Insurance, who's best for A2's

[richj]

I'm into full count down mode now, waiting for the arrival of my little beauty.
And am starting to think of a few questions that you guys may have some opinions on.

I've found in previous years that insurance companies treat various models differently, depending on their own past history with certain brands.

Before I start phoning around and performing hundreds of online quotes, does anybody have any advice on insurers that look favourably upon Audi and the A2 in general ?

Thanks,
Rich. :)

Expecting Silver A2 1.6FSI sport, end October.

[mikebrien]

i havn't bought an A2 yet but did check insurance rates for a 1.6FSI SE.
i found Churchill http://www.churchill.co.uk/

to be very competitive - especially as i have our main car insured with them already.
age 40, full no-claims, 6 points
insurance quote = £320

also worthy calling the AA who act as a broker - they use Churchill as well.

[John Disdale]

Rich,

I had a specialist “Audi” insurance for my Audi Quattro which ran for 12 years. When I changed to the A2 they only wanted to reduce the yearly premium by £20. The situation was crazy, and I ended up going to “Churchills” where I paid around half of what the Audi scheme wanted.

Regards
John Disdale

[Stuart_D]

RichJ - have a look at the insurance discounts in the product discount marketplace of my site, you may be able to save some money with one of those companies.

2001 TDI SE, Open Sky System, 16" six spoke alloys, Kenwood Mask CD.
A2 Owners Club: www.Audi-A2.co.uk

[runboy]

My Norwich Union Direct renewal came through this week-£408 per annum, paying monthly for the two of us, both late 20's, car garaged, no accidents or convictions to talk about and full no claims.

Already been quoted £343 by EGG, but will do some shopping around this week (Churchills, Direct Line, AA, Admiral, Eagle Star et all).

Steve - 2003 1.4SE petrol, Silver, black/black interior

[Harps]

Went with Admiral again - both late 20s London based, car on drive - only £285. Elephant were slightly cheaper - but I stuck with Admiral as too much hassle - and Elephant kept me hanging on the phopne longer.

[John Disdale]

Elephant dont keep you hanging on the phone if it’s a trunk call.

[Harps]

Its just too easy sometimes JD. Right better get on with some work.

[runboy]

Did some more quotes this morning:

AA-£503! (and they would charge an APR of 24.9% if paying monthly!)
Churchill-£356
Direct Line-£313 (or £335 if monthly installments)



Steve - 2003 1.4SE petrol, Silver, black/black interior

[Harps]

That's good for DL - I have never had a competitive quote from any of the big name insurers - NU, DL, AA, etc - they are usually at least £200 above my quotes from the likes of Admiral and Churchill. So never believe those adverts that say you can let the AA ring around for you. I've usually found Swinton, Kwikfit and Morethan(RSA) fairly competitive on a regular basis.

[ianjohnsonws14]

Don't believe the AA's claims, try Tesco online - under £300, 2002 1.4 SE petrol, garaged, midlands. AA wanted 3 times Tesco's price for the previous car (Peugeot 206CC SE).

[John Disdale]

Lets hear 3 cheers for Tesco's

[runboy]

Update on my quotes:

LloydsTSB-something stupid over £400

Tesco (which I'm sure is just a clickthrough to Direct Line as the wording and screen layouts are the same) is £356 lump sum, £379 by direct debit.

Looks like it will be Direct Line (directly and not through Tesco) at £335 lump sum, £350 by direct debit.

Sorry Tesco's, I may even start shopping at Netto in protest.....

Steve - 2003 1.4SE petrol, Silver, black/black interior

[Griff]

The other half ( age 27....oh yea...Female) got fully comp with protected ncd, minimum excesses for £297 through the AA. Included me as a named driver and the car is parked off road. Not bad looking at the other quotes here but I have sneaking suspicion my post code might something to do with it...Taunton, Somerset....Where????(how do you type sarcasm into a sentence?).

Griff

[Griff]

The other half ( age 27....oh yea...Female) got fully comp with protected ncd, minimum excesses for £297 through the AA. Included me as a named driver and the car is parked off road. Not bad looking at the other quotes here but I have sneaking suspicion my post code might something to do with it...Taunton, Somerset....Where????(how do you type sarcasm into a sentence?).

