Insurance query...

amy-marie

This is probably a really obvious question, so sorry in advance. I've been learning to drive in my instructors car exclusively, so I therefore have no insurance. I'm planning on buying a car soon and I'm confused about how I'd get insurance. You have to have the car to get it insured, but to drive the car home I have to be insured. See what I mean? I assume the dealer/whatever you call them wouldn't let me drive the car off without proof of insurance, and I also assume I wouldn't be able to insure a car 'til I actually own it.

So what do I do?

Also, I know this is probably very hard to answer, but do you think insurance would be more than €1,000 for a 17 girl driving something like a fiat punto, who just got her full licence? Am I being to optimistic thinking that it wouldn't be more than that?

Permabear

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amy-marie

donegalfella wrote: »

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It does, thank you! But by the time the insurance is all sorted would the car not be gone? Or is getting insurance a realtivly quick process? Would you be able to get it all done in the same day do you think?

No one in my house drives so this all very alien to me. I'm usually a lot smarter than this, honest. :P

I don't know for certain, but I'd be very surprised if a newly licenced 17-year-old female got insured on her own car for under €1,000.

Damn. Guess I'll be saving for a little longer so.

DriveSkill

Hi,

Most of the time you can arrange insurance over the phone or online and pretty much be covered immediately. However it will take a few days for the insurance company to send out the certificate and disc which you need to display on the windscreen. They will not send this until they have received your payment, fully completely proposal form, copy of your licence etc.

If you wish you could go into one of the insurance offices Hibernian, AXA etc and they may be quicker but it depends on who you get the best quote from. Best thing is to use some of the online quote systems (e.g. www.123.ie, www.chill.ie, www.bestquote.ie ), put in your details and few sample cars such as a Fiat Punto...and you will get an idea of the price.

Once you find a car you want to buy, put a deposit on it and then go and arrange the insurance (be sure to get an insurance quote first for at least that make/model of car before committing to buying the car). The garage will hold the car for a day or 2 until you get the insurance sorted.

Footnote : Strictly speaking you cannot drive the car without the insurance disc being on the display, however if stopped most Guards will allow to produce proof within 10 days at a station if you explain you have just bought the car. But strictly speaking, you are committing an offence.

amy-marie

DirveSkill and donegalfella, thank you both so much, it makes perfect sense now.

RSA ADI MARK

hi amy marie if you have done 10 lessons or more see if your'e instructor can give you a letter for the insurance company,some times you can get a discount

Permabear

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Sunjammer

Just to add to the 3 DriveSkill gave you try this one as well http://www.insure.ie/

If she was to buy a cheap first car say worth €1000 or less is it worth the extra expense of comprehensive cover over say 3rd party fire & theft, the advise from the guy at insure.ie is it's not... what's your thoughts on that guys??

Permabear

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DriveSkill

Personally I would only put comprehensive insurance on a pretty new car (<5 yrs old). The benefits descrease after that and remember even if you have an accident and write off your car you will only get what the insurance company values your car at. So, you cant take a 10 yr Fiesta and say its worth 10K , if its crashed the ins company will still tell you its worth €500 and thats all you'll get! The fact that you make a claim will then generally (unless you have very good NCB Protection) cause your insurance premiums to go up for several years so that has to be taken into account for low value cars.

One important point to remember is comprehensive insurance is really only insuring against accidents where you are at fault. If you are involved in an accident where the other party is deemed responsible then you claim off their insurance so your own level of cover is not relevant (apart from the fact that legally you have to maintain 3rd party cover at a minimum)

There is a separate insurance available for Personal Accident Insurance (PAI) which will pay out a set sum if you are seriously injured in an accident.

Permabear

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Sunjammer

Just an update!

123.ie for first time insurance forget em they need you to have a minimum of 1 years NCB before they can accept you!

chill.ie ...one word chilling :eek: 40% dearer than insure.ie

bestquote.ie is broken they were meant to call back but haven't in a few hours so :p

Insure.ie threw in free personal accedent cover with 3rd PFT cheapest of all the ones I tried (and I tried a few ) by a country mile Comp price was very good also but not worth the extra for my ol bus

amy-marie

Thank you for going to the trouble of doing all that, Sunjammer. That's good to know.

I've decided to get comprehensive, so I'll be waiting a little while longer.

By the way, does anybody know anything about a course you do with Hibernian (Ava)? My uncle was telling me you take a certain amount of lessons with them and agree to a few conditions, and they give you a substantial discount. Is that true, or is he confusing it with something else do you think?

Sunjammer

amy-marie wrote: »

Thank you for going to the trouble of doing all that, Sunjammer. That's good to know.

I've decided to get comprehensive, so I'll be waiting a little while longer.

By the way, does anybody know anything about a course you do with Hibernian (Ava)? My uncle was telling me you take a certain amount of lessons with them and agree to a few conditions, and they give you a substantial discount. Is that true, or is he confusing it with something else do you think?

