After a huge reader response to our recent article examining the rising cost of car insurance, we thought we’d share what you’ve all been saying, including your ideas for preventing further increases.
Just a couple of weeks ago, we told you about our role in a government inquiry into the rising cost of car insurance.
We submitted evidence to the House of Commons explaining what we thought was causing the huge increases in car insurance – an average rise of 37 per cent in the last year, according to the latest Confused.com/EMB Car Insurance Price Index.
The issue has riled our readers, with hundreds getting in touch with their car insurance woes, and solutions to the problem. Unfortunately, we’ve not been able to feature all of them, but here’s what some of you had to say:
“My son is 18 and drives a Fiesta 1.1, the cheapest he could get insurance for was £1,800! This is ridiculous, something has to be done! Why not do what they do in Australia where they include 3rd Party Insurance as part of the road tax. This means it's a bit more expensive but it greatly reduces the number of uninsured drivers and would allow young drivers to afford the cost.”
Jason Hunt
“We must protect our cars to a higher degree. I believe that all cars sold over £20,000, must carry a tracker unit. When I owned a sports car, I had a switch fitted that meant if a thief tried to take the car, the engine would turn over but not fire up. They soon departed! I believe that MPs should find out how much of this cost burden the industry is covering, and not just passing on.”
P D Edwards
“There are so many uninsured drivers out there that if one of them hits you, you have to claim through your insurance and the premiums go up again. Also there seems to be no deterrent to not having insurance. A paltry fine of, say, £100. I would rather pay that fine than £500-£600 a year for insurance.”
Anne Lord
“Just renewed my son's car [insurance] with esure. £411 compared to £350 last year. 32 years [old] and 9 claim free years, no [convictions,] etc.
“The issue of risking a £200 fine is very real. My experience in the police is that 'no insurance' situations will rocket. Parents will increasingly show their children as named drivers to keep costs down (risking invalid claims).”
Mel Pelham
“There should be a requirement for an insurance disc in every insured vehicle, if the records were linked to the DVLA road tax system then it would make it very difficult to avoid successfully. In the long term, the cost of such a system would be negligible.”
Laura Ewington
“Good article online. And good to see you taking action. Can you not do anything to stop these [claims management companies] as this has to be the biggest driver to the problem.”
Neil Marolia
“I am fed up of having to pay expensive premiums due to other peoples negligence and sheer thoughtlessness.
"Surely there is a case of rewarding good drivers and loyalty towards good customers?”
Mrs M Pendry
“The majority of insurers select repairers who they think will give them the best deal and standard of repair-this is sometimes NOT the case! They are usually main dealerships who only see profit above all else. This is one of the reasons costs are escalating and at the end of the day, we, the motorists are the bearers of the costs. I wish you luck.”
G Hayward
“I watch TV during the day and I am absolutely flabbergasted by the sheer volume of adverts by [claims management companies]. There are adverts during EVERY break. Surely there must be some way to restrict the volume to say two or three per company per day.”
Peter Sanders
These are just some of your thoughts – there were hundreds more and, rest assured, we have read all of them, even if we haven’t published them all.
To follow up on last month’s debate, the government’s Transport Committee has now elected to launch a second hearing into the issue, due on the 16 December this year, before potentially making recommendations that could be voted on by MPs. With that in mind, we want to hear more from you...
