Modification and Insurance

[BOAK]

Hello all,

I am insured with Direct Line, and recently enquired on my policy into adding a remap to my Polo Blue GT.

I'm 22 years old, and allegedly need to be 25 in order to be insured on my Blue GT with a remap, so Direct Line completely refused to add it to my policy for any fee.

I'm already paying £998 for my insurance with 4 years no claims (Considerably less than the £1400 & £1300 quoted from Admiral and Churchill).

Has anyone else had issues with insurers accepting modifications?

Which insurers would you recommend?

[joe6]

If you are modifying a car then try specialist insurers for quotes. Many of the large insurers won't touch any mods including small things like deleting daytime running lights and changing to aftermarket wheels.

[SRGTD]

I put a set of VW Motorsport alloys on my Polo GTI. No problems with my insurer (Aviva) with making the change; they asked me the value of the wheels and wanted confirmation I had locking wheel bolts fitted. They did charge me an additional premium - I think it was about an extra £18 a year.

[Ricmondo]

I used to be an inveterate and sometimes extreme car modifier, I have been insured with LV and Frizzels, a company taken over by LV since 1963, okay I'm an old git.

A long time ago but I could not find any insurer who would insure modified cars until I passed 25, it was also difficult to insure anything sporty until you passed the quarter century.

Since passing the bogey age I have always declared modifications, I usually had to pay a nominal admin charge to amend the policy but the only time I had to pay an additional policy charge was when I decided that MGBs really needed a 5.7 litre Chevrolet engine, improves the heater and keeps your feet warm. That increased the premium by around 20%.

I've never been charged for chipping or remapping but you may be asked for a report by a certified automotive engineer to confirm that the modified car does not exceed homologated loadings etc.

Being claim free with the same insurer for some 53 years probably helps.

[SRGTD]

A long time ago but I could not find any insurer who would insure modified cars until I passed 25, it was also difficult to insure anything sporty until you passed the quarter century.

I think most insurers in the U.K. class any one under 25 as a young driver, so rightly or wrongly take a more cautious approach to this segment of customers.

[BOAK]

I used to be an inveterate and sometimes extreme car modifier, I have been insured with LV and Frizzels, a company taken over by LV since 1963, okay I'm an old git.

A long time ago but I could not find any insurer who would insure modified cars until I passed 25, it was also difficult to insure anything sporty until you passed the quarter century.

Since passing the bogey age I have always declared modifications, I usually had to pay a nominal admin charge to amend the policy but the only time I had to pay an additional policy charge was when I decided that MGBs really needed a 5.7 litre Chevrolet engine, improves the heater and keeps your feet warm. That increased the premium by around 20%.

I've never been charged for chipping or remapping but you may be asked for a report by a certified automotive engineer to confirm that the modified car does not exceed homologated loadings etc.

Being claim free with the same insurer for some 53 years probably helps.

Looks like it's another couple of years for me then, hoping to see a significant drop but the way prices are going probably won't end up being as dramatic as first hoped.

I'll have a look at LV next time renewal is up, as they seem to all be vying to claw my eyes out at present.

[Ash6R]

Have you declared any other modifications with directline? I've just switched to directline since it was the cheapest this year and I've got a few mods I'm planning to do, all of it exterior such as black door mirrors, black badges etc... Just wanted to see how friendly they with mods such as that.

[6RPotentialBuyer]

Please PM me for info about this post.

[SRGTD]

6RPotentialBuyer, I would say the most important point to take from your post is for anyone who is considering modifying their cars, to make sure they declare all modifications to their insurer as you have done, irrespective of how small or insignificant some mods may seem (e.g. Different mirror caps, different grille to the standard item(s)).

As you have found, insurers won't always charge extra premium for all types of modifications, but they do need to be told of them. Not to declare mods means;

• the insurer isn't able to assess the risk correctly, and therefore assess whether or not a modification increases the insurance risk and the premium requirements compared to the standard risk with no modifications.

• in the event of a claim, an insurer could void the policy, which would effectively mean a person with undeclared modifications has been driving without insurance.

A person with undeclared modifications will also have committed insurance fraud, defined by the industry body for insurers (the Association of British Insurers) as;

'Insurance fraud is when someone invents or exaggerates a claim, or does not tell the truth in order to obtain cheaper cover'.

Insurance fraud can result in a criminal conviction, and the insurer is also likely to add details of a policyholder committing insurance fraud to the Insurance Fraud Register, which is an insurance industry-wide database, available to all insurers. This could impact a person's ability to obtain insurance in the future, and / or affect the premium they're charged.

Not worth taking the risk.

Edit; when you do declare mods, make certain the insurer fully understands what the mod(s) is(are), so give them as much information as possible to enable them to fully assess the risk. If you don't, it could come back to bite you!

[Ricmondo]

Well potential buyer, if I read you correctly you have bent the truth somewhat in order to get your insurers approval.

Whilst I understand and sympathise it is, in the final analysis a false statement and constitutes fraud.

I think you should avoid advertising it in a post, you just don't know who reads the forum. Better safe than sorry.

If I've misunderstood the situation, easy with the springs but not so much with the tinting I apologise.

Enjoy your car but don't underestimate the insurance companies, the live chat folk may be friendly and accommodating, claims assessors are an entirely different breed, part Rotweiler and part rejected KGB officer.

[RUM4MO]

I agree with every thing that Ricmondo has written above, take very great care!

[Ash6R]

Post removed.

[Bevii3]

your insurance seems quite steep as it is, im 23 with a blue gt and im paying just under £500

[SRGTD]

your insurance seems quite steep as it is, im 23 with a blue gt and im paying just under £500

There could be multiple reasons for differences your premium compared to the OP's premium. Insurers use many rating factors when calculating a premium these days, so it's not possible to draw comparisons based just on a person's age and the car they drive.

Some (but not all) of the factors that will influence a premium;

• postcode district

• claims history and number of years no claims discount

• any accidents and convictions

• policyholder's occupation

• marital status

• other named drivers using the vehicle and their claims, accident and conviction history

• voluntary excess selected

• estimated annual mileage driven

• where the vehicle is garaged

[6RPotentialBuyer]

Well potential buyer, if I read you correctly you have bent the truth somewhat in order to get your insurers approval.

Whilst I understand and sympathise it is, in the final analysis a false statement and constitutes fraud.

I think you should avoid advertising it in a post, you just don't know who reads the forum. Better safe than sorry.

If I've misunderstood the situation, easy with the springs but not so much with the tinting I apologise.

Enjoy your car but don't underestimate the insurance companies, the live chat folk may be friendly and accommodating, claims assessors are an entirely different breed, part Rotweiler and part rejected KGB officer.

I agree with you on this and it is completely a grey area. I would always advise people to declare their modifications and ensure they are listed on their policy. I don't believe my method is entirely fraudulent however I am just rewording how mods are typically declared. I have taken your advice on board about the window tints and told DirectLine that I had the windows tinted. They are happy to keep the modification on my policy as they are only factory tints. Again I have kept a copy of the transcript. I have also removed the post as you are right. The claims assessors could be a bit nasty! Although my modifications are declared, I don't think it'd be worth the fight over just removing the post. If anyone would like more information please PM me