Comparing Specialist Car Insurance Just Got Easier!

Specialist Car Insurance Comparison Website Adds New Insurer To Panel
Press Release from Car-Insurance.TV

Dated: Mar 27, 2010

Comparing Car Insurance just got easier with the launch of a new specialist car insurance comparison system from Adrian Flux and Car Insurance Television.

The UK's specialist car insurance comparison website Car-Insurance.tv has announced that it has added motor insurance specialist Adrian Flux to it's ever growing list of partners, allowing it to provide quotes for a much wider section of the car insurance buying public.

A spokesperson for the car insurance comparison company said,
"We are very pleased to welcome Adrian Flux Insurance onto our car insurance comparison system. The addition of Adrian Flux Car Insurance services to our website users allows us to offer much wider covers to all members of the public including those with convictions and medical needs who cannot get or are refused cover from the standard insurance companies and their websites."

He added, "Furthermore it allows us to expand our already large area of specialist schemes to provide cover for just about every type of vehicle ever manufactured. We are now able to offer instant cover for Q plated , kit cars and even quad bikes and trikes right through to specialist schemes for the luxury, performance and prestige end of the market, such as our Lamborghini or Bentley cover schemes."

"Our mission at Car Insurance Television is to provide the cheapest and widest car insurance covers in the UK and to make them easily accessible for the buying public who have in the past often been kept in the dark by the larger organisations about the availability and competitive premiums that are offered by smaller company car insurance schemes."

Amongst the new types of specialist car insurance that are now available from Car-Insurance.tv are
schemes for:
Young Drivers
Female Drivers
Drivers with 2 or more previous Accidents / Claims
Drivers with 2 or more driving convictions
Drivers with any criminal conviction
Any driver with disability or medical condition
Any person who has had insurance refused / cancelled
Drivers over 75 years old
Drivers with non standard occupations i.e. Footballer, Actors, publicans etc

You can find out more about these covers by visiting http://www.car-insurance.tv or by phoning for quotes and advice on freephone 0800 089 0182

Category Car insurance, Classic Car Insurance, Specialist
Tags car insurance, classic car insurance, specialist car insurance

City/Town Central London
State/Province London
Country United Kingdom

specialist car insurance

Specialist Motor Insurance: Groupama providing added value to their current Motor Fleet Insurance Policies.

Following on from the relatively successful Optima Small Fleet Insurance product, French insurer, Groupama has further enhanced its current Fleet Insurance Policy meaning that the owners of larger fleets can now also benefit from some of the cover that was previously only available to those who operated either small or micro businesses.
This is great news for brokers who have a commercial agreement in place with Groupama as these additional enhancements are likely to provide an additional sales edge for those targeting the highly competitive SME market.
Groupama fleet insurance is designed to provide car insurance cover for fleets in excess of 15 vehicles. It is well favoured within the industry and operates across numerous trades within the motor insurance sector. As a result of the recent changes, Groupama fleet Insurance now includes enhanced overnight emergency accommodation or travel expenses as well as having a new personal accident benefits package incorporated into the policy also.
The company, who have a reputation for responding to feedback from their brokers and intermediaries, appear to have also taken heed of some recent advice as they seem to have presented the policy in much plainer English, something that they (and most of their peers) seem to have struggled with in the past. The advantage of this is of course is more clarity for the consumer, meaning in essence an easier sale for the broker.
Groupama's Head of Customer Proposition, Lynn Harris says "Our strategy of obtaining broker feedback on our products and service on an ongoing basis means we can see immediate opportunities to refine and enhance our propositions to keep brokers one step ahead. This, along with the success of Optima Small Fleet has really driven these changes and demonstrates Groupama’s commitment to giving brokers the tools to compete effectively."
For larger fleets, Groupama are now also offering access to an impressive range of risk management facilities via specialist driving consultancy Peak Performance Management. One inclusion within the policy which is often regarded as Peak Performance’s flagship tool is Risk watch, which enables the policyholder to train key personnel in how to conduct and implement an in-house driver risk assessment programme. The advantages of ingraining risk management concepts within the core of any organisation of course being good for insurer, broker and policy holder alike.
Also provided by Peak Performance Management for the policy holders are a series of ‘all of a sudden’ work shops, which set out to examine the circumstances surrounding the most common types of road incidents. In these small, focussed workshops, the participants are made to ‘discover’ the driving behaviours and techniques that will help them being involved in similar accidents.
To follow this work shop is a structured training process named ‘behind the wheel’ which is designed to improve driving skills and raise awareness further of risk management when driving. Peak Performance Management also provide Driver handbooks to help policy holders meet their duty of care as well as providing advice on how to reduce motoring costs through greater understanding of fuel economy and tyre wear etc.
With the Motor Insurance sector looking towards a tricky year in 2010 as underwriters face the challenge of working towards profitable margins, and brokers look forward to some uncomfortable conversations with long standing clients about the inevitable rise in insurance costs, additional benefits like these could make a lot of difference when it comes to renewal time.

