.
> 
> ...


Funnily enough, I've just done a 2 car quote with aviva for the E46, value about 5k and the new 2.0L Z4 M Sport, list value £38k.

The E46 was £309 while the Z4 was only a 100 more with 2 years less NCB!

WTF is that about? A 9 year old car worth 5k tops is 'only' 100 quid less to insure than a brand new 38k car?

Just shows what a rip off insurance has become. Hopefully, the Admiral renewal will be more realistic but Im not counting on it.


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## Laurie.J.M (Jun 23, 2011)

As a general rule newer cars should be cheaper to insure because of the fact that they're safer, therefore there's less chance of having to make an injury claim in the event of an accident. This is why even at age 18 and with no no claims bonus my Corsa D cost £1200 to insure where as the cheapest quote on a Corsa C was £3500 and on a Corsa B it was £4500 with a massive excess.


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## Mick (Jan 23, 2010)

I always thought it was because young/inexperienced drivers generally bought smaller cars, and a lot of them having bumps made the statistics on how often they are crashed much higher, which was then reflected in the premium?

that way it makes bigger cars seem "safer" from an insurance point of view due to less people claiming against them.


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## wish wash (Aug 25, 2011)

I too agree, when i started driving 4 yrs ago. At 19 it cost me over £2200 to insure a 1.2 6valve corsa. Now at 24 with a 400hp focus rs fully declared it costs me just over a £1000 

But like people have said goes on safety features, ncap ratings and if you live near a bunch of thieving gypsies.


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## Kriminal (Jan 11, 2007)

It was cheaper to insure the TT than it is to insure the A3. I know the A3 is newer, but I'd certainly consider it easier to break into as there are 5 doors, and surely less appealing ? 

The only thing I could put my finger on was the 'price tag' that I was insuring....maybe it's because it'll cost 'em more to cash out ?


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## ianFRST (Sep 19, 2006)

ive just paid for a years insurance on my new winter runaround, a 12 year old freelander, and its £50 cheaper to insure than my RS at £640!!!!! WTF!!!!!!


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## Jace (Oct 26, 2005)

I'm 42, 9yrs ncb, good postcode, overnight garaged & it's £550 to insure my 51reg Lupo GTI


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## Shiny (Apr 23, 2007)

Ok, so cars are rated by group, which is determined by power/performance, price of parts and how long it takes to fix, security, safety, claims experience and number of other factors usually determined by the Insurance Testing Centre at Thacham.

A group 9 car will always be more expensive than a group 8 or a 7, 6 etc. A group 20 vehicle will always be more expensive than a group 19,18,17 etc.

Being a popular car for 17 years olds is irrelevant to a group rating, unless of course it becomes involved in a lot of claims and subsequently the experience rating may affect the vehicle group (this is usually more specific to an Insurer though rather a generic rating set by Thatcham).

HOWEVER, group rating is not the only rating factor. Age of vehicle discounts can have a big bearing on a premium. A 10 year old car OF THE SAME GROUP RATING as a brand new car will generally be much cheaper to insure. This is because a 10 year car will have a much lower value and repair costs are often cheaper due to the use of pattern parts etc.

Value isn't always a rating factor, as the "age of vehicle" discount normally accounts for a reduction in value, although some Insurers do also take the value into account of part of the rating process.

Comparing a Classic Car policy to a private car policy isn't comparing apples with apples though. Classic car policies are net rated and normally very cheap, but have a restricted acceptance criteria and strict terms as to the use, mileage etc.


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## CliveP (Feb 1, 2009)

Jace said:


> I'm 42, 9yrs ncb, good postcode, overnight garaged & it's £550 to insure my 51reg Lupo GTI


No!

I'm mid 40s, nice postcode, decent profession, parked on drive and got change from £300 a year on a top of the range DS3 with a 0-60 of 7 seconds...

Amazing differences but I do my searches each year at renewal - this year I cancelled Aviva, then got a new quote online with them and it was £100 cheaper than the renewal quote! :lol:

Regards,
Clive.


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## t180black (Mar 26, 2011)

*Insurance - Crazy!!!!!*

Looking at buying a Leon Cupra, I got an insurance quote and to step from my T180 Avensis, it would cost me £30, of which £26 was admin. Turned out the Cupra had been in a prang and ended up with a Leon FR TDI 170 with DSG box. Insurance? +£69 extra. I queried the insurance to be told it was based on repair cost. Diesel engine dearer to replace than petrol and Auto box more expensive to replace.

