Study lifts lid on how insurers vary motor quotes

New research has exposed a wide gulf in the additional premium quoted for drivers with convictions by big personal lines insurers.

RSA quoted up to 55% more for motorists with a conviction for driving without due care and attention, while Aviva only increased its quote by up to 7% in the same circumstances, according to the study by consumer organisation Which?

RSA personal lines brand More Than also quoted 19% more for drivers with a conviction for speeding on the motorway, while Aviva’s quote increased by only 2%.

High- and low-risk quotes

Which? obtained online quotes from Aviva, the Co-operative, Direct Line, LV= and More Than for fictitious high and low risks.

The low-risk scenario was a 2012 Ford Focus 1.6 Zetec driven by someone in their mid-40s living in rural Cambridgeshire; the high-risk scenario was a 2013 BMW 120d Sports Coupé driven by a motorist in their mid-30s living in Tooting, south London.

The study tweaked other circumstances, including occupation and family status, to see how the rates changed.

Occupation issues

LV= was the most price-sensitive to occupation. It quoted brewery workers and private investigators up to 23% more, and a bar manager almost 28% more.

Direct Line quoted up to 22% for an unemployed driver, compared with the study’s default occupation of researcher.

Direct Line also increased premiums by up to 9% for drivers with children, while More Than’s quote did not change, and Aviva and the Co-op did not even ask.

Marriage status

LV= quoted up to 3% more for single, divorced or separated drivers, rather than married or widowed.

Direct Line added an extra 7% (low risk) and 8% (high risk) for drivers who did not own their home, while LV= and extra 4% and 5%.