IAM Surety.

[M5Tom]

All,

Just got my renewal from Admiral who I've been with for 6 years..(they've always been the cheapest).

Phoned IAM surety who every year normally refuse to insure me due to exhaust modifications.......one year saying to me, "An advanced driver shouldn't need to modify a car".

This year they've decided they will insure me!!!!

£100 cheaper than Admiral with better bits and bobs.

Recommended for all us IAM drivers.

[johnao]

M5Tom said:

All,

Phoned IAM surety who every year normally refuse to insure me due to exhaust modifications.......one year saying to me, "An advanced driver shouldn't need to modify a car".

Don't you just love their impertinence?

This is a commercial contract, the question is do they want to insure you or not? It's not about passing judgement on your likes and dislikes as an "advanced driver"

[Nigel_O]

My car is very heavily modified (only mechanically - cosmetically, it looks almost standard) - I'm now running more than double the original bhp

As soon as I mentioned "modified", IAM Surety simply weren't interested, so I spent my money with Adrian Flux instead

Edited by Nigel_O on Monday 14th November 20:19

[SVS]

Adrian Flux market themselves as offering a major discount to advanced motorists

[Nigel Worc's]

IAM surety is an odd scheme.

It works well for me, but my 29 year old, married, school maths teacher neighbour, IAM observer, is to young to have a BMW Z3 !

[SVS]

No. He's just not in a credible job to own a Z3. If he was in the hair trimming industry, I bet he'd get a great insurance deal on his Z3

More seriously, I think the trick with IAM Surety is to ask them to beat a quote. Then they usually offer the cheapest deal by far.

[Nigel Worc's]

SVS said:

No. He's just not in a credible job to own a Z3. If he was in the hair trimming industry, I bet he'd get a great insurance deal on his Z3

More seriously, I think the trick with IAM Surety is to ask them to beat a quote. Then they usually offer the cheapest deal by far.

Not quite, he was already insured with them, and had been for several years, when he changed his car they said they could not insure anyone under 30 in that car.

He had to cancel his Surety policy, and his best quote was with Admiral this year.

His is the 3.0 litre, so no hairdresser mobile.

As ever the scheme works for some, but not for others, I've also heard issues around subarus, and not just thw wrx jobby.

[M5Tom]

Not sure about the above being valid........I'm 27 and they insure my M5.........They quoted on it when I was 25 as well......Get him to ask them again maybe?

[trashbat]

First year of renewal with an IAM membership for me, so I got Surety to ring me.

Basically seems to be, "you meet our criteria, so we'll give you a couple of days to get the best quotes elsewhere, and then we'll beat that by £20 and give you extra benefits".

Can't complain about that.

[ScoobyChris]

trashbat said:

First year of renewal with an IAM membership for me, so I got Surety to ring me.

Basically seems to be, "you meet our criteria, so we'll give you a couple of days to get the best quotes elsewhere, and then we'll beat that by £20 and give you extra benefits".

Can't complain about that.

I was surprised that the attitude was not to offer a competitive price from the outset (is someone who has passed IAM a lower risk?) but to match/slightly better an existing quote. As it turned out, they shaved some £350 off their original quote by price-matching my best quote from an insurer I'd not heard of before on Moneysupermarket.

We'll see this time next year how comical the renewal quote is and whether it's worth renewing my IAM membership or not

Chris

[Nigel Worc's]

M5Tom said:

Not sure about the above being valid........I'm 27 and they insure my M5.........They quoted on it when I was 25 as well......Get him to ask them again maybe?

I'm very sure about it, I even spoke to them.

I'd guess a Z3 has a worse claims history to an M5.

[BOF]

I just renewed with IAM for the 4th year.

First quote was too high...I got quotes from Gocompare...gave IAM access to my quotes with a password.

Got acceptable requotes for both cars by phone next day...happy with them.

BOF

[trashbat]

BOF said:

I just renewed with IAM for the 4th year.

First quote was too high...I got quotes from Gocompare...gave IAM access to my quotes with a password.

Got acceptable requotes for both cars by phone next day...happy with them.

BOF

When you say gave them your password, are we talking specific sites or was it Moneysupermarket etc?

I ask because I have to do the same, but my best quote is via MS rather than being separately retrievable via a specific insurer website.

[trashbat]

ScoobyChris said:

I was surprised that the attitude was not to offer a competitive price from the outset (is someone who has passed IAM a lower risk?) but to match/slightly better an existing quote. As it turned out, they shaved some £350 off their original quote by price-matching my best quote from an insurer I'd not heard of before on Moneysupermarket.

We'll see this time next year how comical the renewal quote is and whether it's worth renewing my IAM membership or not

Well, yeah, but I sort of understand it; their target market is a bit weird compared to the usual insurers that pursue better defined groups e.g. young drivers, pensioners etc, so why not just act as the cuckoo and beat everyone else?

I'll be pleased if it provides a better standard of cover and covers a decent chunk of the IAM membership fee.

[ScoobyChris]

trashbat said:

I ask because I have to do the same, but my best quote is via MS rather than being separately retrievable via a specific insurer website.

Just change your password to something different and send them username and password so they can access. I used MS.

Chris

[ScoobyChris]

trashbat said:

I'll be pleased if it provides a better standard of cover and covers a decent chunk of the IAM membership fee.

Did they say what was included in the "better standard of cover"? Only thing I can think of off the top of my head is the 180 days Europe cover (which I won't use ) but there may well be other things... my memory isn't what it was

Chris

[trashbat]

ScoobyChris said:

Just change your password to something different and send them username and password so they can access. I used MS.

Chris

Cool, ta.

ScoobyChris said:

Did they say what was included in the "better standard of cover"? Only thing I can think of off the top of my head is the 180 days Europe cover (which I won't use ) but there may well be other things... my memory isn't what it was

Chris

I've forgotten too, but remember that cheap cover like Admiral etc is often lacking in what you might consider extras - hire car, personal accident etc.

[tulloch]

ScoobyChris said:

Did they say what was included in the "better standard of cover"? Only thing I can think of off the top of my head is the 180 days Europe cover (which I won't use ) but there may well be other things... my memory isn't what it was

Chris

No excess if non-fault, no loading for non-fault claims, cover for IAM Skills days for £15 with your normal excess.

[trashbat]

Done.

Prior to all this, I would have gone with Admiral's best, pretend-I'm-a-new-customer quote of £583, although that includes £20+ discount for being an IAM Member.

Moneysupermarket then provided me with 'Premium Choice' (who?) and their best quote of £501. Not sure that I would have taken that up.

Anyway, I got Surety to beat that, ending up with £469.35.

[RB5Bird]

I've been with surety for a few years now. Every year after the renewal price comes through I shop around, and go back to them with the best quote from some unknown name insurer. They always beat it, and one year even had a "phone off" between surety and LV, they were calling me back at 10 minute intervals trying to beat each other.

No problem with having a Subaru either, although my RB5 is a completely standard WR Sport. I would recommend them to everyone who has IAM, but like said it's probably not for everyone, but worth a go.

Agreed that you do have to know how to work it, got the hubby to call them as they cover spouses as well. He got a quote, said it was rubbish, THEN went on MS and got better quotes. Told him he did it the wrong way round.