Mutli Car Policies - Beneficial?

[developer]

Generalising here, but I'd heard that multi car policies are a bit of a scam.

The wife's car is due now - currently with Aviva.
Mine in December - currently with Aviva.

Aviva are offering a cheaper pro rata rate to get the wife's premium up to December and then offering a third off her car for the joint policy in December.

They are also telling me there's no tie in to them, come December - we can both shop around for a better deal.

Does anyone have a tangible view, good or bad please?

 

[Charles Morgan]

I have six cars on a fleet policy via Norton Insurance, a mixture of classics and modern with varying degrees of tune, garaging and modification. I have a single account exec who is the model of helpful efficiency and pleasantness, take a bow Jayne Devey, and it also covers legal expenses, windscreen and breakdown. Were it not for my Alpina the policy would cost below £1000 for a E320cdi, Range Rover CLassic, Mercedes 190 2.5, Citroen SM and Allard.

They're in Birmingham, but they've had special coaching so I can understand them.

 

[developer]

I have six cars on a fleet policy via Norton Insurance, a mixture of classics and modern with varying degrees of tune, garaging and modification. I have a single account exec who is the model of helpful efficiency and pleasantness, take a bow Jayne Devey, and it also covers legal expenses, windscreen and breakdown. Were it not for my Alpina the policy would cost below £1000 for a E320cdi, Range Rover CLassic, Mercedes 190 2.5, Citroen SM and Allard.

They're in Birmingham, but they've had special coaching so I can understand them.

Ta very much ar kid........

 

[developer]

Any more for any more guys?

 

[JimboDS]

Me and Mrs DS got sucked into Admiral Multicar. Was cheapest deal by far. But every year after the first, there were better deals insuring separately elsewhere. We always haggled with them and they matched the better deals until this year when we decided we'd had enough.

I regret doing it. We pay our insurance bills annually but of course now both cars are due at the same time which is a bit painful financially. Maybe if we payed monthly it wouldn't be so bad.

I wouldn't say don't do it but I would say think about how you'd feel ending up in the same boat as us.

 

[haggis2768]

Me and Mrs DS got sucked into Admiral Multicar. Was cheapest deal by far. But every year after the first, there were better deals insuring separately elsewhere. We always haggled with them and they matched the better deals until this year when we decided we'd had enough.

I regret doing it. We pay our insurance bills annually but of course now both cars are due at the same time which is a bit painful financially. Maybe if we payed monthly it wouldn't be so bad.

I wouldn't say don't do it but I would say think about how you'd feel ending up in the same boat as us.

Same here,not at all happy with admiral!

 

[developer]

Me and Mrs DS got sucked into Admiral Multicar. Was cheapest deal by far. But every year after the first, there were better deals insuring separately elsewhere. We always haggled with them and they matched the better deals until this year when we decided we'd had enough.

I regret doing it. We pay our insurance bills annually but of course now both cars are due at the same time which is a bit painful financially. Maybe if we payed monthly it wouldn't be so bad.

I wouldn't say don't do it but I would say think about how you'd feel ending up in the same boat as us.

Love the avatar - is it only for local people .

 

[Dieselman]

I was with Admiral and there was definitely a saving over separate policies, but this year switched to Aviva and got another £200 off the overall cost.

 

[Deleted member 6183]

Mutli Car Policies - Beneficial?

We once had a dog called Mutley.

 

[Piff]

We've got an Aviva multi car policy
Could get the SLK cheaper elsewhere, but way cheaper for my L200 & boys A160 and Skoda Fabia Sport
Boys are 21 & 22.
Just renewed the whole lot with Aviva for £1236 (after a little haggle)

 

[wilsodg]

Was with Admiral on Multicar (4) but didn't seem right, and after 2 years swapped back to Aviva - who were cheaper. Been through 2 renewals with Aviva multicar, and haggle a bit, but they come out cheaper than most others out there. This time we added my son (22, clean license, Fiesta) - properly in his name - and they were much cheaper to add his on than any of the 'low cost' insurers.

I used to have problems with Admiral and others if the car was not absolutely standard, but Aviva seem to have someone with a brain as underwriters because if you want something slightly out of the norm, then they come back with a sensible proposal.

More importantly, when someone wrote off my wife's car (a 3rd party), they were excellent in handling the claim and sorting everything.

But to answer your question on Multicar, so long as you are prepared to waste a morning sorting it and haggling once a year, I think it is worth it.

 

[cinek]

Tried the quotes on multi car and they were always dearer than two separate polices. And we are not talking 'by small margin' either.

As a matter of fact, I have been using direct line for number of years now, and they always seem to come up with the good price. Also, whenI had a prang last year, it was dealt with quickly and painlessly.

 

[Pacamack]

We have multi-car with Admiral and they try to fleece you every year at renewal.

As with previous years I just go onto GoCompare, get some individual quotes and give Admiral a call back.

They always match the quotes and so dropped my renewal premium by almost 40%! It's just a pity we have to go through this charade every year.

 

[kingdave]

I think Admiral try quite hard to get you onto the multicar scheme, this means getting the vehicles in sync - i.e. coming up for renewal at the same time, by arranging an attractive pro-rata rate for one of the cars. Once you're on-board they do the standard trick of adding their loyalty fee (actuary friend of mine calls it that) at renewal time, so the quote is more than the rack rate anyone phoning up and going through the quoting process would get.

I agree this charade is very annoying, but I actually don't mind it too much because I can see the reason they do it, the business advantage to them is obvious. When I bring the quote down by hundreds by mearly mentionning a lower number I get a discount which is funded by the lazier renewers.

I regret syncing up my 124 and a-class - I suspect it's worth it if you have more than a couple of cars and use a proper broker like Mr Morgan mentionned who might pass on some of the economies of scale. Admiral for a couple of cars is unlikely to be any real saving over individual policies.

 

[MD5]

One thing to watch with Admiral, possibly others - I've just added a vehicle temporarily to my multi car policy, and whilst reading out the legal stuff, he pointed out that compulsory excess would be £300, and voluntary excess would be £250, so in the event of an accident I would have to pay the first £550. I said I would only pay the voluntary excess, to be told that I had to pay both.

I know he's only reading a script, and he completely agreed with me about the incorrect usage of the word voluntary. It will be brought up at the next team meeting. I did need to clarify that this compulsory "voluntary" excess only applies to temporary vehicles, and not permanent ones. One to watch!

As others have said, renewals are overpriced, and they match their own undercutting internet prices.

 

[Shacks]

Like others here, I had Admiral multi-car policy and at the start it was a good deal but slowly the price went up and now I'm back to separate policies. I never had to make a claim so I have no idea what they are like in the event of a claim but if you are going to save money, if only in the short term, I would still go for it.