Directline: now cheaper to renew than new!!

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priviledge for me. £200 cheaper than aviva and direct line. £70 cheaper than swift cover.

sl350 £260
 
Here are the scores on the doors for 2013 - I find it quite a useful reference:

DIRECTLINE

ML63 AMG - Comprehensive with protected NCB and business use
Renewal: N/A
Online: £451.56 single payment with £ZERO voluntary excess
Note: Tracker NOT required. If I had £350 voluntary excess then premium would have been £420 which is ~£155 less than they quoted last year!

C32 AMG - Comprehensive with protected NCB and business use
Renewal: N/A
Online: £284.08 single payment with £ZERO voluntary excess
Note: Tracker NOT required. If I had £350 voluntary excess then premium would have been £250 which is ~£130 less than they quoted last year!

TOTAL £735

It looks like I forgot to update this thread in 2014.

The C32 AMG is now replaced with Audi A6 Avant Bi TDi Black Edition, as the A6 replaced the C32. All other cars in the fleet excluded.

ML63 AMG - Comprehensive with protected NCB and business use
Renewal: £435.81
Online: £575.97 single payment with £ZERO voluntary excess
Negotiated: £370.11 single payment with £ZERO voluntary excess
Note: Tracker NOT required. If I had £350 voluntary excess then premium would have been £350 which is ~£155 less than they quoted last year!

Audi A6 3.0 Bi TDi - Comprehensive with protected NCB and business use
Renewal: £615.39
Online: £514.65 single payment with £350 voluntary excess
Negotiated: £477.22 single payment with £350 voluntary excess
Note: Tracker NOT required. If I had £0 voluntary excess then premium would have been £532

Total: £847.43

ML63 is £80 less in 2015 than in 2013!
 
** Long post alert ** :D

I’ve not updated this thread for a few years. The renewals have crept up each year but my strategy was to call and ask Directline to improve on their renewal price so that I didn’t need to shop around. Typically this has got me back to a premium similar to the previous year. I was happy to do this given the Audi was stolen in 2016 and the premium didn’t seem to go up too much, so I stayed with them.

This year, the combined renewal premiums were within a few pounds of £1400 for both ML63s, the insurance on both cars expire on the same day. For my car, the renewal premium had gone up very little despite the Audi having been stolen and insured on my policy. But strangely Mrs D’s premium has whizzed up in relative terms and I do wonder whether that was the effect of the Audi being stolen.

I thought £1400 was a too much so I tried Admiral Multicar despite being very irritating TV advert. For a slightly improved level of cover (hire car included), both fully comprehensive, business cover on mine, SDP on Mrs D’s, and protected NCB on both cars, the combined premium for both ML63s was £725, very nearly half the cost and a massive £675 less expensive! Aviva split the difference.

So I called Directline to see if they could improve on their price, and they didn’t budge. I started driving when I was 17 years old, almost 25 years ago. The first year (aged 17) I was insured on my car as a named driver with Prudential (recommended by our insurance man!). Then I switched to Directline and I’ve had two cars insured with them for 24 years, and at least one house for 21 years.

After 24 years of being the least expensive or at least very competitive, I would have preferred to stay with Directline, but £675 was too much to over look. So Admiral it is, at least for the next 12 months.
 
Re post #83, I moved to Admiral Multicar 3 years ago, with similar result, but at the first renewal it had gone up to approximately what the previous company had quoted the previous year.

As has been said previously in this thread, a phone call asking for their lowest price, even without looking elsewhere, but with a veiled threat/suggestion I’d move, resulted in over £100 reduction. This year ditto, so I’m paying this year (renewed this week) actually less than 3 years ago.

Yes, I could have shopped around, but couldn’t face all the hassle of giving details of two cars and two drivers several times........
 
I've been with Admiral for quite a few years now.

I've never threatened to leave but just asked them if they can improve their price (which obviously means the same ultimately) and they have done.

Their CS has really improved in the last 4 / 5 years, not that it was bad before by any means.

I find the DL adverts really irritating too. :D
 
Male, 48 years old, full NCB, gated drive parking. Safe bet car as well, MB diesel. I have consistently found down the years that direct line give the best premium.
 
I've been with Admiral for quite a few years now.

I've never threatened to leave but just asked them if they can improve their price (which obviously means the same ultimately) and they have done.

Their CS has really improved in the last 4 / 5 years, not that it was bad before by any means.

I find the DL adverts really irritating too. :D
Good point. Directline adverts are irritating too. Although it seems that’s par for the course in the industry.
 

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