Common car insurance myths

Every day, we have customers phoning up or coming in to see us, bewildered about things their insurance companies have told them. We endeavour to make sure everyone knows their rights when it comes to insurance issues, making for a stress-free repair process, should the worst happen.

1. You must take your vehicle to a repair centre specified by your insurance company – False! Following an incident, your insurance company is likely to tell you that you must take your vehicle to one of their approved repair centres, regardless of the distance between your address and the garage itself! We’ve seen many customers sending their vehicles to towns and cities a substantial distance away from them for repair, when they didn’t need to!
   
   In reality, it is your right to take your vehicle to any repair centre of your choosing. We always recommend doing your due diligence to select a reputable repair centre and staying local where possible – visit out blog ‘What are the benefits of using a local repairer?’ for further information.
   
   
2. Your insurance company will only repair your car with new and genuine parts – Not true! If you did decide to go with your insurance company’s recommended approved repairer, your insurer may have granted them the use of non-genuine and/or used parts. Whilst this may result in a lower repair cost, it may also compromise the safety of your vehicle.
   
   It’s worth checking your insurance policy documents to see exactly what you’ve agreed to.
   
   
3. Personal car insurance covers business use – Many people are unaware that their insurance policy doesn’t cover them for business use in line with their job role. If you’re travelling to more than one place during a day for your job, you may need to purchase additional business coverage.
   
   
4. Claiming on your insurance policy will always result in a significant increase in your premiums – Incorrect! We see so many customers here at CARS, and many are hesitant to claim on their insurance policies, even after major accidents! People tend to assume that making a claim will result in an extortionate rise in premium costs but in reality, the premium is likely to go up by a minimal amount, if at all. For example, we might estimate that it costs £2,500 to repair damage to your vehicle. It’s almost impossible for your insurance to go up by this amount. As a result, making a claim might be in your best interests.
   
   
5. Your premium will automatically decrease each year – Sadly, no. Many people assume that their insurance premium will go down on renewal each year. However, research has shown that insurance costs are on the rise – visit our blog ‘Is the cost of car insurance going up?’ for further information.
   
   There are also many other reasons your premium may increase, such as change of address, change in vehicle or change in occupation, among others. We also encourage our customers to do their research before accepting the auto-renewal price supplied by their insurers, as there may be cheaper options available.