It looks like Groupama may well have just gotten the first shot off in what could well be a long and protracted battle within the motor insurance industry in 2010.

specialist car insurance

Compare 4X4 Insurance Quotes and Schemes at new 4X4 comparison site

New Specialist 4x4 Insurance and Off Road Vehicle Insurance Comparison Website Launched

A new specialist 4X4 insurance comparision service has been launched by the UK's leading specialist car insurance comparison website Car-Insurance.tv. The site allows 4X4 owners to find quotes, policies and cover, for their four wheel drive vehicles.

Compare 4x4 Insurance Quotes & Schemes

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PR Log (Press Release) – Jan 15, 2010 – Car-Insurance.tv have today announced the launch of a new specialist 4x4 insurance comparison online application available at http://www.car-insurance.tv/4x4insurance.html

A spokesman for the company, Dave Healey, said that the system has been designed to cover all 4X4, 4WD, AWD, Off Road cars and high performance 4X4 vehicles with central differentials and multi-clutch systems. The policies offered include typical usage extras sought after by 4x4 owners such as towing, extra laden weight and off road cover.

The 4x4 insurance schemes are available to everyone and our system will find you cover even if you are a higher risk customer such as a Young Driver, have had Accidents / Claims, 2 or more driving convictions, Any Criminal conviction, Any driver with disability or medical condition or even Any person who has had insurance refused / cancelled.
Cover is also available for both the Channel Islands & Isle of Man covered

Customers who own 4X4's but have Non standard occupations i.e. Footballer, Actor etc can also be covered.
The system allows you to compare 4x4 insurance quotes and covers for all makes and models of 4X4 and four wheel drive cars, including all models from the following manufacturers: BMW, Ford, Jeep, Hummer, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lexus, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru, and Toyota to name but a few of the makes available at the 4X4 insurance comparison website.

specialist car insurance

Car Insurance Premium Hikes Set for 2010

It looks like the UK motorist will be paying a lot more than what they have been used to for Car Insurance in 2010!

With both car insurance comparison website car-insurance.tv last week predicting a hardening market for and now the AA predicting massive premium hikes this is unwelcome news for both the private car owner and the UK economy as a whole, which hardly needs any more inflationary pressures.

Owners of specialist or expensive cars are more likely than the competitive middle market, to feel the brunt of the car insurance premium hikes.

Here's what Insurance Blog has to say on the matter..........

UK Car Insurance Rates Must Harden As Loss Making Companies Claims Reserves Run Dry!

Incredibly Car Insurance companies in the UK are struggling to make a profit and 2010 is likely to see a large reduction in the supply of car insurance, with many famous brands and suppliers predicted to disappear from the high street and our television screens as the market adjusts to cater for the massive losses, according to analysts from car insurance comparison website Car-Insurance.tv.

