With cheap car insurance becoming harder to find for most drivers, it pays to explore every possible way to get the best possible deal. The AA’s British Premium Index for 2010 estimated that car insurance costs rose by 33% and many experts are forecasting double digit cost increases this year too. There are, of course, a number of ways to get better car insurance quotes: use online comparison sites to shop around; drive a car from a lower rated insurance group; limit your annual mileage and maximise no claims bonuses through careful driving.
Yet many drivers are unaware of the substantial increases in car insurance costs that are incurred if manufacturers’ standard models are modified in any way. Almost invariably the addition of alloy wheels; body kits; non-standard paintwork; stripes; engine modifications; or a myriad of other “customised” options can add hundreds of pounds to annual insurance premiums.
New research from car insurance comparison website Tiger.co.uk has quantified this. They looked at adding various modifications to a 5 year old VW Golf GTi, driven by a 29 year old with a clean driving licence. The addition of just one modification (an exhaust system, alloy wheels or a body kit) added about 18% (£105) to the annual insurance premium. The addition of multiple modifications including changes to the car’s suspension and engine alterations added a massive 55% (or £339) to the price of insurance.
This “modification premium” was even more marked for younger drivers. A 25 year old driving the same car with the same package of modifications would see their car insurance quote increase by 80% compared to a non-modified vehicle, adding over £600 a year to their insurance costs. But this is not something that just affects younger drivers. Tiger.co.uk ran exactly the same quote using a 59 year old man and the package of modifications lead to a 72% increase in the price of insurance.
A spokesperson from Tiger.co.uk commented: “Anyone who likes customising their car should give consideration to the cost of insuring the vehicle before buying a modified car or, adding their own modifications. There are fewer insurers willing to cover modified vehicles and this along with the higher risk profile of modified car drivers, pushes up prices substantially. The only modifications that will help with insurance prices are the additional of additional approved security devices like alarms, immobilisers and trackers. We do know that some drivers do like to put a personal stamp on their vehicle so our advice is to shop around for the best deals when it comes to insurance and make sure your insurer is notified of any modifications made to a vehicle in order to ensure the validity of the insurance policy.”
Saxon House
Cromwell Square,Ipswich
Suffolk,ip11ts
United Kingdom
01473 542479
Email: tiger@tiger.co.uk
For More Info Visit : www.tiger.co.uk/car-insurance
