Insurance company features etc (Beta!)

pedro ferio-vti

Hi folks,

After seeing you guys ask so much about insurance I thought i'd post up some facts on all of the main insurance cos. I hope this will help ppl out if they're shopping around for the best price etc. If anybody has any further info they'd like to add here either reply or pm me and i'll do my best to add it. I've to still add some info to this list and as a result is not a definitive list just yet. Ok here we go:



Hibernian
Age of insured: 17+(Ignition) Must have full lic.
Protected NCD: Optional, 2 claims in 3 years - limit of €3810.
Protection against Fire & Theft claims: Yes (Only if professionally fitted alarm and Immob)
Step Back NCD Protection: Bonus reduced to 20% only for AD (own damage) claims.
Windscreen cover: Yes, but a limit of €520 applies
Legal Defence cover: None
Personal Belongings cover: Yes, up to €130
Temporary car replacement: Up to 5 days.
Driving other cars (TP Only): 25+, as long as you have a full licence

EXCESS: €250, €315 or €600 (Voluntary Excess)
Hibernian will increase your premium by 10% if you have any Penalty Points so beware, likewise if you don't declare them you may be subject to a €2500 Excess on a claim.

AXA
Age of insured: 17-22(Traksure) 22+ normal policy, prov or full lics
Discount for Named driver experience: Yes
Protected NCD: Optional, cost is 10% of premium.1 claim in 3 years - Unlimited
Protection against Fire & Theft claims: Yes
Step Back NCD Protection: Bonus reduced to 30% only for Tp claims.
Windscreen cover: Yes, unlimited covers all glass including sunroof.
Legal Defence cover: Yes up to €1270
Personal Belongings cover: Yes, up to €159
Temporary car replacement: Up to 35 days. (Longest)
Driving other cars (TP Only): 25+, as long as you have a full licence. AXA Give Comprehensive DOC if you stay with them for 3years+.

EXCESS: €126 (Lowest along w/Allianz) or €158(if engine size is 1.5 or over)

Allianz
Age of insured: 25+, must have 2yr ncd in your own name (For me anyway).
Protected NCD: Yes as standard - 1 claim in 3 years. Limit €6349.
Protection against Fire & Theft claims: Yes
Step Back NCD Protection: Stepped back to 2 years
Temporary car replacement: 14days max (TPFT claims) 5 days(AD claims)
Drivers Fatal Accident (if you get muller'd, this is what next of kin will get): €2000
DOC: 25+, as long as you have a full licence

EXCESS: €127 (Lowest along w/AXA)or €381 (Voluntary Excess)

Eagle Star
Eagle Star have very good lady drive policies and if you are a female shopping around you might wanna ring these guys.

Protected NCD: Optional, cost is 12.5% of premium
Windscreen cover: Yes, but a limit of €225 applies
Legal Defence cover: None
Temporary car replacement: up to 10 days
Drivers Fatal Accident: €2000
DOC: 25+, as long as you have a full licence

EXCESS: €190 or €317 (Voluntary Excess)

One Direct
See hibernian above, one direct underwrite their business through them.

FBD
FBD dealt primarily with farmers until relatively recently specialising in farm and livestock policies etc, I don't have too much info on them but they're a pretty good company.

Step Back NCD Protection: Bonus reduced to 20%
Discount for Named driver experience: Yes (90% sure)
Legal Defence cover: None
Windscreen cover: No.
Personal Belongings cover: Yes, up to €130
Temporary car replacement: Covered as long as cost doesn't exceed €300
Drivers Fatal Accident: €5000
DOC: 25+, as long as you have a full licence

EXCESS: No excess.

Premier Direct
Premier underwrite through hibernian too...... some features are similar.

Age of insured: 25-74 must have 1yr ncd, males>30 must have 3yrs ncd
Step Back NCD Protection: Bonus reduced to 20%
Windscreen cover: Yes, but a limit of €520 applies
Personal Belongings cover: Yes, up to €130
Temporary car replacement: Up to 7 days.
DOC: 25+, as long as you have a full licence

EXCESS: €250 or €315



Quinn Direct
Sigh, what can I say about Quinn..... I would only use Quinn if there was no other alternative. If you got a price that was even remotely similar to the Quinn price off a competitor i'd go with the competitor. Mainly because they have terrible customer service, are quite unprofessional and I reckon its simply a Tax write off for Sean Quinn.

