# Crazy Car Insurance Quotes!



## Yusuf623 (Mar 8, 2010)

Hello All,

I need to get 2 cars and I was ideally looking to get a BMW 320d and a Hyundai Santa Fe for my wife. I called Aviva and Direct Line for insurance. Aviva quoted me over 10k in pounds for the BMW and direct line say they can't even cover that vehicle. 

I dont know what to do bc even for a 1.4 Astra Direct Line is saying that it is More than 5k in pounds a year . I have no idea what to do and NEED HELP!!!!!!!

I have amazing credit and insurance in the US- anyone know if BMW carries over your insurance, credit etc from US to UK??!

I have a US license as an FYI.

Seriously need some help with this!

Thanks,
Yusuf


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

Yusuf623 said:


> Hello All,
> 
> I need to get 2 cars and I was ideally looking to get a BMW 320d and a Hyundai Santa Fe for my wife. I called Aviva and Direct Line for insurance. Aviva quoted me over 10k in pounds for the BMW and direct line say they can't even cover that vehicle.
> 
> ...


High quotes are common for someone with no UK driving experience, zero no claim bonus and no UK licence insuring a sporty car. £5,000 for an Astra isn't that bad considering your insurance profile. 

US credit record and insurance experience have no bearing on your profile. Nobody carries over insurance or credit from another country. Only an insurance company authorised to conduct business in UK is allowed to offer cover here on UK-registered car.

Try getting quotes from Downunder Insurance on 0800 393 908 and Walkabout Car Insurance on 0844 888 4 888. They specialise in expat clients who have recently moved to UK.

I suggest you first try to get a UK licence by passing driving tests. Then get a modest performance car in Group 1 or 2 and earn some no claim bonus before switching to something sportier. 

Only UK driving experience and built-up no claim bonus will reduce your premium to a reasonable level, like under £1,000, less if you live in rural areas.


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## Yusuf623 (Mar 8, 2010)

Thanks Joppa,

What car do you recommend then? I need something immediately to get to work and back. What car (couple of options) would be cheap to insure etc or as you said group 1 and 2?

Thanks,
Yusuf


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

Yusuf623 said:


> Thanks Joppa,
> 
> What car do you recommend then? I need something immediately to get to work and back. What car (couple of options) would be cheap to insure etc or as you said group 1 and 2?


See the following list of Group 1 cars:
Car Insurance Group 1 | Quotes and UK Insurance Groups

Suzuki Altos are ok, as are Toyota Aygos. Both small cars but cheap to run and insure.

And Group 2:
Car Insurance Group 2 | Quotes and UK Insurance Groups

I like Toyota Yaris.

Look at car reviews in New & Used Cars, UK Car Dealers | Parkers, What Car? - New and Used Car Reviews, Car Deals, News & Advice and Auto Trader UK - Used cars for sale.


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## manny.j (Dec 4, 2011)

Thanks for the above links Joppa, very helpful! Your knowledge is very broadband from Immigration issues to Car Insurances 

Is, in general, car insurance cheaper for a used car or for a brand new car? 

Also, I have driven in the UK for 7 years before leaving the country in 2003. Back then I was the 2nd driver as the main insurer was my dad. Would my past record would weigh in determining my car insurance costs?


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

manny.j said:


> Thanks for the above links Joppa, very helpful! Your knowledge is very broadband from Immigration issues to Car Insurance
> 
> Is, in general, car insurance cheaper for a used car or for a brand new car?


No, not normally. In fact more recent models tend to have lower insurance rating because of better safety etc. 



> Also, I have driven in the UK for 7 years before leaving the country in 2003. Back then I was the 2nd driver as the main insurer was my dad. Would my past record would weigh in determining my car insurance costs?


I'm afraid not. No claim discount (NCD) is only valid for 2 years from the last renewal date, and only those earned in UK (sometimes also EU) are accepted. Also only the policyholder benefits, though one company, Direct Line, allow NCD by named drivers. Sometimes insurance companies give a starter discount of around 20% if you can show evidence of claim-free driving elsewhere, so it's worth bringing some documentation.


