Insurance Companies

AF wanted £800+ for my insurance. That was with full NCD, but then I found out my NCD only applies to my other car which is still being used. So would be even more. So I cancelled with them. Went to a comparison site, paid just over £400 with zero no claims. So needless to say use a comparison site.
Do you have a camper? In my experience comparison websites are worse than useless for campers.
 
Do you have a camper? In my experience comparison websites are worse than useless for campers.

Many people have a camper but it is listed as a panel van or van with windows on the V5. At the moment mine is just a van with windows, undergoing conversion and so I took the insurance out with that status.
 
Many people have a camper but it is listed as a panel van or van with windows on the V5. At the moment mine is just a van with windows, undergoing conversion and so I took the insurance out with that status.
To be clear, the Body Type shown on the V5 has zero relevance to insurance. Anyone with a campervan needs campervan insurance, otherwise they risk only receiving the market value for their base van in the event of a total loss.

 Anyone, like yourself, who is currently mid-conversion, should get specialist conversion insurance that's specifically designed to support this process. Whilst it's possible to convert on standard van insurance, it can get very expensive very quickly as each conversion step has to be declared as a modification, each of which will probably be charged for as a mid-term adjustment (including admin fees). There's also the very real possibility that, midway through the policy, the insurer refuses to provide ongoing cover, due either to the number of mods or the nature of a combination of the mods.
 
To be clear, the Body Type shown on the V5 has zero relevance to insurance. Anyone with a campervan needs campervan insurance, otherwise they risk only receiving the market value for their base van in the event of a total loss.

 Anyone, like yourself, who is currently mid-conversion, should get specialist conversion insurance that's specifically designed to support this process. Whilst it's possible to convert on standard van insurance, it can get very expensive very quickly as each conversion step has to be declared as a modification, each of which will probably be charged for as a mid-term adjustment (including admin fees). There's also the very real possibility that, midway through the policy, the insurer refuses to provide ongoing cover, due either to the number of mods or the nature of a combination of the mods.

I understand this. Insurance is a balance between cost and financial losses. I have plenty of expensive camera gear which is not insured. I take very good care of it knowing that if I break it I will have to replace it. At the moment my van is just that, a van and when it has undergone modification I will reinsure.

When I got my JustKampers quote the van was also insured as a van and not a camper, this is what I am referring to. The fact that both policies were done with the same information.
 
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I understand this. Insurance is a balance between cost and financial losses. I have plenty of expensive camera gear which is not insured. I take very good care of it knowing that if I break it I will have to replace it. At the moment my van is just that, a van and when it has undergone modification I will reinsure.

When I got my JustKampers quote the van was also insured as a van and not a camper, this is what I am referring to. The fact that both policies were done with the same information.
Fair enough - you're obviously aware of the risks and the pitfalls, but hopefully it might help others.
 
Just to add about agreed valuations they should be viewed as important to anyone who has any serious modifications worth considerable cost/time in the future should the Van need replaced. Particularly in the case of a Campervan conversion.

Without the agreed valuation it is unlikely the payout is going get even close to a like to like van.

My agreed valuation is £35k more than the base vans market value- not bad for £15 extra on the insurance. Yes I was quoted £75 less using a comparison site but wouldn’t have the van insured for its true value.


One thing to note though it can take some time to agree the valuation with insurance broker in my case 5weeks, so make sure you start the process well before insurance runs out!

I also find with the brokers if you speak honestly and politely they do seem to try harder for you- but maybe that is just my experience.
 
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Just to add about agreed valuations they should be viewed as important to anyone who has any serious modifications worth considerable cost/time in the future should the Van need replaced. Particularly in the case of a Campervan conversion.

Without the agreed valuation it is unlikely the payout is going get even close to a like to like van.

My agreed valuation is £35k more than the base vans market value- not bad for £15 extra on the insurance. Yes I was quoted £75 less using a comparison site but wouldn’t have the van insured for its true value.


One thing to note though it can take some time to agree the valuation with insurance broker in my case 5weeks, so make sure you start the process well before insurance runs out!

I also find with the brokers if you speak honestly and politely they do seem to tried harder for you- but maybe that is just my experience.
Keep banging that AV drum mate :thumbsup: - it's surprising how many people don't take notice until they're left ££££ out of pocket.
 
or they think they know better

I have wondered if the insurance companies and brokers can sense this when they speak to people.

As some people seem to get quoted considerably more than online comparison sites when they call them.