No mention that I take 1.6 seconds longer to reach 60 mph and loose App 20 MPH at the top end. How does that work?


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## Shiny (Apr 23, 2007)

http://www.thatcham.org/research/index.jsp?page=198


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## DampDog (Apr 16, 2011)

Problem is they just auto-generate the next years quote, they don't even think of trying to find the cheapest. Why should they, some people will just accept it and pay up. Or they'll be paying monthly and not bothered.

Because I was instructing last year my quote came through at £680, up from about £300 the previous year. I rang around and got a quote for £320ish, rang my original insurer back and surprise, sup rise they generated a new quote £285...

The first quote they give you will NEVER be their best, they're there to make money.

Binned off instructing now and bought Polo that has 12 months free insurance so I really have no idea what I'll pay next year. It will definately have gone up though as sure as eggs are eggs...


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## minimadgriff (Jul 8, 2007)

When I had my 1.25 fiesta run about it was dearer to insure than my Focus RS, that was on a policy for the RS being used too, not a laid up policy! :lol: 

If the RS was on a policy for it being used it would be £380, my Kuga is £560 to insure  The RS is on a laid up policy for winter and it is mega cheap!


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## robtech (Jan 17, 2011)

wee update on crazy prices

last night i was looking to buy an old car for winter so i dont have to use the mk1 golf....cheap 500 quid car a pug 106 d.ok i do the usual gocompare meretwat etc they were both around 260 to 300 fully comp.UNREAL..the cheapest was endsliegh at 254 so i go direct and do a quote on there website....i pmsl..799 quid...i go to direct line as there banging on every 5 mins on the telly .999...sod off.

i go to lancaster who last year i got my classic policy from...online quote 6000 miles per 

year £199 so i reckon that if i call them etc or go with the same broker that my golfs with i could get it for 160 ish...


it just angers me that these direct line types can quote 999 for the same insurance ,God how many folk just say yea fine ok and go with the likes of them

to some up 


GO TO A SMALL BROKER and get an online quote initially but phone first before committing and haggle


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## bigmc (Mar 22, 2010)

Shiny said:


> A group 9 car will always be more expensive than a group 8 or a 7, 6 etc. A group 20 vehicle will always be more expensive than a group 19,18,17 etc.


That's not always true though, when we were changing car this year it was cheaper to insure some ridiculous stuff than it was to insure the mazda 6 td we ended up with. It was a whole £2 dearer to insure the mazda over the modified vectra gsi it replaced.
In another vein, what are the stipulations generally with classic insurance? What qualifies?? etc.


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## Shiny (Apr 23, 2007)

bigmc said:


> That's not always true though, when we were changing car this year it was cheaper to insure some ridiculous stuff than it was to insure the mazda 6 td we ended up with. It was a whole £2 dearer to insure the mazda over the modified vectra gsi it replaced.
> In another vein, what are the stipulations generally with classic insurance? What qualifies?? etc.


If it is the same year and value, a higher group car will always be more to insure than a lower group car. The only time this might change is if the lower group car is "termed", for example compulsory restricted driving, in which case it may not receive a restricted driving discount. Remember though, what you think may be a certain group, may be higher or lower with a particular insurer depending on their own experience. The Thatcham grouping are the industry "recommended" grouping, which insurers can then adjust accordingly.

For cherished/classic car, it usually has be over a certain age (often 20 yrs), the proposer over 25, limited mileage, SDP use, often garaged and not the primary car. You don't generally earn NCB on a classic car policy as they are nett rated. Some also have a list of acceptable vehicles. They generally can't be modified either.


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## The_Bouncer (Nov 24, 2010)

Lloyd - my car is a 1999 - unmodified and kept on my drive - used every day albeit with limited mileage but it's on a classic policy & my primary car.

your right about the NCB tho' - on a normal poilcy I think she's grouped at 47 or something silly....


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## nick.s (Dec 21, 2009)

My Vec C CDTi (150) currently costs £600 on the nose (3yr NCB (10yr driving, 7yrs as named driver on ex wifes policy), no accidents or claims or convictions).

A 1 litre Polo is coming in at £800 or more! A 330ci BMW comes in at around a grand....but a 6.0 V12 XJS comes in at a cool £165 per annum. ONE SIX FIVE!!!

It's ridiculous. The whole industry needs regulating if you ask me.


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## The_Bouncer (Nov 24, 2010)

nick.s said:


> It's ridiculous. The whole industry needs regulating if you ask me.