Recently released figures show that the UK Motor Insurance market has been consistently losing money since 2004 when the total UK profit from underwriting car insurance policies was £77 million.
In 2007 the UK car insurance market made a £1.1 billion underwriting loss, last year the loss was £1.3 billion and the figures for 2009 are expected to be worse........

Very few car insurance providers have escaped the losses and are profitable, whilst many have released claims reserves held from previous profitable years to disguise the 'actual ' loss.

So what is causing such massive losses in a large compulsory market that not so long ago was the most aggressive in the world?

On the face of it the answer appears to be simple ...... The Cost of Claims!

Claims are the problem not because the Car Insurance Companies have failed to include the rising costs of claims into their pricing structures; but because they have failed to cover the true costs in the retail price!

Car Insurance underwriters seem to have forgotten the basic rules of betting when setting their prices - and that is, that the Bookie never loses.......

To understand where the car insurance underwriting companies have gone wrong you first need to examine how they arrive at the price of a car insurance policy premium.

The cost of your car insurance premium is basically made up of three components:

1. The costs of production - Staff, Systems, Distribution etc
2. The costs of losses - known claims ratios ( the proportion of a policy premium pool that gets eaten up in claims)
3. Profit

The cost of all these components can be calculated by clever people called actuaries who work for the insurance companies and the rates set accordingly.

So what's gone wrong?

Well naturally it is obvious to first look at claims as the cause of the losses - but the truth is far from this end of the life of a car insurance policy......

The frequency of claims has either fallen or remained fairly constant over the period of losses and the actual cost of claims has only risen by 1 percent.

Despite all the noise made about gangs of car insurance claims fraudsters roaming the streets of the UK, the fact of the matter is that most of this is propoganda aimed at deterring fraud which naturally rises during a recession/depression. The number of fraud cases are really insignificant in the true scale of the market to affect pricing.
Admittedly there has been a significant increase in the number of personal injury related claims, egged on by claims farming companies, which would affect long term pricing, however the losses experienced by Car Insurance companies are nothing to do with claims and claims pricing.

These type of claims fluctuations have always been dealt with successfully in the past by car insurance companies by adjusting reserve ratios or negotiating better re-insurance ( laying the risk off), or more importantly by adjusting price ........

But this time something is different....

Car Insurance Companies can no longer set the price! Not if they want to win the business anyway!
And they certainly cannot sell policies at the premium levels that the Actuaries suggest!

Why? Seemple .......The Internet!

And more importantly Car Insurance Price Comparison websites or aggregators as they are known in the industry, which account for around 90 percent of the Car Insurance sold online. Since around 2004 it has been possible to easily compare car insurance quotes online from numerous suppliers, and invariably the cheapest premium wins the business.

Car Insurance companies not longer set their own prices! And this is the problem!
In a race to achieve enough volume to make a book of car insurance business profitable the car insurance companies have been selling their car insurance polices too cheap and covering their losses with their claims reserves........time is running out!

For the consumer then as we enter 2010 it looks as if the best policy is still to visit comparison websites where you will be offered a choice of suitable policies at the most competitive prices.
If you stay with your current insurer - expect large premium hikes at renewal!
Shop around for specialist car insurance as prices are going to vary widely.
Visit a specialist car insurance comparison website as there will be many offers to be had as companies try to secure volume of car insurance policies.

specialist car insurance

Schumacher Needs New Mercedes-Benz Insurance

Michael Schumacher Will Need Mercedes-Benz Insurance!

Michael Schumacher, former multi World Drivers Champion has announced his F1 racing comeback for 2010, at the ripe old age of age of 41. If he wins the championship he will be one of the few to come out retirement and achieve past glories. The last was Nikki Lauda.

From Car-insurance.tv:

Schumacher has today announced his intention to drive in next years 2010 F1 season for the Mercedes Brawn Team, in the position that was left vacant by the departure of current F1 World Champion Jensen Button to rivals Mclaren Mercedes.