Whilst others seem to get better deals..
 
These insurance companies clearly just pluck figures out of the air and make it up as they go along, it’s a license to print money, at least Dick Turpin had the decency to wear a mask.

I got shouted down for this post, but here's what happened today.
The insurance on my Golf GTI expires at the end of the month so I received a renewal quote from my insurer (Privilege)
Last year £287.41, this year £496.04.
I did a gocompare a couple of weeks ago and the cheapest quote was from Churchill at £436.17.
I did another gocompare this morning and noticed a quote from Privilege as a new customer of £468.67, so I rang Privilege and explained to the chap on the phone that I'd been quoted less as a new customer but if he couldn't beat Churchill's quote I would be going with them.
"Hold the line Sir, I'll see if we can do anything for you"
After a short pause, "I've had a look on the system Sir and we can offer you a loyalty discount that will bring your renewal down to £431.55"
So I stand by my previous post, they make it up as they go along, it's a racket.
 
I got shouted down for this post, but here's what happened today.
That's melodramatic, mate! You claimed insurers make it up as they go along and, based on decades of experience in insurance, I said they don't.

Insurance relies on the analysis of cold, hard data and the application of, often, complex rules. For anyone not privy to that data or to those rules (which will include all their call-centre staff, btw), outcomes can appear utterly random and inexplicable, but they are anything but random.

To paraphrase Arthur C. Clarke's third law: "Any sufficiently advanced technology algorithm is indistinguishable from magic".
 
Still say it's racket, if Privilege can do it for £431.55 why didn't they quote me that in the first place instead of their £496.04 renewal quote, they're clearly trying it on. If I'd have lied and told them that Churchill had quoted me £400 they'd probably have come back and said they could do it for £390.
 
Still say it's racket, if Privilege can do it for £431.55 why didn't they quote me that in the first place instead of their £496.04 renewal quote, they're clearly trying it on.
I wouldn't go as far as to say it's a racket, but you do have to "play the game". As an example, Admiral quoted an extra £400 for my Audi insurance this year and I found a much cheaper quote with Allianz. However, cancelling the autorenew with Admiral was one of the most obfuscated experiences out - and included me turning down a "special" discount of £90 to stay with them. So after what seems an interminable number of "are you really sure?" buttons, did eventually manage to cancel.
 
Still say it's racket, if Privilege can do it for £431.55 why didn't they quote me that in the first place instead of their £496.04 renewal quote, they're clearly trying it on. If I'd have lied and told them that Churchill had quoted me £400 they'd probably have come back and said they could do it for £390.
Trying it on, maybe, but in a premeditated, pre-defined, utterly calculated way, not at all in a random, make-it-up-as-you-go-along way - that's all I'm saying.
 
The scores on the doors for this year's renewal...

Insurer
£​
Premium TypeAnnual Mileage Limit
Comfort Insurance
522​
Last year's6000
Comfort Insurance
603​
Renewal6000
Comfort Insurance
658​
Renewal8000
Just Kampers
1,120​
New business (inc. forum discount)6000
Howdens
800​
New business (inc. forum discount)6000
Adrian Flux
1,060​
New business6000

Just renewed with Comfort (8k annual mileage limit). :thumbsup:
 
The scores on the doors for this year's renewal...

Insurer
£​
Premium TypeAnnual Mileage Limit
Comfort Insurance
522​
Last year's6000
Comfort Insurance
603​
Renewal6000
Comfort Insurance
658​
Renewal8000
Just Kampers
1,120​
New business (inc. forum discount)6000
Howdens
800​
New business (inc. forum discount)6000
Adrian Flux
1,060​
New business6000

Just renewed with Comfort (8k annual mileage limit). :thumbsup:
Is that with agreed value, Bav?
 
I'm in the process of ringing around for Insurance. Converted panel van with most things a converter could possibly add.

Got a renewal quote from Howdens of 1594 without AV. They said they don't do Agreed Values which I thought was odd. They insured the van during conversion last year

Adrian Flux came back with a quote of 580. They said they could do agreed value for an extra 15. I'd need to send photos of the van whic I am happy to do.

That's a huge difference - need to check they are like for like!

I completed a form for Brenacre but have heard nothing back yet.

How do people value their vans for insurance purposes? I've been looking around for vans of similar age and conversion spec but not really been able to find anything that matches close enough.

How many of these does everyone think I go through before just picking the cheapest? :D
 
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