Age of insured: 17+
Discount for Named driver experience: Yes
Protected NCD: no
Protection against Fire & Theft claims: NO
Step Back NCD Protection: no
Windscreen cover: No, 10% discount with Autoglass
Legal Defence cover: None
Personal Belongings cover: No
Temporary car replacement: No
DOC: Yes, as long as you have a full licence

EXCESS: €380 (highest out there)

Royal & Sun Alliance

Age of insured: 25+ Must have 2 yrs ncd
Protected NCD: 2 claims in 3 years, limit €2540
Windscreen cover: Yes.
Temporary car replacement: yes, up to 127€
DOC: Yes, 25+ as long as you have a full licence

EXCESS: €190 or €317 for u25s or prov lic holders

Just a quick word about the protected NCD thing, if you have to pay to get it don't bother its used as a customer retention tool by companies. If you have a claim under with the protected NCD it won't affect your NCD but ONLY if you stay with that particular insurance company next year!

So, generally what you see happening is customer has bang, gets renewal next year, has still gone up even with protected ncd, threatens to leave the company and THEN the company tells them that if they leave the company they'll lose their NCD.

Regards
Pete

BrianD3

Very good, thanks. One thing I don't understand though is "step back NCD protection" can you explain what that is?

Another useful piece of information that you could include for each company would be their attitude to named driver experience. I'm with AXA and apparently I'm getting a 70% NCD, even though I've only had my own insurance for 1 year. I think I'm getting credit for several years named driver experience that I acquired on my parents insurance before I took out insurance in my own name.

BrianD3

pedro ferio-vti

hi brian, Ah yes Named driver experience. Theres only about 2 or 3 companies who count this towards something, AXA, Quinn Direct and there may be 1 other but i can't think right now. I'll add the info though, thanks for the suggestion.

Stepback NCD protection is where lets say somebody had a full NCD 50% with most cos, (70% with AXA). If you were involved in an accident with a 3rd party your NCD would STEPBACK from 50% to 20% (70%-30% w/AXA) rather than say 50% to 0%. so its fairly handy to have and any co that does it, adds it on free of charge.

Pete

kayos

@pedro I think you need a better source of info for your Hiberian stuff as they do provide Legal cover, their vol x/s is 600 and they dont load your premium until you have more than 4 points. They do discount your policy if you have none though.

dahamsta

Originally posted by pedro ferio-vti
hi brian, Ah yes Named driver experience. Theres only about 2 or 3 companies who count this towards something, AXA, Quinn Direct and there may be 1 other but i can't think right now.

Hibernian I reckon.

adam

dahamsta

Probably an idea to add "in own name" to "must have 2yr ncd" for Allianz. The AA has the same requirement.

adam

kayos

Originally posted by dahamsta
Probably an idea to add "in own name" to "must have 2yr ncd" for Allianz. The AA has the same requirement.
adam

Nope not true I had no NCD in my own name and I got insurance with them.

pedro ferio-vti

What age are you Kayos? I know for a fact they requested that I had 2yrs ncd when I rang them this week.........

Re the hibernian policy, no they don't load you till you get 4 points. But if you look at it another way you get a discount of 10% if you have 0 points and you don't get that if you have 2 points so it is a loading in a roundabout way .

dahamsta

Originally posted by pedro ferio-vti
What age are you Kayos? I know for a fact they requested that I had 2yrs ncd when I rang them this week.........

Same here last week. I'm 31.

adam

kayos

I'm 25, 7-8 years NDE, 1.8 20VT (neither Quinn or Axa had my make/model on the books) and Allienz covered me for 1500 compared to 1950 with Axa and 2200 with Quinn. The policy came into effect on the 01/02/04. Hiberian told me to sell my car and buy a 1.4 to get insurance with them!!! Like feic right off...

I have been a named driver with Allienz for years so maybe thats why I got covered. No matter what the reason I dont really care considering they where 450 yoyos cheaper than the next best quote.

As for the Points loadings/Discounts it is a discount for 0 points they would be rather annoyed at you calling it other wise :P. One way you can save big time with HIB is to get yourself the advanced driving test and they will give you a 30% discount. That discount does not have the same rules (Lic < 5 years, CC < 1600 etc) as the Ignition scheme and its basiclly the same test!!