Renewing car insurance - need advice

See how much cheaper your insurance is on Go Compare or a similar site and then speak to Saga, they will be able to lower it for you, may not reach the lowest but they will see what they can do, they don’t like losing customers. I shop around, I don’t always go with the cheapest, especially if I don’t know the company. I have Saga house insurance, they are very good, but changed my husbands car as they said it wasn’t covered if he left it on the drive and not in the garage. Our drive is very secure with electric gates, lights and a camera and is a distance off the lane so not easily accessible. He usually garages it but occasionally might just leave it on the drive.

I have kept on with saga after a phone call and a reduction in the cost. Thanks to you all for the good advice.

Saga explained how it had come about and blamed the underwriters rather than the company for not rewarding loyalty. I put my son on the insurance while he was here from NZ for his dad's illness and that had somehow carried over to the next year.
For the same reduced price I get a few extra perks too. Most of the cheap premiums set a very high excess.
I am sorry others have had bad experiences.

I left NFU for the house insurance when they failed me over a claim. I now have saga for that too. I reasoned that even if they don't pay up at least the annual premiums are half what they were.
It is annoying though that nothing can be taken for granted.

A friend was with Saga and got treated very badly when she did make a claim - had to take it to their approved dealers who were miles away, didn’t get any help and lots of quibbling. The only time I made a claim with Direct Line( after a bin lorry crashed into it when it was parked - I wasn’t in it) they were brilliant and took care of everything.

I think that you can only judge Car Insurance by how they act when you need them, so read as many reviews as you can, the cheapest might not be the best.
The NFU helped an acquaintance out after an accident a few years ago, they were brilliant, they pulled out all the stops and proved that the accident wasn’t our mates fault, ( which we all knew as we knew all of the circumstances) even providing expert opinions and forensic evidence as proof, when the Police seemed determined to prosecute, this ensured the case didn’t go to court.
I hope my current insurance will be as good if I ever need it.

After being with The Pru for many years and no decent offer made when I rang, I used a comparison site and chose Dial Direct which offered exactly the same at less than half the price, which has stayed almost the same for 2 renewals. I cannot fault their service, but I haven't made a claim.

If you want a name you know, I remember that M & S was one of the cheapest quotes.

Good luck!

We changed to Direct Line from Saga.
Saga treated us badly. Storm Doris launched a tree branch onto our car. They wanted to write it off. I got a quote from the local Toyota approved repairer., and sent to Saga.
Saga approved the repair.
Then withdrew the courtesy car after week on the grounds that I had had the repair carried out by a repairer not approved by them.
They refused to listen, until I threatened to take them to the Ombudsman.
When e changed cars, changed insurance and thold Saga that they had been dishonest, and would never get ANY business from us ever again.
They are only brokers for Aegas anyway.
Direct Line gave a refund for low mileage during the start of lockdown, and have "start mileage" for the current year, so that they can give a refund / discount for reduced "end mileage" when renewal is due in a month or so's time.

If you query their renewal price, "As a valued customer", they often reduce the increase.
Seem fair to me

I don't know Saga, but I second careful research of what is on offer. There can be a lot of 'hidden' savings. You may still get proper cover, but if you have an accident, a company that doesn't quibble, delivers a decent replacement car, covers uninsured losses, protects no-claims bonus etc. can be well worth the extra.
If you are fit, have a second car, live somewhere with good public transport etc. you may not need those things as much as I do!

Great advice thanks everyone. I hope we all get a good deal.

I got a very good price when negotiating with Saga upon renewal. I was armed with another quote and had carefully checked that it included exactly the same things. After giving me various reductions including a reduced mileage now I don’t travel to work, they were able to almost match the other price and then offered a price freeze for three years.

So, although I did like the tactics of having the negotiate each year, I did stay with Saga and was very happy with the cost. But I’m waiting to get a new car, ordered it but there is a long wait, so I guess I’ll have to look around all over again!

I went to an insurance agent who researched best prices for me and I chose the best one. They did all the work and came up with a much cheaper quote than I could find anywhere else. I suppose they get a kick back from the insurance companies because I didn't pay them anything. I was v impressed and wish I'd known to try that route before.

They may make you a better offer nearer the renewal date, but with Saga not likely. Get your cheaper quotes and, as I did, have a good read, then get your new one in place ready to start the day after yours runs out. Easy. My cheapest for last 2yrs was Tesco.

I always go for the cheapest, Saga are very expensive after the first year.

Direct line have usually been cheapest for me, they are not on the comparison sites.

I use direct line for all other insurance and have for years. The only time I have found it pays to shop around is for car insurance.

We've just changed back to Saga nearly £200 cheaper and guaranteed not to go up for 3yrs.

Thanks so much. I will try speaking to Saga but some other companies sound just as good. 3 weeks before it's due Cabbie. That's worth knowing too

I did a comparison too, using moneysupermarket. You’re possibly looking for fully comp, my OH has an old car that was insured third party, including fire and theft was considerably cheaper. We went with M&S, they have real people answering the phones as well.
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Wait till close to your renewal date, check again and then have a discussion with your insurer. They may find good reasons to lower the quotation.

But do check the details of the other offers. Look at excess, provision of courtesy car, driver’s legal protection, protected no-claims, vandalism damage etc. Some of the cheaper ones may offer less than your current insurer.

Also, unless things have changed, Saga has people answering phones rather than complicated automated services. I was with Saga for years, and that was one of their boasts at the time. However, I did find them increasingly expensive compared with others, so eventually I changed to Aviva. My premiums have stayed very similar - in fact this year, it was lower than last year!

Negotiate now. Also Direct Line one of the cheapest insurers does not appear on comparison websites. Neither does Aviva. Get a couple of quotes and haggle with Saga.

You could try telling Saga you have been quoted a better price and see if they will match it. But you need to be sure you are comparing like with like, and that means reading the small print to see what is included.
Martin Lewis of MoneySavingExpert reckons that 3 weeks before renewal is the best time to get a quotation.