Griff

2001 tdise

[martinw]

Rumour has it that a DirectLine quote can vary through the day. If you ring them at the end of the day and they haven;t hit their sales quota, you can get a better quote. This came from a disgruntled insurance broker. John Webley and HGR Insurance almost managed to match my best quote, so I left it with him - customer loyalty rules!

MartinW - Dolphin Grey 1.4SE

[Mal2002]

Is there anybody here under the age of 25? If so what do you have to pay to insure your A2. Beacause I am only 20 I currently pay £1200 a year through elephant.co.uk

I did get a quote from the AA but they wanted £6500, needless to say I didn't choose them

[runboy]

martinw-mmmmm, I may try phoning for a quote to see if it matches the on-line one,

As for the other guy-£6K!!!:D your having a laugh!. How fast do they think an A2 goes!. And I bet a 89 year old would pay £2.50, even though they have the concentration of a goldfish and reactions of a sloth....something wrong there....

Steve - 2003 1.4SE petrol, Silver, black/black interior

[Rob Earl]

All I can suggest is ring round loads of different companies.
For my Punto HGT, I got quotes from £600 up to £1700. The most expensive quote was from Norwich Union who were the cheapest for my previous car. I'm now with Direct Line.
Just goes to show - definitely worth shopping around. Loyalty can only be stretched so far.

Almost a 1.4SE in Merlot Red, Biege interior, 16" 5 spoke alloys, DIS, Open Sky, Elec rear windows.

[John Disdale]

Perhaps the AA thought an A2 was a Ferrari. Its certainly a sad fact of life but I understand its said that a very high number of young drivers now take drugs – which does not make for safe driving. I might not totally agree, when I’m convinced some youngsters drive and act as though their brains have been removed. That said “Flash Harry” is hardly about to drive an Audi A2.

Regards
John Disdale

[martinw]

As you say JD, it can be 'the other buggers' that put insurance prices up.
Looking for insurance for my son who hopes to pass his test soon, changing the car group between 2 and 6 didn't make much difference. Changing his home address from mine (Cheltenham) to his mum's (Pershore) increased the premium by about £200 per year. Presuambly there's a higher claim rate in Pershore.

I also tried to get a discount on my insurance when I passed the Rospa advanced driving test, but my current company aren't interested, suggesting that my own standard of driving won't reduce the claims as its 'the other buggers' who cause most of the damage!

MartinW - Dolphin Grey 1.4SE

[des]

It pays to be over 50 !!!
Through SAGA, My wife and I pay £186 Fully com, £100 excess, full protected no claims. Parked on street.
The best alternative quote we had was from Norwich at £262 with £150 excess.

[runboy]

I agree the 'middle ages' of life are good for lack of claims, but when you go to the other end of the age scale (old) you get just as many claims as the young 'uns!. It's a fact of life we all slow down, loose mobility and reaction times increase as we get older.

Steve - 2003 1.4SE petrol, Silver, black/black interior

[John Disdale]

I’ve never heard of old age pensioners (OAP’s) throwing gravel/stones at a car, or spitting at one, so when it comes to “brain power” I’m not at all sure the youngsters of this world have the edge over the elderly. In terms of quick reaction times I thought it took a youngster on drugs 2 hours to ascertain what day of the week it was, and when I see teenagers driving along at 60mph in a 30 zone I would argue with anyone that I would much rather place my body in the firing line of an OAP travelling at a pathetic 28mph.

Talking of teenagers with a razor sharp brain I recall an amazing instance of watching someone take an age in adding up the cost of 4 items at 99 pence. He commented how clever my wife was in putting the correct money on the counter before he had worked out the sum. In fact I suppose it could be fairly argued that young brains do not slow down, but only because they never get going in the first place.

Regards
John Disdale

[Gav]

I agree about some youngsters who really have little clues. Now I'm 25 I can actually afford a nicer car and insure it. I've had enough £600+ policies for very mediocre cars already.

