Car Insurance - from the manufacurer?

[MikeL]

OKAY - I know these car insurance policies aren't from Mercedes, Audi, etc.

Here's the question. I have enquired previously about Mercedes, BMW and now Audi and without fail they have always been the most expensive, sometimes by quite a margin.
Audi for example was £750, whereas a spread was £221 - £335 for a group of 7 companies.

This isn't a rant (well much) I am just interested to know if I have been unlucky or do some people get a good deal? I know price isn't everything, but come on!

Mike

 

[davidbilyk]

Same experience Mike,

Always been quoted twice as much, I can understand paying extra for mercedes parts but for insurance.........

 

[Dryce]

This isn't a rant (well much) I am just interested to know if I have been unlucky or do some people get a good deal? I know price isn't everything, but come on!

Same experience here on both our cars.

It's just cynical inertia marketing IMHO.

I'm not sure how the economics really work out. Only MB and their insurers can have any kind of real view of what the takeup is on their 'own brand' insurance. I assume that the margins and and takeup level both high enough to maintain their pricing structure.

 

[IanA2]

Not sure what the situation is now, but a few years ago MB Ins was in fact NU and was pretty much the same as NU. Iirc there was about ten squids difference although I can't recall in which direction.

 

[MikeL]

Thanks for the comments, at leat I know I'm not paranoid - oh and for a bit of fun I re-quoted from Zurich (the company Audi use) and got it down to £450, still expensive, Audi/Zurich reckoned they offer "better value"

Mike

 

[timskemp]

I took out volvo insurance with my S60, was withing 50 quid of any other quote and had low excess, guaranteed Volvo replacement car, volvo approved bodyshops only.

I'm still with them for the merc!, they seem competitive every time I go to renew (admittedly with on street parking and high mile biz use it's not cheap but the cheapest insurers won't quote me)

Mercedes insurance were about £400 dearer than my renewal...

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

I found the same thing as Mike whenever I've tried - much more expensive than other non-affiliated insurers.

 

[rf065]

I was quoted £750 by Mercedes & £260 by my own insurance company.

Russ

 

[Rory]

Not sure what the situation is now, but a few years ago MB Ins was in fact NU and was pretty much the same as NU. Iirc there was about ten squids difference although I can't recall in which direction.

I tried MB with NU when I first got my MB and they were way out. They were also very wobbly about accepting my company car NCB, which Liverpool Victoria did with without any fuss.

One thing I thought was quite bizzare about the MB insurance is that you still don't get an MB if yours goes in for repair. The policy only guaranteed the normal small hatchback courtesy car.
I would have thought that should be a prime feature.

 

[Matt45]

I had a good experience with MB insurance through NU. Much cheaper and no mandatory requirement to fit a tracker which many companies wanted. Been with them 4 years. They give me 53 weeks cover for the price of 52 which sounds nothing but MB insurance can e-mail your covernote through to the dealer instead of having to wait for the post and then sending it off again to your ins company. First year on the SL was £200 cheaper than other sites and second year £180 cheaper than the first year. Detail is important to me too. They give you a MB if your car goes in for any repairs and the body work is covered by a MB workshop not some back street cowboy - all at no extra cost.

 

[st13phil]

At the beginning of 2008 I got a quote from MB's insurance scheme for my soon-to-be-delivered C-Class simply because the act of requesting a quote gets you 7 days free cover which makes it easier for the delaer to register & tax the car. They were hopelessly uncompetitive on price against other policies with equivalent cover (+70% against most; +90% against the best deal), and very sniffy about honouring my company car claim free history for NCD purposes. I didn't insure with them.

Just before my wife took delivery of her SLK earlier this month she too got a quote from MB's insurance scheme for the same reason as me. They were similarly uncompetitive on price (+75% against most; +100% against the best deal), so they pooped out on our business for a second time in eighteen months. FWIW the price they originally quoted her was so ludicrous I laughed out loud; the +100% against the best alternative was after I'd negotiated with them and had managed to get a reduction of about 20%

BTW, it's Aviva who underwrite the policy and my experience of their claims handling wrt to a house contents claim a few years ago is that a bunch of disfunctional shaved chimps could have done a better job

 

[Colin_b]

Another here, the MB quote for my SLK was more than twice most other quotes. They didn't get the business.

 

[davidjpowell]

Both Mercedes and BMW insurance was higher than what I pay Direct Line, by quite a bit. The free7 day cover is useful though, if only for taxing the car.

 

[IanA2]

BTW, it's Aviva who underwrite the policy

Aviva = NU

 

[m99]

Was with mercedes nu for years untill got a few quotes.now with Co-op very friendly to deal with and half the price.