insurance group info

[Ral]

I've been having some.. interesting quotes for my car insurance lately. Might have something to do with me writing off two cars within half a year's time (for the record, I may be a crap driver but without going into details I don't think I'm that bad, I've just been having a really crap year where everything's been going wrong). So to replace my dying runaround 89 Golf driver, I recently bought a low-mileage '02 Suzuki Swift. Besides it being relatively cheap, un-ancient and low-mileage, I did this also because according to Parkers.co.uk , the Swift is insurance group 4 and the Golf it replaces, group 9. So, thinks I, that saves on my insurance as well as road-tax and fuel. Except the insurance companies don't seem to agree and my insurance has gone up, not down. My own insurance when asked, said that actually the Golf is group 4 and the Swift is group 6.

So does anyone here know anywhere else where I could find out what insurance group cars are? Does anyone know if the group drops with age of the model and if the groups are supposed to be the same across all insurance companies? Or am I just being penalized here for being a crappy driver and they're too "polite" to tell me?

[Murf]

Why not check the insurance group before you buy the car?
Or ask the insurance co what the lowest grouping cars are?

[Yossarian]

I'm generally under the impression insurance groups vary depending on the company.

I'd have personally placed the Golf as a higher insurance risk as it's the Driver (sporty...ish), old (not as safe, more prone to breaking down), easier to steal etc.

[Ral]

Why not check the insurance group before you buy the car?
Or ask the insurance co what the lowest grouping cars are?

I did. Or tried anyway and failed

I'm generally under the impression insurance groups vary depending on the company.

I'd have personally placed the Golf as a higher insurance risk as it's the Driver (sporty...ish), old (not as safe, more prone to breaking down), easier to steal etc.

Parkers agrees with you, I do (except for the sporty bit. Sheesh... ), but Admiral doesn't. And they're the ones handing out the bill

Ah well, was just wondering if anyone else had any other online source of information. Cheers

[Yossarian]

For an insurance company, any "special edition" or badge that suggests sportiness (i.e. "GTi" or "Driver") = higher risk.

A 1.6 Golf is cheaper to insure than the 1.6 Golf Driver.

[bkf_uk]

Do an insurance comparison online (tesco ect) and see what comes up! saying that though i had a group 6 suzuki vitara as my reviuos car and payed more for that than i do with the 440 turbo which is a group 13! so i only pay £500 for the volvo compared to the £620 for a crummy old suzuki 4x4 (oh i know thoses prices are high, but i am only 23!)

[esta]

DO NOT RELY ON PARKERS!

I had this problem with some cars, get this for a laugh...

At 19 I baught a 480 GT, Tesco no longer wished to insure me on as (they claim) it was a group 18 for under 21 but Parkers say (from memory) a group 14!! BUT they would insure me fully comp for £750 on a Jaguar XJRS V12 6l which according to Parkers is a group 20!!!

Different companies have different policies and their own group ratings for cars! It is best just to get quotes and not worry about groups, as it just seems to depend on who you go to! Good luck, insurance renewals and quotes are a big laugh, as nothing tallys up, and I know only too well how frustrating it is-you have NO idea how hard it was to change my insurance from an ES to a GT!!

O and check for what sort of insurance they offer-my boyfriend has a 2l in a Mk4 Escort XR3i, he has modified insurance and it costs him £1300 a year, BUT he has taken it off the road to add carbs to it, and wanted to change the car over to his bog standard Mk 7 Escort GTi-they want an extra £800!!! For a bog standard car!!! Specialist insurance people can be great, BUT not if you are likely to change it within in the year!