chris955

Just to let returnees know that apparently car insurance has been coming down in price in the last 12 months, coming down by 19% to a 4 year low. Ironically it is another of those things I have heard horror stories about which havent been accurate. Just as an example my own insurance which I just renewed went from £237 last year to £168 this year, fully comprehensive.
It's ironic but even with higher fuel costs here driving as car is actually cheaper than it was in Australia for me.

Editha

That's good to hear. I'm still waiting for a quote for when we return in July. We are buying a Fiat 500, and the best I got from Compare the Market was £400, but I've asked an insurance broker to see what they can do. I'm resigned to a high premium, since we've been abroad for 8 years, but since my husband (I don't drive) has been driving for 44 years without a claim, it is irritating to have to pay a premium as if he were a new driver.

old.sparkles

I'm not sure the quote you've got is a new driver quote. Lots of things affect the cost - location and how the car is kept overnight are big ones, as well as vehicle age and value. If the broker doesn't come back with anything though, try phoning the companies direct - bit of a pain but if you aren't getting no claims discount, might be worth trying

chris955

We were out of the country for 12 years and had no problem finding companies to accept our no claims and in fact didnt even have to show anyone any proof. My initial premium when we got back was under £300. I think I went with Admiral at first but later found I could have paid much less with various other companies.

dunroving

You may find a local broker is able to get you a better deal. The online companies often use a one-size-fits-all approach and even though you can call and talk in person, the people at the end of the phone often aren't well-trained. Returning expats are a special case and there are likely to be one or two insurers who specialize in such situations.

I know when I use online quotes, it is annoying because although you can plug in your requirements (£100 deductible, etc.), the quotes often aren't to the specs you entered when you filled in the form.

I think my first year or two back here I paid a higher premium even though I got credit for NCB, but within a couple of years it was down below £200.

Editha

I am using a local broker. They got me much cheaper house insurance, for when it was empty and then tenanted, than I could get online.

For the car, they won't be able to give me a quote until it is less than a month before we buy the car, but I am hopeful we'll get a better deal from them.

There was another discussion about car insurance a few weeks ago on this forum, and from that I gathered that there is a hike in premium after you have been living abroad.

dunroving

Essentially the sneaky trick is to tell you that, "Yes, we count your overseas no-claims bonus". What they don't tell you is that you get a hike for no recent experience driving in the UK. (So you get a NCB on a higher rate - but it goes down once you have been driving on the left side down windy roads jammed with parked cars for a year or two).

Even so, it could be worse. You could be 17 years old.

old.sparkles

Or at least under 26 and recently passed your test - my oldest young spark passed his test at age 25 - insurance premium £2200 on 12yr old Astra

chris955

The thing is with insurance you can literally pay as much as you want to, doesnt mean you accept the quote. A friends daughter recently passed her test, she is under 20 and pays well under half that much. Some companies quote silly amounts because they dont want to insure certain risks.

old.sparkles

That was the best price he could get - I don't think living in Swansea helped although it hasn't changed much in Slough either (that would be his own doing though since he wrote of the Astra so you could say the insurance was justified - I actually think it may have gone up since then)

chris955

Well the quote our friends daughter got was with her living in Trowbridge
He must have had a pretty bad driving history even allowing for the fact that he had just passed his test.

old.sparkles

He had no driving history before he passed his test, all his lessons were with driving instructor - learning to drive in the UK isn't the same as Australia. Swansea is quite high up in the car crime ratings I think - no off street parking, etc

Now it's his driving history - he's just the reason young males get a bad rating - he wrote of his car as well as a couple of vans in his first year driving

chris955

That is still an incredibly high premium for someone his age. By the sounds of things the roads were safer before he got his license At least in Australia he wouldnt have to worry about pesky stuff like insurance

old.sparkles

One of the reasons I have fully comp!

chris955

Yes it was the same with us. For the first 10 years of my driving I had (legally) no insurance, when we came here years ago for a few years it was quite 'interesting' explaining that yes I had been driving for a decade I had no insurance history as insurance wasnt a legal requirement. The frightening thing is the number of people that think that the CTP covers their vehicle.