Nick your so right here - with the average claims handler in these big corporations juggling circa 1200 / 1500 open claims at any one time plus the introduced time constraints in dealing with claims - a lot of these are just 'rubber stamped' as a payout to save the insurer getting in trouble and to make the closed claim figures more impressive - easier to pay out 1k - 3k claims than it is to work and investigate them.

Wonder why some many people claim up to 3k for personal injuries etc etc.

It's an open floodgate game with plenty of people knowing how to play it and not enough resources to investigate it.

Easiest way is to inflate insurance policies to cover the financial leak.


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## Ninja59 (Feb 17, 2009)

nick.s said:


> My Vec C CDTi (150) currently costs £600 on the nose (3yr NCB (10yr driving, 7yrs as named driver on ex wifes policy), no accidents or claims or convictions).
> 
> A 1 litre Polo is coming in at £800 or more! A 330ci BMW comes in at around a grand....but a 6.0 V12 XJS comes in at a cool £165 per annum. ONE SIX FIVE!!!
> 
> It's ridiculous. The whole industry needs regulating if you ask me.


the only problem with the xjs is would you get anywhere :lol: which might be the reason :lol:


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## nick.s (Dec 21, 2009)

Ninja59 said:


> the only problem with the xjs is would you get anywhere :lol: which might be the reason :lol:


Yeah they do guzzle 

It really is disgusting though. I mean, an XJS is a more desirable, more powerful car than a 1.0 0-60 eventually Polo, and yet is under 25% of the cost to insure. With the same criteria on both policy quotes.

It seems like a license to print money the insurance industry, and I genuinely think some of them quote what they think they can get away with, not a genuine, fair to everyone quote (which if they think about it, if their quotes were somewhat less than stratospheric, they would gain more custom and therefore MONEY). An industry built on one of the worlds biggest lies (statistics) will never be fair or equal (mens quotes coming down to match womens, NEVER. They will put the womens UP and rake in more cash). It's a world gone mad, or a government conspiracy, I've not decided which yet (although higher premiums = more insurance premium tax for the chancellor.....so I think I know where my bets are hedged).


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## kh904 (Dec 18, 2006)

nick.s said:


> Yeah they do guzzle
> 
> It really is disgusting though. I mean, an XJS is a more desirable, more powerful car than a 1.0 0-60 eventually Polo, and yet is under 25% of the cost to insure. With the same criteria on both policy quotes.
> 
> It seems like a license to print money the insurance industry, and I genuinely think some of them quote what they think they can get away with, not a genuine, fair to everyone quote (which if they think about it, if their quotes were somewhat less than stratospheric, they would gain more custom and therefore MONEY). An industry built on one of the worlds biggest lies (statistics) will never be fair or equal (mens quotes coming down to match womens, NEVER. They will put the womens UP and rake in more cash). It's a world gone mad, or a government conspiracy, I've not decided which yet (although higher premiums = more insurance premium tax for the chancellor.....so I think I know where my bets are hedged).


Is it a conspiracy? If you're asking my opinion.... :lol:

I wonder if the profile of the type of driver of a particular model has an effect.
Sure the XJS may be more desirable & more powerful??? but my guess the profile of the type of driver would say they are more likely to look after their car, drive a safer way that would reduced the risk of an accident perhaps?
Where as an old golf or similar 'hot hatch' would attract many boy racer types - who are more likely to right off their & other and have major accidents. 
Similar to how women have lower genrally have premiums (profiling).

I agree with the point about statistics! They can be used to try & justify anything!

Just a thought!


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## detaillover (Apr 25, 2011)

£1400 for a 1.6 volvo C30R... its slow as **** and built like a tank and a million airbags.... i wanted to get a wee runabout so i didnt put miles on that... found a 1.0 litre 10 year old polo insurance was..... £2500!!!! almost shat myself the car was going to cost £500!!

Insurance companies are ****! lol


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## LudwigVonSpork (Oct 25, 2011)

Insurance just appears to be random!


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## dew1911 (Jun 9, 2009)

LudwigVonSpork said:


> Insurance just appears to be *Legalised Theft*!


Fixed that for you :thumb:


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## SteveTDCi (Feb 8, 2006)

I think they are, I rang before getting the Volvo, to go from a 1.6 Polo valued at £500 to a V40 1.8 Estate valued at £500 would have seen me getting a £3 refund  I wish i'd have gone for the T4 now !


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## markvorny (Oct 1, 2009)

It is bizarre, I insured my 997 C2S for less than my previous 335i which was worth half its value.


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