The drive is worth an estimated £6 million for the season, although already sceptics are lining up to doubt whether he will go the whole way.....

Schumacher speaking on Sky News, said that he has been in training all summer and autumn to recover from the neck injury that kept him from replacing Massa in the Ferrari team back in June, and that he felt 100 per cent capable of the drive.
He is also looking forward to competing against some of the younger drivers like Massa and Hamilton for the first time.

In reality it will be difficult for Schumacher to compete against the likes of Hamilton and Button at Mclaren, whose cars were getting better with every race towards the end of last season.

There is though the 'Button' element that gave Brawn such a flying start last season when every one in the Motor sports world had written off their chances before the start of the season.
With Ross Brawn at the helm and Schumacher at the wheel anything can happen....

Then there is also the question about engines. surely Mercedes will favour their own team over McClaren?

It's going to be a very interesting 2010 F1 season......

In the meantime Michael scumacher is going to need Mercedes Insurance for all those lovely Courtesy cars and gifts that the Mercedes-Benz people are going to shower him with..



Well Michael, you need to look no further than Car-Insurance.tv to get the best car insurance quote for all Mercedes models at the Mercedes Car Insurance comparison site.

Compare Car Insurance online for all UK Cars at Car Insurance Television.

Specialist Car Insurance Unaffected By Success of UK Government Car Scrappage Scheme

Car Dealers across the country are urging the UK Government to extend the car scrappage scheme well into the summer of 2010, in order to help maintain increased sales levels of new cars and boost the local economies.

Under the current scheme, buyers can qualify for a £2,000 discount on a new car with a trade-in on a vehicle that is more than 10 years old.

The scrappage scheme was launched in May 2009 with £300 million of funding from the Government and car companies. It will run until March 2010, or when its funding runs out, whichever is sooner.

The scheme continued to help new car sales in August with sales up 6 per cent from a year ago, the second consecutive month of growth.

However, sales so far this year are still 21.5 per cent lower than the same period in 2008, showing that the recession is still biting and questioning the overall impact of the policy. Car Insurance revenues are down in parallel to sales.

In July 2009, UK car sales rose by 2.4 per cent, the first rise since April last year which must given all the other economic factors of the time, be attributed to participation in the scheme.

Dealerships across the UK have reported an upturn in sales as a result of the scrappage scheme with small, low-priced models proving the most popular.

The effect on the specialist car insurance market has been minimal, although one could argue that many future classics have been taken off the road and crushed.

Increased sales in new cars combined with a downturn in production levels from all UK car manufacturers has meant that some new models are now difficult to get hold of.
You have only got to look at the amount of new cars, or lack of them, that appear on the new series of Top Gear, to realize there is something very wrong with the UK Motor Industry.

As a result of the shortage of new models and a waiting list, some car auctions are reporting knock-on benefits as buyers choose used small cars if new models are not available.

James Hawkins, director of Truro-based Hawkins Motors, said he would like the scrappage scheme to continue.

"It's had a massive impact. We're probably getting 200 enquiries through a month. I would like to see it extended at least until the spring," he said.

"In terms of what it has done for the business, it has increased sales rates probably by three times. Korean brands are doing very well. Cars around the £5,000 mark are setting the theme and can be difficult to get hold of.

"The recession has had an impact but this has taken some of the problem away."

It appears that for many small regional dealerships across the UK, the Government Car Scrappage scheme has been a great sucess and has helped the overstretched economies of rural communities such as Cornwall, through the worst of the current recession.

specialist car insurance

An Introduction to Classic Car insurance for new owners

If you are one of the lucky ones who has recently bought a classic car, resident classic car insurance expert Dave Healey has some useful advice on the differences between classic and standard car insurance covers.......

Classic Car Insurance - A Beginners Guide For New Classic Owners
By
Dave Healey

If you've just bought your first classic car you will need to consider not just where, but also how you are going to insure it.