Having said that, last year my previous car to my current Punto was marginally written off by a man in his late 70's. His massive honda was as well (which made me a little happier). He drove out across me on a fast A road at 5mph, oblivious to the fact I was rapidlay approaching. At impact he was straight across my dual carridgeway going into a small road - I had no chance to avoid him really - if I had tried I'd have rolled the car or hit someone else, and he'd have carried on oblivious. Once I'd done the leg work of finding out he was okay he was totally bemused as to which way I may hev been going etc. Needless to say I eventually got suitable compensation after forwarding a letter from the police stating they had given him a warning for dangerous driving.

Definatly the old are as bad as the young - driving is a skill and you need to be 100% aware of everything around you. Only this morning I was in a slow moving queue when the woman in front twisted her mirror to apply her makeup! I nearly gave her a bump so I could make a point (and make her later!)

Nice point to end - yesterday's drive to work saw 2 A2's on Oslo's Ring-3. Next year can't come soon enough!

[runboy]

JD-just noticed your approaching 1000 posts-I wonder what happens to the forums ticker when that happens!.

The point I was making (re old and young drivers) is that it does slightly aggitate me when people harp on about young drivers being bad drivers.

I agree a lot of claims/accidents/poor & dangerous driving is by those under 21 (or whatever the statistics show), but anyone can be good or bad, young or old. Recent statistics have shown claims by older people are also high-it's the middle ground where it's mainly low.

Some people in their 80's are probably more agile than me-some are not. Some give up driving when they feel no longer to be in full control of the car-some drive with seriously poor vision because they refuse to accept advancing years.

What I'm saying is that there are good and bad drivers in all ages of life-driving is a skill which some people are better at than others. Some take extra tuition, some scrape by with the basic pass and think they can show off to their young friends-with a grave outcome.

The driving test is getting harder, and the penalties for those just passing their test and being caught doing naughties are getting more severe. Coupled with high insurance premiums I hope the standard will improve.....

As for drugs, again it's mainly the young, but increasingly those in their 30's and 40's are taking drugs. And don't forget, the term drugs can be used to describe anything from the brown stuff you smoke to tranquilisers through to strong painkillers. They are all equally able to numb reaction times and the law allows prosecution due to being 'unfit to drive through alcohol or drugs'.

Oh I'll shut up now and stop rambling;). Maybe we can discuss over a pint (of orange!) at the social!.

Steve - 2003 1.4SE petrol, Silver, black/black interior

[jonmerrick]

Direct Line - I have been using them for years and they are always competitive. But I expect thet Tescos will give you a complementary packet of fish fingers so you need to bear that in mind.

Youngsters are no worse than the oldies but as JD says the old folk tend to be travelling at walking pace so the damage is usually minor. They also tend to be insured.

In my experience it is the small young drivers, (the ones where all you can see is the basball cap peeking over the window sill) that are worse. Probably because they are 15, have never had driving lessons, drive a car with nackered brakes and tyres with no MOT - and are completely uninsured.

Jon

[martinw]

I decided I had had too many near misses (3 in 2 years), so I decided to take an advanced driving course with Rospa.
I can recommend it to anyone who enjoys driving - the driving sessions were great fun, and my driving technique has changed a lot. I also managed to pass at gold level which was very pleasing.

For those interested, it costs £7.50 a year to be a member of Rospa, the driving test costs £45, but for that you get three attempts if you don't pass. The best bit is that the tuition is free! You have to re-take your test every 3 years, so it's an ongoing assessment, and the re-tests are free.
Actually they don't call it tuition, you have an observer in the car who advises on your skills and how to pass the test.
The actaul tests are usually conducted by Police driving instructors.

The best bit is that they are not teaching to drive slowly, but the whole aim is to drive as fast as it is safe to do, to overtake whenever possible, and to make the fastest progress possssible, while staying within the legal speed limits. It's all about fast, safe driving. Great fun. Midn you, I did have an S3 when I di all the tution, I changed to the A2 3 days before my test!

