I am with LV, have been for a good few years now.

Excess as above, no legal cover, car hire, etc etc. I just pay my premium without any addons.

Works for me., but some people like "everything" covered.

Surely these terms are to reduce the number of small or 'vexatious' claims. It would be ridiculous to expect companies to pay out for £100 repairs which policyholders would be better off just paying.

You will find the prices at the top of the price comparison list have compulsory AND voluntary excesses. It's all a clever bit of marketing to make you thing 'ooh, that's not a bad price...'.

Also, comparison sites dont include Churchill or Direct Line (both parts of UK Insurance) and you can often, depending on car and driving record, find a similar or lower price with a lower excess.

To eliminate petty claims, most companies now insist on a minimum excess, which in most no fault accidents can be reclaimed from the other party. What you need to avoid is two big excesses, vol and compulsory, like the £450 you indicate.

As always, shop around for insurance, there a no benefits for loyalty. Also bear in mind if you have a premium brand car, ie Mini/BMW, then their insurance brands will be competitive but offer repairs at an approved BMW/Mini bodyshop using OEM parts. That wont be the case with many others, as they have dealer with big repair chains and will use non-OEM parts to keep cost of claim down. I once had a Mondeo repaired after I rear ended someone and within 3 years of the accident the only rust on the car was on the wing which had been replaced.

I've never taken personal insurance, and is your legal cover from a house policy valid? DOnt pay twice for cover. Breakdown cover - again, shop around

As for 'customer care', does such a thing exist any more?

One other suggestion, some of the cash back sites can link you to a policy where after x weeks, you get £35 to £80 back, depending on provider. This can ease the cost.

Finally, install a dash cam if you haven't already. Can save a lot of post accident arguments between insurers after the other party changes their story and tries to blames you 100%.