Car Insurance Price comparison

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mrtoillet

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# 176904 15-Jul-2015 18:11

Hi all,

Looking at buying my first car, and have been comparing the premiums costs for multiple basic first cars (Starlets, Civics, Citys etc). Family is with the AA and AMI and have good experience with them, I have heard bad things from Youi.

Checking costs online constantly show Tower being about 50% cheaper for third and third, fire and theft when comparing with the AA, which I thought would be the cheapest.

Tower $207.50 third party with $750 excess (including age excess) for Civic, City etc.

AA $400-500 third party with $1200 excess (including age excess) for the same cars.

Am I missing something here, why is Tower so consistently cheap at the third party price point. The full comprehensive prices match between Tower and the AA at around $900. It's just the thirds party policies that vary so great, and they seem to be identical from what I have read.

Any experience or advice?
Thanks.

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# 1344952 15-Jul-2015 18:39

its probably based on their assessment matrix, what they base risk on. different matrix different outcomes

i would call a few more companies and get quotes, and dont do online forms, they tend to miss out information that could lower your premium

lxsw20

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# 1344955 15-Jul-2015 18:47

You could always try a broker. I use a Bay Insurance Brokers.

Goosey

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# 1344956 15-Jul-2015 18:50

Are you under 25?

mrtoillet

12 posts

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# 1344957 15-Jul-2015 18:53

Yes , Just 18. I'm new to all this haha. Wouldn't a broker be expensive?

scuwp

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# 1344961 15-Jul-2015 19:04

mrtoillet: Yes , Just 18. I'm new to all this haha. Wouldn't a broker be expensive?

Normally they are free, the insurance company pays them a commission.

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JayADee

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# 1345104 16-Jul-2015 04:41

Different insurance companies can vary hugely in price, so I'm not surprised by the disparity. When you have more stuff to insure (house, contents, car etc) generally you'll get an overall cheaper price getting it all in one place. For you only having a car, shop around like you are doing- contact as many insurers as you can. A broker may be able to get you a better deal but do your own inquiries first.

dickytim

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# 1345106 16-Jul-2015 06:10

I have always found AMI to be the cheapest and have made 2 claims without any issues.

The issue with Youi is that to get low premiums you generally have to give up cover in some areas or have a higher excess.

jonathan18

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# 1345159 16-Jul-2015 09:08

dickytim: I have always found AMI to be the cheapest and have made 2 claims without any issues.
.

... whereas I've always found it the opposite, ie one of the more expensive companies to insure our cars.

Agree with the above advice about ringing up to get quotes; you'll get a more accurate cost that way. Re Tower: it may also be worth trying Fintel, which is essentially a subsidary of Tower. We've both our cars insurered with them, and found not only their premiums cheapest of all we tried (including with Tower) but also good when dealing with claims.

Jase2985

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# 1345162 16-Jul-2015 09:14

no one will have the same expericane as someone else, as everyone has different variables and situations which can lead to different prices.

one person can say xyz was cheaper while someone else might not find this, hence call as many as you can to get quotes or get a broker

nzkiwiman

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# 1345169 16-Jul-2015 09:26

I went through the process recently when looking for cover for my new car

Cheapest was AMI, then AA, most expensive was Youi (by over $350)

In the end I decided that I was happy with AA (having been with them for a while) and I got a free duvet out of it :-)

Krishant007

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# 1345181 16-Jul-2015 09:42

Just went through this process when I got my new car just a month ago. Called up a number of different companies - got a variety of different quotes. Went with the cheapest at the time. I noticed a great disparity between the companies as well- AMI were the cheapest (330 bucks!!) with 500 excess, AA were 428, Tower were about 500, state were about 450ish etc..

I guess it does depend on your situation and its pretty unique. There is nothing you can do except shop around. Make sure the excess etc is the same so you have a baseline for comparison.

Btw, my older car was a Honda Jazz 2006 and I was paying less than 300 for third party fire and theft with AA for the last 2 years that I have had the car - didnt need to make any claims in that time, but I had found them to be the easiest to deal with.

wasabi2k

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# 1345183 16-Jul-2015 09:45

Well done for not being an uninsured douchecanoe on the road.

As has been said, online quotes only go so far - best to ring the big players and see what they can do for you. Note down all your standard info so it is easier.

Having the car under a parent with you as an under 25 is an option, but I believe this depends on who the main driver is and the policy of the insurer.

As you have seen higher excess will normally mean lower premium - that is a balancing act.

I have had quotes from Tower in the past which were clearly a "go away we don't want to insure you" price. Don't really blame them (2L Turbo, 19 years old). We have all our insurances with AMI and they gave us a good discount on adding under 25s to my car (The 2L turbo).

DravidDavid

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# 1345401 16-Jul-2015 12:51

Good on you for getting insurance. Just a few tips that will make things dramatically easier for you.

- Put the car in your parents name and have them sign you on as a dedicated driver. It will cost you a third of what it might if you were to try and get it on your own!

- Don't get insurance with Youi. They are fine at the beginning and you deal with people in this country who are great to deal with. As soon as you want to leave or cancel your policy, you're put on to the Australians. They are pushy as hell and will keep you on the phone for as long as possible, try to upsell you several times not taking no for an answer. Then finally, make you feel like crap for leaving them. Never again.

- Carry and pen and pad with you in the car at all times. Make sure you have a camera/phone capable of taking pictures. Never admit fault and get the police to attend the scene.

Good luck! :)

Sometimes what you don't get is a blessing in disguise!

pdath

252 posts

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# 1345411 16-Jul-2015 13:07

AA insurance is often very picky, and the pricing probably reflects that you are not their target market.

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Kyanar

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# 1346918 18-Jul-2015 18:53

DravidDavid:
- Don't get insurance with Youi. They are fine at the beginning and you deal with people in this country who are great to deal with. As soon as you want to leave or cancel your policy, you're put on to the Australians. They are pushy as hell and will keep you on the phone for as long as possible, try to upsell you several times not taking no for an answer. Then finally, make you feel like crap for leaving them. Never again.

Not true... it's the Australians that are good... its the South Africans that are the ones to avoid.

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