As a classic car owner it matters not if you drive a perfect condition Ford Capri 3 litre from 1970, a beat up old Morris Minor from the Sixties or a sleek E-type Jaguar in British racing green, it is essential that you find the best classic car insurance cover for your cherished motor, that covers your individual risks at prices that won't break the bank!

If you have not owned a classic car before it is important to realise that there are basic differences between what is known as a standard car insurance policy and the cover offered under one defined as classic, from a specialist car insurer.

The first thing to establish is whether your car is eligible for cover under a classic policy. One way you could do this is ask the previous owner whether it was covered under a classic car insurance policy and with which insurance company.

Different classic car insurance companies have different definitions of the age and type of vehicles that can be covered under this type of cover.

What might be easily covered with one provider may be excluded by another. Fortunately most online classic car cover providers provide this information on the first page of their websites, so it is fairly easy to surf around and check your eligibility with different insurance companies.

You should check that both the eligibility of the age of the car in question and also whether there are policy restrictions for your individual driving circumstances, such as your age that would prevent you from applying for cover.

The major variation between a standard policy and those offered by the classic car specialists is in the way that you use your classic vehicle, and in particular, how much you drive it. The large mainstream insurers and price comparison sites will offer cover for older cars but will charge an additional premium because of its age. They will also load the premium if replacement parts for the vehicle type are known to be expensive.

More importantly you will only be offered the current market value replacement if the car is covered under a mainstream policy and is deemed to be a write-off when you claim.

With a standard car insurance policy on a replacement like for like basis, the value of the car is often set by the market value at the time of a claim, typically taken from one of the car price magazines such as the UK's Glasses Guide. The amount you will be probably receive for a write-off will be at the current market value of your car which is an annual depreciating amount. Inevitably, if you own a classic car and insure it under a standard policy contract, this leads to under valuation and under insurance of the true value of the car. You will also probably not be offered the salvage and a repairable classic car may often be deemed a write-off because the cost of repair is uneconomic to the Insurer.

If you purchase a specialist classic car policy you will be offered a choice of either an agreed valuation of the classic cars worth or a policy based on market value.

An agreed valuation amount is the amount that the insurance company will pay out in the event of a claim that results in a write off. This is a major benefit of insuring classics under specialist policies because it ensures that you are not just properly covered but will also receive the specialist repair services that your classic will require should you claim. It should be noted that even agreed valuation polices can change and you should ensure that the value is guaranteed for a certain period of time to avoid fluctuations in market values.

Classic Car insurance polices are therefore tailored to the needs of cars considered to be collectable and effectively the valuation is a rating factor for the condition of the car.

The other major difference between standard and classic policies is in the way that you are allowed to use your car under the terms of the agreement. Originally this type of vehicle insurance was designed for drivers who do not use their classic cars much.

All classic car policies have a limited mileage clause which only covers the vehicle for an agreed amount of miles per year. Depending upon which specialist car insurance company you use, there will be a limit to how far you can drive your classic. Some providers will only cover a couple of thousand miles per year under the policy, but many specialist car insurance providers are now offering cover up to ten thousand miles per year. These policies reflect the fact that many drivers now use modern day classic cars as their main form of transport.

As with all car insurance it is important to compare both covers and prices when shopping around. There are many specialist classic insurance providers available online today and many specialist schemes that are targeted at particular classic owners. Compare the premiums offered by these with those from the price comparison sites, but if you want to avoid disappointment if you need to make a claim, be sure to understand the difference in policy covers.

The Internet has made it very easy to Compare Classic Car Insurance that was previously only available from specialist car insurance brokers on the high street. You can find those offering special deals and bespoke schemes for your particular classic by searching for your model type classic car insurance.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dave_Healey http://EzineArticles.com/?Classic-Car-Insurance---A-Beginners-Guide-For-New-Classic-Owners&id=3280405

specialist car insurance