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I am in the process of arranging my mother's car insurance (she will be 80 in February). She has an 'L' reg VW Polo, for which I have guessed an optimistic value of £500. She always had comprehensive cover, and has 9 years protected no claims bonus, and a 3 point penalty on her licence from 2006. The annual renewal premium from her current insurer is £216, and is better than I have managed to get on the two main comparison sites. Is the best option to keep on with the PNCD, as she is paying £216 with a £125 excess, for a car valued at not too much more? What would be her best option?

Asked on 20 February 2010 by J.R., Bradford

Answered by Honest John
It's best for elderly people not to swap insurers because new cover is
often refused. (My mum and dad are both 85.) £216 is good anyway and third party might not be any cheaper. It’s worth mentioning here the IAM’s initiative offering a friendly assessment of older people’s driving and a few tips to help they stay safe. More at www.iam.org.uk/drivecheck55 A Supreme Court Judgement needs to be made about what ‘Protected No Claims Discount’ actually means. Currently, insurers are increasing base premiums after a claim by far more than the PNCD reduces them. Insurers argue that policyholders still pay less than they would have without PNCD, but I don’t think that’s what policyholders thought they were buying. Honourable exceptions include SAGA.
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