I was looking for cover myself as mine is due in about 10 days so no trouble... If your car is not worth a huge amount don't bother wasting the extra money on comp cover they threw in P.A.C free for me so only thing not covered now is the car if its my fault but covered for everything else NCB protection, windscreen, recovery etc etc So as Driveskill said if it's older than say a 04 car it's not worth spending the extra money really.

The H.A coarse while a good idea seems a bit gimmicky to me. H.A's quote was outrageous anyway so they ain't doing you a big favour reducing it a little after you just gave em a fortune for lessons anyway :rolleyes:

amy-marie

Had a feeling it was too good to be true! :rolleyes:

challengemaster

amy-marie wrote: »

Also, I know this is probably very hard to answer, but do you think insurance would be more than €1,000 for a 17 girl driving something like a fiat punto, who just got her full licence? Am I being to optimistic thinking that it wouldn't be more than that?

Very optimistic unfortunatly - The way insurance is in the country is a shambles to tell the truth. They will charge as much as they can get away with.

As an example, my own insurance - I'm 18, male, prov license(damn waiting times), 1 year NCB (own name) and a '00 Fiat punto. Insurance last year was >2000€, and this year is 1680€ (due to NCB)

Best of luck with the new car though

TwoShedsJackson

challengemaster wrote: »

Very optimistic unfortunatly - The way insurance is in the country is a shambles to tell the truth. They will charge as much as they can get away with.

As an example, my own insurance - I'm 18, male, prov license(damn waiting times), 1 year NCB (own name) and a '00 Fiat punto. Insurance last year was >2000€, and this year is 1680€ (due to NCB)

Best of luck with the new car though

Insurance rates may be somewhat higher here generally, but as to your own insurance, you're in a high risk category simply by being an 18 year old male, further risk is that you're on a provisional licence.

I don't work in the insurance industry myself, but when people rant about insurance, they always seem to think that the industry are out to get them in particular, they're not, they weigh the risk you present, and charge you based on that.

Young men aged 18-25 are statistically six times more likely to present a claim, then other categories. That's why you're paying more than you'd like to for your insurance, no other reason.

Permabear

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challengemaster

I can understand being a "high risk catagory" whatever like, but...

Well considering Hibernian quoted me 5000€ for a fiat punto worth around 1500€....

Considering that every other insurer other than quinn was looking upwards of 3500€

I'd say that insurance companies are in fact, taking the piss. Fair enough about risk assessment, but for christ sake, where do they get off quoting 5 grand for a fiat punto?! the thing doesn't even have 60bhp, the car isn't even worth half of that, and I've got a year NCB in my own name, so what way did they assess that risk? Also the quotes are for TPFT only, including my current policy.

If you can't see something wrong with that, you're out of your mind.

Sunjammer

challengemaster wrote: »

I'd say that insurance companies are in fact, taking the piss. Fair enough about risk assessment, but for christ sake, where do they get off quoting 5 grand for a fiat punto?! the thing doesn't even have 60bhp, the car isn't even worth half of that, and I've got a year NCB in my own name, so what way did they assess that risk? Also the quotes are for TPFT only, including my current policy.

If you can't see something wrong with that, you're out of your mind.

I don't think you understand how an insurance company defines with the word "risk" you can either take a risk or avoid a "risk" they quoted you 5k simply because they do not want to take the risk but are legally required to give you a quote so they simply make it unrealistic so you will take the "risk" elsewhere :rolleyes:

Permabear

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RSA ADI MARK

hi all as anyone tried AON insurance or AIG

Richie15

DriveSkill wrote: »

One important point to remember is comprehensive insurance is really only insuring against accidents where you are at fault. If you are involved in an accident where the other party is deemed responsible then you claim off their insurance so your own level of cover is not relevant (apart from the fact that legally you have to maintain 3rd party cover at a minimum)

In theory you're absolutely right, but in reality if you've only got third party insurance your company wont pay out until the case is settled. At least if someone hits you and you're fully comp, you can claim off your policy in the meantimeand usually get a hire car, then if you're proven not to be at fault they claim it back from the other driver's policy (or the MIBI if necessary) and reinstate your NCB.

Sunjammer

Richie15 wrote: »

In theory you're absolutely right, but in reality if you've only got third party insurance your company wont pay out until the case is settled. At least if someone hits you and you're fully comp, you can claim off your policy in the meantimeand usually get a hire car, then if you're proven not to be at fault they claim it back from the other driver's policy (or the MIBI if necessary) and reinstate your NCB.

I still wouldn't like to put that scenario to the test with an insurance company, have a look at the questionnaire you have to fill out on the net to get quotes on most sites one prominent question is:

"Have you or any named drivers ever made an insurance claim regardless of fault ?"

If it's not your fault then what relevance has that question, Insurance is a mine field with only one winner the insurance company