Having driven for 15 unblemished years my NCB was fully intact. I left the UK to live in Lanzarote for 16 months. I insured my Spanish car through Linea Directa (Direct Line) using my UK NCB. Now I have returned to the UK and because I have lapsed my UK driving insurance my NCB has gone back to zero!!
Be warned if you stop driving for a period of time your NCB stops as well. Direct line tell me that because the spanish organisation is separate from the UK one they can not transfer the NCB???
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Hello.
It sounds like a good way of making money out of good motorists.
Really unfair.
--
(iam not a mechanic)
Martin Winters
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Try some other insurance companies, they may give you discounts even if you have no NCD.
Hugo
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I suspect that you are talking to a call handler. You really should try discussing the wine making process with a till operator at Tescos - its much the same thing.
1) Get proof of your NCD from 16 months ago and state that you have had no insurance/accidents in the meantime. NCD is *always* valid for at least two years.
or
2) As 1) but also get proof of claim free driving from Spain to add to it. Virtually all companies will give you max NCD.
Truth of the matter is that Direct Line would give you full NCD if you spoke to the right person.
Persist.
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Grocer
Mark is as good as an authority on insurance as we have here. Take his advice. I still owe him a pint for the £100 plus he saved me.
Hugo
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Try another insurer.
I spent 4yrs living in the US and had no problems when I came back. Google Adrian Flux and give them a call. They didn't throw their hands up when I said it was an american car, they accepted my US driving record from a renewal notice and were significantly cheaper than other brokers I contacted. They also arranged 60% introductory discount when I bought my second car.
I have no connection with them other than both my cars being insured through them.
Kevin...
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Direct line will give you a hard time about transferring NCD from abroad.
However the following companies WILL accept your NCD
1)Quotemehappy
2)Esure
3)Tesco
Just making things difficult will only loose them a customer.I found Directline notoriously difficult, so didnt bother wasting time with them.
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Direct Line will allow the use of international NCD - it simply depends on who you speak to in the call centre. I got the person I spoke to ask someone, and then confirm in writing that they would use my NCD from Kenya. This they did (their rule at that time (!) was that it had to be in English).
Norwich Union also honoured my Kenyan NCD without issue.
I have found Direct Line incredibly helpful in all matters over the last 18 months (setting up insurance, renewing and negotiating when I said I had a better deal, dealing with a claim....), buut just like everyone else, one person does not make a very good sample
Jono
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isnt tesco just direct line rebadged anyways ? slightly cheaper premiums, and slightly less good policies on hire cars during repairs if i recall, but same people in call centre will answer your call, they know which number you rang so they know which you are a customer of ?
or does anyone know better?
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I also heard that Tescos was re-badged Direct Line. Direct Line might accept international NCD, but it depends on the car you are insuring. I contacted Direct Line and was assured my US NCD would be valid. After I bought and took delivery of my car they calmly said "Oh no, we won't accept it for that car (BMW 520), maybe you should get a smaller one".
After a panic about what to do with a car I couldn't insure, Norwich Union came through, accepted my full NCD *and* they were cheaper than Direct line. So huge thanks to whoever it was at Direct Line that fobbed me off.
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My experience on returning from Oz was that Direct Line were one of the few companies to accept my NCD which I had frst taken with me to Oz and then wanted to bring back.
When I left the UK in the first place had a letter from then insurer (was Hill House Hammond) stating 2 year rule for retaining NCD without any problems, after that it is at dicretion of company.
I am surprised to hear NU mentioned...at the time (2001) they were one of the big companies that would not accept a total of 12 years (7 UK and 5 Oz) NCD.
StarGazer
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Direct Line, Tesco, & Churchill are all indeed the same company, and you will be talking to a call handler in any one of the three interlinked call centres (sometimes even the RBOS and sometimes even Green Flag).
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If you go to Co-ops www.cis.co.uk you'll find that they usually give a 45% introductory NCD if you are over 25, even without proff of existing NCD.
I recommend them highly: their default policy includes any driver driving with owner's permission, which I find a very useful safety aid, because I can share the driving on long journeys.
Also, their rates seem reasonably competitive and they don't seem to play the game of upping your premium each year, forcing you to hunt around for another insurer who will also give you a daft renewal quote
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