A guide to motor insurance & FAQ's

keith16

MugMugs wrote: »

Well she should do it AFAIk after a certain length of residency here. Open to correction on that.

Doesn't mean she had to re do a test, she just swaps for an Irish one.

As it stands, she's more experienced and as the main driver, she's probably reducing what the premium would be if you were to take over with a fresh driving licence.

To get some ideas though you could just log on to the likes of Liberty's or 123.ie's sites and stick your details in (nothing identifying you or anything like DOB or name or reg) and see what it comes back with.

At present though, I'd say having you named is cheaper than the alternative.

Ah ok, that makes sense. I was on AA and Allianz earlier and it seems 100 euro cheaper with me as main driver.

Used real details tho! Any reason in particular you wouldn't use identifying details?

GvidoR

keith16 wrote: »

Used real details tho! Any reason in particular you wouldn't use identifying details?

Probably because you're still shopping around to see if you want to get your own policy or go on somebody else's, you use fake details so that they can't recognize you when you are actually buying a policy. Insurance companies always seem to want you to take out your own policy instead of going as a named driver.

Also, you will not get any calls regarding your online quote if you enter a fake phone number too.

Esel

keith16 wrote: »

... her licence is full EU.

MugMugs wrote: »

When you say EU, she hasn't changed it over to Ireland yet?

keith16 wrote: »

No! Can she / should she do it? Would she have to do a test here?!

MugMugs wrote: »

Well she should do it AFAIk after a certain length of residency here. Open to correction on that.

I could be wrong, but afaik there is no requirement for a person with a non-Irish, but EU, licence to exchange it for an Irish licence.

One advantage of keeping a non-Irish licence is penalty points...

Liam McPoyle

Esel is correct, there is no requirement to change an EU licence to an Irish one however some insurers charge higher premiums for an EU licence holder as the main driver/policy holder.

MugMugs

keith16 wrote: »

Ah ok, that makes sense. I was on AA and Allianz earlier and it seems 100 euro cheaper with me as main driver.

Used real details tho! Any reason in particular you wouldn't use identifying details?

I'd just be using fakes until you get the best quote. You don't want to give any insurer too much of an idea as to what you're up to. ie: if you try the you named and her main driver part and then swap over to her named and you main driver part they may link your profiles. Incorrect DOB by a few days and no reg should assist in that. Your call.

The fact she is on an EU licence will increase premiums. The fact that you've just gotten a licence will increase premiums.

You can still eventually use your named driving experience to your advantage when it comes to having an NCD should you ever get your own motor or take over charge of the policy in the future.

Esel wrote: »

I could be wrong, but afaik there is no requirement for a person with a non-Irish, but EU, licence to exchange it for an Irish licence.
Just checked as I wasn't sure and quite right.
One advantage of keeping a non-Irish licence is penalty points...

VanillaLime

Hello all,
Question please - husband is currently working in EU and brought car over recently, he has 60 days driving covered under current policy with AIG but insurance is up for renewal in 3 weeks. He doesn't know how long he'll be away so is looking for cover abroad in his Irish car for an unlimited time. AA or AIG will not quote him. Can anyone suggest a company who will quote him? Thanks so much in advance. (He is 44 with full licence and full ncb)

uch

Does anybody know if you can Insure a small Van as social and domestic rather than Commercial ?

Liam McPoyle

VanillaLime wrote: »

Hello all,
Question please - husband is currently working in EU and brought car over recently, he has 60 days driving covered under current policy with AIG but insurance is up for renewal in 3 weeks. He doesn't know how long he'll be away so is looking for cover abroad in his Irish car for an unlimited time. AA or AIG will not quote him. Can anyone suggest a company who will quote him? Thanks so much in advance. (He is 44 with full licence and full ncb)

No insurer offer unlimited EU cover Im afraid, its just too much risk.

His best bet is to try and buy and insure a cheap car in whichever country he is based in.

uch wrote: »

Does anybody know if you can Insure a small Van as social and domestic rather than Commercial ?

