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Wheel question: What's the insurance implication?

I own an 06 model Range Rover Sport that came on 20" Continental Summer tyres which are rubbish for anything other than road-driving! As I have horses and tow a trailer, and with last November/December conditions, I am considering changing all the tyres to something more suitable such as an all season/all terrain tyre, or possibly purchase a spare set of wheels and put winter tyres on. However, it has been suggested to me that this would be classed as a 'modification' for insurance purposes and would therefore, if declared, make the car subject to an additional premium. (My towbar was factory-fitted and therefore did not need to be declared as a modification.) Can you shed any light on this please?

Asked on 15 January 2010 by JP, Burdon, Sunderland

Answered by Honest John
No. The ABI has ruled that fitting a car with more sensible wheels and winter tyres does not constitute a modification leading to a premium increase, but the insurer must still be notified. You need to go down to the smallest wheel size that will fit around the brakes with a much deeper profile tyre to bring it to the same rolling circumference as the stupid, useless bling 20" wheels and tyres. I think for a Range Rover 18" is as small as you can go.
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