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## Yusuf623 (Mar 8, 2010)

Thanks for that Joppa- what about a cheap 7 seater car that would fall in that category?

Thanks again for all the help!


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

Yusuf623 said:


> Thanks for that Joppa- what about a cheap 7 seater car that would fall in that category?


Peugeot Partner Tepee or similar Citroen Berlingo Multispace. Some models are Group 2 insurance. I strongly advise you to get a diesel as economy and resale value will be better.


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## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

Joppa said:


> No, not normally. In fact more recent models tend to have lower insurance rating because of better safety etc.
> 
> 
> 
> I'm afraid not. No claim discount (NCD) is only valid for 2 years from the last renewal date, and only those earned in UK (sometimes also EU) are accepted. Also only the policyholder benefits, though one company, Direct Line, allow NCD by named drivers. Sometimes insurance companies give a starter discount of around 20% if you can show evidence of claim-free driving elsewhere, so it's worth bringing some documentation.


I see you've clarified the NCb in this post. Speaking from my own experience I have had no trouble using UK NCB's in Spain , Germany or France , so I would expect to have the same situation if I ever had the misfortune to return. It would be worthwhile the OP trying to ring around rather than using the comparison sites & mentioning his previous 7 years Uk driving & current clean ncb from the US .
Insurance in the UK has got ridiculously expensive for certain groups over the last 10 years & is made worse by Living in places like London & other major cities.


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## Liz in UK (Jul 31, 2011)

I just bought an 2002 Audi A2 TDI. When I get my license I should be able to insure that for under £1000 according to the price comparison websites. But my husband and his entire family use a local insurance company who has said they may be able to help and take my ten years driving experience into account and perhaps get it a bit cheaper. If I had had my own insurance in the US and therefore my own history of no claims, they said it would be even easier. Unfortunately as I was under 25 until moving to the UK, it was much cheaper to be a named driver on my mother's policy. But in the UK, I gather that smaller engines (mine is 1.4 litres) will put you in a lower insurance category and therefore be cheaper. When deciding on the car you want, also look at what the road tax for that car will be as it can get a bit pricey.

(We also live in a small village, so that also helps the quotes be a bit less expensive.)


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

Liz in UK said:


> I just bought an 2002 Audi A2 TDI. When I get my license I should be able to insure that for under £1000 according to the price comparison websites. But my husband and his entire family use a local insurance company who has said they may be able to help and take my ten years driving experience into account and perhaps get it a bit cheaper. If I had had my own insurance in the US and therefore my own history of no claims, they said it would be even easier. Unfortunately as I was under 25 until moving to the UK, it was much cheaper to be a named driver on my mother's policy. But in the UK, I gather that smaller engines (mine is 1.4 litres) will put you in a lower insurance category and therefore be cheaper. When deciding on the car you want, also look at what the road tax for that car will be as it can get a bit pricey.
> 
> (We also live in a small village, so that also helps the quotes be a bit less expensive.)


Also being female, though a recent EU ruling means the differences will narrow. Currently an 18-year old female may pay £800 a year, but her same-age boyfriend may pay £3000 or more!


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## Danica30 (Jan 11, 2011)

I just bought a used car this month, I used comparethemarket and moneysupermarket to get insurance quotes and actually what you can do is get the online quote, call the company and tell them a competing provider is offering you less than what they are quoting you at...apparently there is always wiggle room with quotes. I had a foreign drivers license that I converted to a UK full license, I have 0 NCB and my car is automatic and in a high tax group (about £460 per year...ouch), anyway my insurance quote was coming up around £1000 at minimum, and there were crazy amounts of like £6000 too on there  Anyway all I can say is, get as many quotes as you can before you settle for one otherwise you will kick yourself when you discover cheaper options after you have already paid a ridiculous amount.


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