Nope, a van is a van and has to be insured commercially however every commercial vehicle policy automatically includes social, domestic & pleasure use, you just cant get SD&P on its own.

darragh o meara

I recently had my car broken into and subsequently torched.

Im just wondering what the usual wait time before the claim is settled? I've sent in all the requested documents etc.

Also, do fire claims make it hard to get a quote with another company when up for renewal even though I retain my NCB.

MugMugs

darragh o meara wrote: »

I recently had my car broken into and subsequently torched.

Im just wondering what the usual wait time before the claim is settled? I've sent in all the requested documents etc.

Also, do fire claims make it hard to get a quote with another company when up for renewal even though I retain my NCB.

Sorry to hear that !

If it's a clear cut job then investigations into the matter shouldn't take too long and it should be a relatively quick settlement however it's all down to how it looks to your insurer.

Some Insurance companies won't see your claim as a "fault" and may not impact your NCB. You'll have to check your own Insurer though to see if they do this. If you do retain your NCB then you'll still have to disclose the claim come renewal.

darragh o meara

MugMugs wrote: »

Sorry to hear that !

If it's a clear cut job then investigations into the matter shouldn't take too long and it should be a relatively quick settlement however it's all down to how it looks to your insurer.

Some Insurance companies won't see your claim as a "fault" and may not impact your NCB. You'll have to check your own Insurer though to see if they do this. If you do retain your NCB then you'll still have to disclose the claim come renewal.

Hopefully it won't be too long as I'm badly stuck without a decent car. 500 miles a week in a 1ltr rattle box is not a good idea..

darragh o meara

MugMugs wrote: »

Sorry to hear that !

If it's a clear cut job then investigations into the matter shouldn't take too long and it should be a relatively quick settlement however it's all down to how it looks to your insurer.

Some Insurance companies won't see your claim as a "fault" and may not impact your NCB. You'll have to check your own Insurer though to see if they do this. If you do retain your NCB then you'll still have to disclose the claim come renewal.

How would occupation affect the claim? When I took out my policy I was working in an office and done some other part time work. As the office job was my main occupation that's what was put down. I've since been laid off and returned to college but never changed my occupation. On the night of the incident I was on the way to the part time job, this I told the investigator. However he called back to me this evening asking about why I was going to work as something other than my stated occupation.
I never even thought about it until today.

BTW. The part time job is not one I need the car for. I only use it to get too and from the premises, nor do I carry work equipment or tools.

Just worried I'm gonna be rejected.

MugMugs

That could be an issue. It's their call though.

Presume it was robbed from work? Was it late at night or early evening?

darragh o meara

MugMugs wrote: »

That could be an issue. It's their call though.

Presume it was robbed from work? Was it late at night or early evening?

No it wasn't stolen, I was on the way to the job and got a puncture. I couldn't get one of the studs out so had to park it up til the following morning and get my partner to drop me out her car so I could go to work. During the night the car was broken into and set on fire. The part time work is occasional hence I would never list it as a main occupation.

If its rejected is an appeal a worthwhile option?

commited

Hi lads,

Quick question. Both my parents are with Zurich. Recently I was added to one of their policies and had to fill out one of these "driver licence details" request forms to be added to one of the policies. All came back good etc and there were no issues. My father then needed to do the same for his renewal, and for some reason it came up with gaps in his licence from over 20 years ago, which Zurich became incredibly suspicious about (turns out it is because the government destroyed some information due to storage shortage). They also queried why he had not mentioned penalty points that he received from 2002ish (well expired by now). In the end, they "allowed" him to renew his policy but the whole thing has left a massively sour taste in his mouth, especially considering he is exactly the sort of person they should want to insure - loads of NCB, no points, not young etc etc.

I'm out of the country so didn't hear about all of this until it was too late, but is this the norm in Ireland now?

