Story link: Snow and ice take car insurance claims up 23%

Car insurance claims are up 23% as a result of the severe winter weather conditions, AA Insurance has reported. Snow and ice have left motorists colliding with a range of vehicles and stationery objects, with incidents such as tail-end collisions at traffic lights or roundabouts and sliding into other road users the most common. Claims [...]

Fraud fuels 31% hike in car insurance premiums

by Gill Montia

Story link: Fraud fuels 31% hike in car insurance premiums

The AA has named fraud as a major contributor to a 31% increase in car insurance premiums, over the past 12 months. According to the motoring organisation, the typical cost of fully comprehensive cover currently stands at £704, premiums having risen at their fastest rate since records began 16 years ago. Furthermore, premiums for younger [...]

AA launches learner driver policy

by Gill Montia

Story link: AA launches learner driver policy

The AA has joined forces with Collingwood Insurance Services to offer a policy for learner drivers that won’t affect the car owner’s insurance. Learner Driver Insurance is available online and costs from £96.50 for an initial 28-day period of fully-comprehensive cover. AA Insurance and Driving School, director, Simon Douglas, says: “Many parents are put off [...]

Increasing fraud leads to rising car premiums

by Richard Kilner

Story link: Increasing fraud leads to rising car premiums

The AA British Insurance Premium Index has discovered that fraud is fuelling a surge in car insurance premiums, which are now rising faster than ever before. In the second quarter of 2010 premiums increased by 11%, the largest rise in the Index’s 16 year history. The average Shoparound premium hit the £704 mark for an [...]

AA index shows £197 saving with comparison sites

by Richard Kilner

Story link: AA index shows £197 saving with comparison sites

Gocompare.com’s Business Development Director Lee Griffin has stated that the AA’s premium index highlights the importance of browsing when it comes to car insurance. According to the AA index, the average premium for comprehensive car insurance now stands at £980, whilst the average cost on a comparison website is £197 lower at £783. Griffin went [...]

AA disappoints volcanic ash claimants

by Gill Montia

Story link: AA disappoints volcanic ash claimants

AA Travel Insurance is reported to have reneged on a promise to pay out on travel claims resulting from the volcanic ash cloud. According to yesterday’s Guardian, an original offer to cover the cost of policyholders’ disrupted travel plans was an act of goodwill, and the insurer’s underwriters have reconsidered their position as airlines look [...]

AA British Insurance Premium Index reports Q1 news

by Richard Kilner

Story link: AA British Insurance Premium Index reports Q1 news

The AA British Insurance Premium Index has found that the surge in car insurance premiums that bedevilled 2009 came to an abrupt halt in the first quarter of 2010. The Index tracks home and car insurance every quarter and discovered a 3.2% decline in the average premium of a comprehensive car insurance policy. However, the [...]

AA Insurance warns against dangers of car theft

by Richard Kilner

Story link: AA Insurance warns against dangers of car theft

AA Insurance has reported that every single day at least 53 householders in England and Wales discover that their car has been stolen, following the theft of their cars from their home. In 2008/2009 19,400 cars were stolen by this method, according to a parliamentary answer by Home Secretary Alan Johnson, a rise of almost [...]

AA to provide health insurance

by Richard Kilner

Story link: AA to provide health insurance

The AA, best known for assisting motorists whose vehicles have broken down, has entered the healthcare domain, collaborating with AXA PPP healthcare to offer both members and non-members three levels of private medical insurance. The firm will also offer a helpline that operates 24 hours a day. Director Simon Douglas has described the move as [...]

AA partners Moorhouse in commercial lines offering

by Gill Montia

Story link: AA partners Moorhouse in commercial lines offering

AA Insurance has launched a range of own-brand products aimed at small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The group has joined forces with Moorhouse Brands, a subsidiary of Welsh broker Moorhouse, to develop an offering that contains a range of policies tailored for SMEs, trades people and the construction industry. The selection includes liability insurance, professional [...]