MartinW - Dolphin Grey 1.4SE

[Cookie]

Tesco is underwritten by Direct Line hence the same layout etc. Tesco can sometimes be slightly cheaper than Direct Line or Vice Versa although they are meant to have the same rates. Alot of people have said the service received from Tesco is not very good. I'am with Direct Line, currently was paying over £900 which was for my 206 CC but have now halved the premium by having the A2 thats with 2 years NCB and my partner to drive. I also added my mum on for free.

Elephant and Admiral are also the same company, elephant usually cheaper as they are internet based.

[Crawfster]

Try Privilege - an affiliate of Direct Line. As a 32-year old, no previous policy and no no-claims, most outfits wanted £600+ out of me (despite living in Perthshire). Privilege were £200 cheaper than anyone else at £330. This for new SE 1.4 TDI.

[Phil]

If you insure with Churchill be careful when you get your renewal letter. I was paying £870 to insure my wifes volvo. As she is now over 25 it dropped to £650 but I checked online(you have to use a false name or they wont quote) and it came up as £538. Needless to say they didin't get repeat business. We also went with Direct line who quoted £445. Not bad for two 25 year olds on a group 15 car.

With regards to the old young debate I drove badly as a teenager and wrote off a car, all my fault. Sorry to the white van man whose day I ruined. However now driving 50000 miles per year puts things into perspective. At that mileage the risks to my life are significantly higher so for all business mileage it is slow courteous driving. If someone is being an idiot or driving badly and it is the young and old just keep well out of their way.

The best drivers on the road are the proffesional drivers (excluding BMW and Merc sorry), the reps in the vectras and the lorry drivers. They are consistently courteous and always thank when you let them out. Also women never thank when I let them out.

This should really be a new thread

Phil

[kslevi]

Well I'm 21 and the best quote I got for my New A2 1.4 SE was £940 from direct line. I managed to get a bit of a discount cos I had been a named driver on previous policies, others wanted over £1000!!!

I knew it would be a lot, but wanted to start my own insurance policy so I could build up no claims.

Just out of interest, it was only about £40 more for my A2 than it would have been for my 99 T plate ford Fiesta 1.25 Ghia that I had before!
I think age and post code play an important factor in insurance, and then I've never had an accident or any points on liscence!


Soon to be 03 A2 1.4 SE in Cobalt blue, black interior, Climate Control, Winter Pack

[Kaine]

quote:I think age and post code play an important factor in insurance, and then I've never had an accident or any points on liscence!

I think your postcode has the main influence in my experience. I recently compared some insurance quotes online with a friend. We both got quotes from Directline for a TVR Cerbera 4.5 (I think it was S reg) - value £25,000. My quote was approx £850, whereas my friends was £780. Now we are the same age, with the identical details inputed, except our postcodes. We live only 3 miles apart, however there was approx £70 difference. I understand you have to make guidelines, however in reality sometimes it makes no sense.

Kaine

To be honest, we actually couldn't believe how low the quote actually was. Try it for yourselves.

[martinw]

Post code definitely makes a difference, so does where the car is normally kept, i.e. garaged/on the drive/on the road.

MartinW - Dolphin Grey 1.4SE

[Rob Earl]

Just sorted the insurance on our new A2. It works out only £10 month more for the A2 with me as a named driver than the knackered K reg fiesta that its replacing - approx £300 year. This bugs me as my car (Fiat Punto HGT) is group 15 & costs over twice as much to insure even tho' it cost less new. The new Mini Cooper S has over 30BHP more than my car & is about 6 groups lower. Off topic but it winds me up!!!!!!!:(:(

Almost a 1.4SE in Merlot Red, Biege interior, 16" 5 spoke alloys, DIS, Open Sky, Elec rear windows.

[Skipton01]

Postcode, garaged and marital status all play a part, but bizarrely, smoking doesn't. I know I'm going to wind-up all the smokers out there, but if insurers are going to partially decide a premium by whether you have a partner/spouse, surely whether you keep both hands free for using the controls should play a part!

Mike (rant, rant, rant)

A2 TDI SE 2001 Ebony Black Pearl (The Little Tank!)