MugMugs

darragh o meara wrote: »

No it wasn't stolen, I was on the way to the job and got a puncture. I couldn't get one of the studs out so had to park it up til the following morning and get my partner to drop me out her car so I could go to work. During the night the car was broken into and set on fire. The part time work is occasional hence I would never list it as a main occupation.

If its rejected is an appeal a worthwhile option?

It depends what it's declined for and that's if it is declined.

The Insurer would need to prove that the change in occupation was a material fact and would have led to the incident occurring.

I don't think you've got a lot to worry about OP. Hang on until they come back to you before making any calls.

The process after a decline is a complaint and then a referral onto the Ombudsman. I'd need to know what they're saying before telling you how likely an appeal would be to succeed.

commited wrote: »

Hi lads,

Quick question. Both my parents are with Zurich. Recently I was added to one of their policies and had to fill out one of these "driver licence details" request forms to be added to one of the policies. All came back good etc and there were no issues. My father then needed to do the same for his renewal, and for some reason it came up with gaps in his licence from over 20 years ago, which Zurich became incredibly suspicious about (turns out it is because the government destroyed some information due to storage shortage). They also queried why he had not mentioned penalty points that he received from 2002ish (well expired by now). In the end, they "allowed" him to renew his policy but the whole thing has left a massively sour taste in his mouth, especially considering he is exactly the sort of person they should want to insure - loads of NCB, no points, not young etc etc.

I'm out of the country so didn't hear about all of this until it was too late, but is this the norm in Ireland now?

Sounds odd. Can't see why they'd care about expired points or a gap from 20 years ago.

It's not standard AFAIK.

Treat them with the same contempt come renewal and pull both policies. If they've annoyed your father, he could also complain and demand an explanation as to what is going on.

polo644

Hi, my wife had borrowed my sisters car (that she was selling) for the week as ours died, had a temp insurance transfer till Midnight Friday as ours was supposed to be repaired Friday evening and picked up Sat. It wasnt ready on Sat and we used the car tonight as on my wifes insurance she is covered to drive other cars and I am a named driver so question is this, we got stopped tonight coming home because headlight bulb went, no issue there, hold my hands up.
Thing is I was driving home as my wife hurt her back when we got pulled, explained all to the Garda and asked to produce my licence and insurance, no prob , but thing is I was speaking to a friend and they reckon while my wife would be covered to drive under her full comp policy I wouldnt be covered to drive as I am only a named driver.

Esel

^ I think your friend is correct.

By any chance does your sister have a current insurance policy on the car? If she has, and it has open driving (and you fit the conditions - age, etc.) you would be covered under this.

polo644

no she doesnt she changed her car . I will ring my broker on Monday and ask them. I also have van insurance fully comp but I know that only covers commercial. Sods law, 23 + years of clean driving everything above board and then this !
thanks

Esel

Read your wife's policy to be sure.

polo644

am trying to find it ! lol but these things can be a bit tough to decipher.
Think I will wait till Monday and see what light the broker can shed on it for me . Have 10 days to produce docs, fingers x.

Mar4ix

WTF !!!!!! I had insurance on my old 15 years old toyota , and i wanted temporarily transfer to 01 diesel passat, and it cost me 10 euro a day extra for time i am using passat !!!!!!!!!! thats with AIG company through brokers ... .... feckers .. .will think about different company, when will be policy renewal .

MugMugs

polo644 wrote: »

Hi, my wife had borrowed my sisters car (that she was selling) for the week as ours died, had a temp insurance transfer till Midnight Friday as ours was supposed to be repaired Friday evening and picked up Sat. It wasnt ready on Sat and we used the car tonight as on my wifes insurance she is covered to drive other cars and I am a named driver so question is this, we got stopped tonight coming home because headlight bulb went, no issue there, hold my hands up.
Thing is I was driving home as my wife hurt her back when we got pulled, explained all to the Garda and asked to produce my licence and insurance, no prob , but thing is I was speaking to a friend and they reckon while my wife would be covered to drive under her full comp policy I wouldnt be covered to drive as I am only a named driver.