Car premiums rise at fastest rate in 15 years

by Gill Montia

Story link: Car premiums rise at fastest rate in 15 years

The AA’s car insurance premium index shows average premiums increasing 14% in the past year. In the last quarter alone, typical premiums surged 5.6%, rising at their fastest rate since the AA began keeping records 15 years ago. Motorists who shop around can expect to pay £522 on average for fully-comprehensive cover, whereas those who [...]

Car ownership a ‘rite of passage’ for teenage drivers

by David Masters

Story link: Car ownership a ‘rite of passage’ for teenage drivers

More than two-thirds of drivers aged between 18 and 24 owned their first car as a teenager, research by AA Insurance has discovered. This is compared to just 28% of drivers aged over 65 who owned their first car in their teens. As well as buying cars at a younger age, newly qualified drivers are [...]

Helphire loses AA referrals

by David Masters

Story link: Helphire loses AA referrals

Helphire has lost the referral contracts it held with the AA and Saga, leaving an 11% dent in its turnover. The news came as an added blow to the company after it reported it was hit with £82 million of one-off charges in the six months to 30 June. Despite the gloomy reports, shares in [...]

Sexy pedestrians distract male drivers

by David Masters

Story link: Sexy pedestrians distract male drivers

Three quarters of motorists admit to having been distracted while driving. The most likely distractions include attractive people in other cars, attractive pedestrians, and a “nice view”. Seven in ten men admit to being distracted by an attractive person in another car or on the street, compared with just a quarter of women. “A nice [...]

Buildings and contents premiums diverge

by Gill Montia

Story link: Buildings and contents premiums diverge

New research from AA Insurance shows a 10% rise in the average cost of residential buildings insurance, over the 12 months to the end of June. The cost of annual buildings cover has now risen for the sixth successive quarter, to £223.92. However, those making a keen effort to shop around can expect to pay [...]

Motor premiums soar on fraud and personal injury costs

by Gill Montia

Story link: Motor premiums soar on fraud and personal injury costs

New research from AA Insurance shows that car insurance premiums are rising at a faster rate than at any time since 2000. According to the insurer, Comprehensive cover increased to an average £778.13 at the end of June, up 3.5% from end March and showing an 11.3% rise on a year earlier. For Third Party [...]

The ‘hit-and-run’ car-park drivers

by David Masters

Story link: The ‘hit-and-run’ car-park drivers

One in nine motorists would flee the scene if they bumped a parked car, research from AA Insurance has discovered. Of 8,800 drivers polled by the AA, 1,000 said they’d drive away rather than owning up if they accidentally damaged a parked car. Applied across the UK, that’s nearly 4 million motorists. The AA also [...]

AA: Combined home insurance is poor value

by David Masters

Story link: AA: Combined home insurance is poor value

Two in five households could save money by choosing buildings and contents insurance from separate providers, research by AA Insurance has discovered. An AA survey of 25,000 home insurance quotes in April, May and June 2009 found that 41% of households are better off buying buildings and contents insurers from separate providers. This figure rises [...]

AA: High premiums punish responsible young drivers

by David Masters

Story link: AA: High premiums punish responsible young drivers

Motor insurers should use more sophisticated methods to calculate premiums so conscientious young drivers no longer have to subsidise the 20% of young motorists who crash within a year of passing their test. Simon Douglas, director of AA Insurance, said companies should reward young motorists who drive carefully. “I believe the industry must work together [...]

Car insurance premiums show unexpected first-quarter rise

by Gill Montia

Story link: Car insurance premiums show unexpected first-quarter rise

The AA’s latest British Insurance Premium Index shows a 1.3% rise in the average quoted premium for annual comprehensive car insurance over the first quarter of 2009. Notably, premiums tend to fall during the first three months of the year as most car insurance renewals take place during this period and competition is therefore strong. [...]