[Studio25]

Too many people just let their insurance renewal roll over without checking if they can get a better deal, but I've just had a massive shock when I actually read more than just the premium amount.

I just got around to renewing my car insurance and looked at the notification sent from the current insurers. £664.03 seemed quite steep so I went through the comparison websites to see if it was “representative”.

Not at all. One popped up for £315 !!!

Went to look at the renewal notice again to see if I’d missed something - it turns out there was a “Renewal administration fee” of £145.82

That’s really taking the urine! When it came to the end of my mobile minimum term, I got a really good offer to keep me signed up. With these insurance people, I have to pay 28% over and above my premium just for the privilege of them keeping my business.


On a related note. I ended up going with Aviva via Swinton at less than half the price. The meerkat page went straight to Swinton's summary page where it showed a vehicle and insured summary, a T&Cs checkbox and a "buy now" button. I realised there was nothing about my LPG conversion so I went back to the details page and checked over everything. The LPG was on, everything else was correct so I just ended up clicking "Next" a few times. When I got to the last page, the premium had gone down even further (by about £30). The moral? If you do decide you're going to buy insurance after using a comparison site, check your details before committing - you might get a further discount.

Plus I get a cuddly toy for the dogs to shred...