If you have a private insurance policy too then you could have a Third Party Driving Extension.

If you don't then you should probably visit the local Garda station and have a wee chat with the Garda who stopped you.

polo644

Mar4ix wrote: »

WTF !!!!!! I had insurance on my old 15 years old toyota , and i wanted temporarily transfer to 01 diesel passat, and it cost me 10 euro a day extra for time i am using passat !!!!!!!!!! thats with AIG company through brokers ... .... feckers .. .will think about different company, when will be policy renewal .

Jees, that's a rip off, I have never been charged for temp transfer and I have done it a good few times over the years. I always have been with a broker though

jimbooth

Hi , I was trying to put a second car on the road and was looking at a 91 fiesta but it is IMPOSSIBLE to get a quote, onlt one company will quote and its crazy money. car is nct'd and low milage, perfect condition but they wont insure cars over 15 years and some wont insure cars over 10 years ? Crazy in this economy not to allow people to use older cars

Retro Police

Does anyone know much about/got some experience with boxymo.ie? They're by far and away the cheapest for my insurance but I can't find much info on them bar their own website. Thanks.

Cleveland Hot Pocket

Retro Police wrote: »

Does anyone know much about/got some experience with boxymo.ie? They're by far and away the cheapest for my insurance but I can't find much info on them bar their own website. Thanks.

from the website:
BoxyMo is Ireland's first telematics dedicated insurer. This new concept is simple, we fit a telematics device, known as “BoxyMo” to your car. BoxyMo will then tell us how you drive and how far you drive. In addition to this “BoxyMo” will show you each month how to improve your driving and reduce your insurance costs.

Would steer clear tbh (pardon the pun)
There's enough big brother tech out there as it is. Wouldnt take cover off them even if it were free.

greengog25

Hi all wanted to ask a question hope its ok to post here! I ran into the back of someone last year, there were two people in the car, guards were called and they told me there was nothing to worry about.
I admitted that I was at fault and a few weeks later I started getting letters, the one that shocked me most was the claim he was putting in for almost €1000 for damage to his car that wasn't even worth that much. Unfortuately due to the shock of my first car accident at the time I didnt think to take photos but the damage was minimal even though it was quoted in the letter I received that the back of the car was smashed in. Anyway the insurance company was dealing with everything and as far as I know they paid that.
Next came the personal injury claims for the two people in the car(which I am also convinced is lies). Beacuse of the open claims my insurance was almost €2000 last year (28 year old woman) and as the claim is still open can I assume that it will be the same or more next year? Is there absolutely any way to avoid paying so much?
Also is there any point contacting insurance confidential and reporting these people or will that just make the claim go on for even longer? Im just so frustrated at the thought of having to pay so much for insurance, sorry for such a long post any advice would be great.

marcus2000

In my opinion, there really is nothing you can do. Reporting the case as Insurance Fraud really wont have any effect, unless these personal injury claims are ridiculously high. The costs associated with your claim are probably cheaper than the costs involved in investigating it further, and going down the legal route. Your insurance company wont want that.

Also, the fact that you have an open claim means you are pretty much stuck with the insurer. As far as I know, there is only one insurer who will quote for people with open claims.

MugMugs

1. While there is an open claim on your policy you're more or less tied to that Insurer and your premium is calculated on the reserve on the claim. The reserve should be accurate but could be higher than the claim may be worth for "worst case scenario" You WILL suffer inflated premiums whilst there is an active and indeed inactive claim against your policy. You could try and get Insurance with another provider and employ a broker for this cause but the odds of another crowd taking you on with an open claim are slim.

2. Insurance confidential will pass your concerns onto your own Insurer. They won't investigate it seperately. Your Insurer is spending their money and will ensure that they are fully satisfied that the claim is dealt with properly and one would assume that as they are spending their own money they would ensure that the claim is legit.

Long and short of it is, a lot of people claiming Injury (in my view) aren't actually injured. It can be quite difficult though to disprove this.