Why did I pay less by insuring without my NCB?

Having been without her own car for three years, my wife recently bought a £600 runaround. Having shopped around, we found insurance for £160 fully comp + £30 to protect her 10+ years No Claims Bonus. Then I realised her NCB had expired after two years. Revisiting the comparison site you can imagine our surprise that the quote with zero NCB was £170. I'm wondering why anybody would stump up the annual £30 to protect a £10 saving. It makes no sense, other drivers might like to check they can't get insurance cheaper if they ignore their NCB and the protection racket that seems to come with it. I know I will on renewal for my car.

Asked on 27 June 2017 by Peter Linton

Answered by Honest John

I would be very very careful, there is clearly a large part of information missing here that is creating the anomaly. This situation sounds like the result of your wife's age, her having no claims, accidents or convictions in the last five years, the area you live, and - perhaps - your wife not needing to commute. The quote is low due to the risk being low. If the risk was high at the start, the No Claims Bonus makes a massive difference. If you're a low risk, no point protecting your no claims (as you are not going to claim). If you are a high risk and commute, protected no claims is essential. Especially in light of where insurance premiums are going to escalate to in the next 12 months.

Tags: insurance reducing insurance premiums owning consumer advice ncb

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