Step-back - insuring your insurance - may be a bit gimmicky (I avoid it too) but I've found Windscreen (glass) cover to be well worth it over the years, and I don't think it adds too much to the quote.
Last edited:
Motor What about optional extras like windscreen insurance and NCB protection?
- Thread starter michaelm
- Start date
It may be a gimmick but is it not effectively a mandatory one?
Have you compared your quote with 0 versus 5+ no claims years?
Re windscreen cover - I had a stone hit a few years ago and the repair cost €50, the additional premium would have been €25 so I wasn't too upset I hadn't taken it. Since then I do have windscreen cover because I fear too many chips will necessitate a new windscreen and they cost a lot more than €50.
Re step-back, etc, afaik you don't actually have no claims so other insurers won't allow NCB, and the insurer you are with may just decide to increase the headline premium.
Re step-back, etc, afaik you don't actually have no claims so other insurers won't allow NCB, and the insurer you are with may just decide to increase the headline premium.
Brendan Burgess
Founder
- Messages
- 52,119
Depending on your car it seems to be about €200 to €300 for a new windscreen. (I rang Autoglaze and Mr Windscreen and neither would tell me the price over the phone.)
But you will pay far more than that when you go to renew your insurance. You won't be able to switch as you have made a claim in the last 5 years. And when the insurance company knows you can't switch, they push up the price of your insurance.
It's exactly the same with the NCB insurance and step-back. Sure the percentage discount will remain the same. But they can hike up the pre discount figure as much as they like as you won't be able to switch.
Brendan
But you will pay far more than that when you go to renew your insurance. You won't be able to switch as you have made a claim in the last 5 years. And when the insurance company knows you can't switch, they push up the price of your insurance.
It's exactly the same with the NCB insurance and step-back. Sure the percentage discount will remain the same. But they can hike up the pre discount figure as much as they like as you won't be able to switch.
Brendan
My understanding is that a windscreen claim will usually not affect your no claims discount/years with your current insurer.
But there's nothing to say that they don't load you at renewal time as a result of such a claim.
And when shopping around other insurers may treat a windscreen claim as a break of your no claims discount or load you otherwise?
My view on motor insurance is similar to my view on house insurance - it's for the worst case scenario and in many (most?) cases it is better not to claim at all if possible due to the subsequent impact on premiums.
I insure my house in case it falls/burns down.
If I break the telly or destroy the carpet I would cover the cost of replacement myself and would never countenance claiming the effective cost of the telly/carpet would be huge due to the knock on effect of the claim on future premiums.
Obviously motor insurance is a bit different in that you are at the mercy of others on the road and you could end up paying for incidents even where you are not at fault.
I'm beginning to come around to the idea that comprehensive is not really necessary for my situation.
I have a cheap car and if it was damaged/written off then I'd most likely foot the bill for repair/replacement myself.
If I drove a more expensive car then maybe I would think differently.
But in many (most?) cases it seems pointless/cost ineffective to claim?
On the other hand the best deals for my situation will upgrade from TPFT to comprehensive for about €20 so in that case maybe it's worth taking it?
I'm still confused about whether or not NCB protection is a good idea or not.
Again the best deals for my situation will add this for about €40-€50.
It's also worth mentioning that most insurance companies have a minimum premium policy and sometimes if your actual premium is below this minimum premium you can add on some optional extras free of charge without exceeding the minimum premium
This also has the added benefit in future years when your insurance does go up in price you can remove these extras to reduce your premium
This also has the added benefit in future years when your insurance does go up in price you can remove these extras to reduce your premium
I would agree with this, I replaced the windscreen in my last three cars and never had an issue with it affecting my NCB
But I'm of the opinion that windscreen cover is not an optional extra these days but is covered under your standard policy ??
Brendan Burgess
Founder
- Messages
- 52,119
Hi Cervelo
did you switch to a new insurer and state that you had no claims or did you disclose it and they just ignored it?
I would have thought that someone who made three claims for a new windscreen was a higher risk than someone who never made such a claim.
Brendan
But how do you know that they don't load for it?
A common complaint from people is "my renewal premium is much higher than last year".
Maybe some of them claimed on the windscreen cover?
And, as Brendan and others mention, isn't it quite likely that if you try to move to a different insurer then a windscreen claim will result in a loading/penalty? At the very least you can't say for sure due to the opacity of insurers' actuarial criteria and risk pricing.
Seems to me that somebody who can afford it should basically never claim which renders stuff like comprehensive and windscreen cover pointless. (I realise that incidents involving another party may not offer this latitude.).
This was over a long period of time, 06, 10, and lastly 2017 all were stone chips that cracked the windscreen or developed into a crack
Yes three different insures and cars and all three noted it on my NCB because after all it is a claim against my policy
As far as I'm aware most insures cover windscreen breakage as standard on their policies and don't penalise you for it should you make a claim
But I'm sure there is also a limit on how many claims you can make before it affects your NCB, like one a year or one claim every three years??
Brendan Burgess
Founder
- Messages
- 52,119
It's not what your current insurer does.
I presume that the next time you shopped around you reported the claim? Did the other insurers say "We ignore windscreen claims." ?
Brendan
But you don't know if the base premium contained a loading?
losttheplot
Registered User
- Messages
- 602
Do newer cars have more complicated windscreens (sensors etc). A mechanic told me to replace some windscreens involves recalibrating the camera system on the car. So for newer cars windscreen cover is probably worth it.
The B/down gives gross premium for comp cover, then discounts, loadings (nil) etc. No mention of a loading.
I'll be honest an say the first two windscreens were done through the broker that I was dealing with at that time
It was him who told me that a windscreen claim doesn't affect your NCB but that was back in '06
It might be different today but my last claim in 2017 was with Aviva and the next renewal noted the claim on my NCB but my premium was lower
This is true, I don't look at gross premiums anymore since I retired but back in the day I would have concentrated more on the gross premium or more specifically the rates that are used to calculate the gross premium especially for the commercial policies that I was renewing
Nowadays I just look at the net premium for my car as all the discount percentages that I get like Loyalty, Penalty Point etc etc keep changing every year and couldn't be bothered comparing gross premiums year on year when the net premium is roughly the same each year
That's my point.
You have no idea how they came up with the base premium and it could easily already account for previous windscreen claims.