Insurance question

coL

I am a 37 year old male with a full license for the last 20 years. For the last 9 years I have been based abroad (Middle East) and I have had a local car insurance policy with a western company (Royal and Sun Alliance).

I am thinking of returning to Ireland in the coming months and am looking into what type of car to get when I return. I am going to go for something cheap to begin with (€3,000-€4,000) and want to get a decent sized saloon car.

I have been told that it is unlikely that my no claims bonus from out here will be accepted back in Ireland so it looks like I will be starting from scratch in the eyes of the insurance company.

Can anyone outline for me what the primary variables are that an insurance company will take into account when quoting me for a policy. Obviously at the price range above there are a lot of slightly older cars with big engines which would be grand but would I be getting badly burned by insurance if I bought one of these?

Would also appreciate any advice on what people think might be the car that would give me the most affordable insurance based on the factors above?

Kopparberg Strawberry and Lime

There are companies here who will accept your non irish no claims discount. Try use it

Also royal and sun alliance are here too under RSA insurance, their broker is 123.ie

biko

Buying forum -> Insurance forum

Contact all insurers in List of insurers to check if your NCB from overseas are recognised by them.

In thread Tell us your quotes you can find what irish people have paid for their various cars and locations/ages/etc.

coL

I spoke to RSA a few years ago in Ireland and was told that the country I am based in here in the Middle East is not a country that a no claims bonus is accepted from even though I am insured with RSA here at the moment. I think another insurance company also told me this. Things may have changed since then and I am just about to begin investigating now to confirm the situation.

Regardless of whether or not my no claims is accepted I would still like some advice on the key factors that are taken into account when determining an insurance premium for someone such as myself. Is it just engine size or will the type of car matter? For example I have seen a 2.2l diesel 2007 avensis, a 2l 2004 320d and a 2l 2007 Passat sport (all diesel) would these all be around the same cost to insure?

There is also a 2.2l 2003 520i petrol, am I stupid to even think I could get insurance on this given its size?

Apologies if these are basic questions but I have been gone from Ireland for 14 years so not familiar with insurance costs there and how they are calculated. I just want to make sure I don't buy a car that will be prohibitively expensive to insure.