[h4mza]

Can you use Co op without having the smart box installed?

[JO53PHS]

The Co-op sell normal insurance, but for that you have to pay normal insurance prices. If you want the super cheap prices, you have to put up with the smart box.

[tom.hemingway]

Just had my box fitted the dashboard still hasn't moved and none of the reports have updated.

Anyone do 80 on the M way what happens to your rating?

[JO53PHS]

It took a few days for the data to start coming through after I had my box fitted. If you do an indicated 80mph on the speedo, your speed rating shouldn't be affected very much at all. 80mph on the speedo will in reality be low 70s, so you should still score maximum (or very near maximum) rating for your speed.

[ASKendrew]

Just got my renewal through at £760 for the year. Not bad I guess. It would however be nice to have the freedom of not constantly being 'watched' but I simply can't justify the silly prices I get quoted for on normal insurance.

[ansarali]

(Original post by ASKendrew)
Just got my renewal through at £760 for the year. Not bad I guess. It would however be nice to have the freedom of not constantly being 'watched' but I simply can't justify the silly prices I get quoted for on normal insurance.

Thats an excellent price for car insurance! What was your premium for the current year then? (just wanted to determine the level to which the premium drops for driving well for a year) also what was your average overall score for the policy? do you think that influenced the renewal price?

[ASKendrew]

(Original post by ansarali)
Thats an excellent price for car insurance! What was your premium for the current year then? (just wanted to determine the level to which the premium drops for driving well for a year) also what was your average overall score for the policy? do you think that influenced the renewal price?

I can't remember what my initial premium was as I switched cars half way through (£90 switch fee and an increase of £50/month!). But it started around £98 and dropped to £79/month, then when I switched car it went up to something like £130/month (As it was an extra £250 premium including the £90 fee which makes it £160 for the change of car).
Either way it is a good drop. I'm now paying £69/month which is lower than what I had on my original car (original was worth £750 and the new one £4500)!

Within the renewal letter it states that they look at your overall driving for the year to determine your renewal price so it definitely is a contributor! At the beginning I averaged around 4.8 but with the new car I usually average 4.4/4.5. This is because I worked out that if I drove around all day at a reasonable speed with moderate acceleration, then I could have some fun with my new car on the way home from work without it having a big effect on the score for the day (as it averages out)!

Below is my dashboard home for the year...



Hope its of some help.

[JO53PHS]

What sort of roads do you mainly drive on? I'm wondering how you are managing to score 5/5 for acceleration.

I'm struggling to get my score above 3/5, and that's mainly around town usage where you have to keep stopping at traffic lights and junctions. The only time I ever got 4/5 was when I was driving at night on a dual carriageway, and the roundabouts were virtually empty, so I could fly through them without stopping. I assume you do a lot of motorway driving or something?

[Camoxide]

(Original post by JO53PHS)
What sort of roads do you mainly drive on? I'm wondering how you are managing to score 5/5 for acceleration.

I'm struggling to get my score above 3/5, and that's mainly around town usage where you have to keep stopping at traffic lights and junctions. The only time I ever got 4/5 was when I was driving at night on a dual carriageway, and the roundabouts were virtually empty, so I could fly through them without stopping. I assume you do a lot of motorway driving or something?

Motorway driving is the most penalising for me.

It just sees it that you've gone from say 15 mph to 60 in about 5 seconds and knocks your acceleration score.

Then it registers you going round corners at 70 when you overtake anyone.

I did 90 at one point and my speed score was only knocked down to 3 for that day ahha.
Pretty lenient on speed. Just can't doing it constantly.

[ASKendrew]

(Original post by JO53PHS)
What sort of roads do you mainly drive on? I'm wondering how you are managing to score 5/5 for acceleration.

I'm struggling to get my score above 3/5, and that's mainly around town usage where you have to keep stopping at traffic lights and junctions. The only time I ever got 4/5 was when I was driving at night on a dual carriageway, and the roundabouts were virtually empty, so I could fly through them without stopping. I assume you do a lot of motorway driving or something?

Hardly do any motorway driving at all. I'm actually getting around 2.5 on acceleration with my new car, but because I drove well in my old car the 'clock' doesn't move as much! I was driving my old car for 10/12 months of the policy and mainly had a good acceleration score due to the car being 14 year old and sluggish.

[Stefaan012]

So if I go with the co-operative and put my annual miles down as more as my fathers then it isn't fronting? and if he is also the legal owner of the car? but I will probably be driving it more than him.

[Camoxide]

(Original post by ASKendrew)
Hardly do any motorway driving at all. I'm actually getting around 2.5 on acceleration with my new car, but because I drove well in my old car the 'clock' doesn't move as much! I was driving my old car for 10/12 months of the policy and mainly had a good acceleration score due to the car being 14 year old and sluggish.

My 14 year old 1 litre Nissan Micra gets 3s. I find it hard to get 5s on acceleration. Guess the 16V engine makes it snappier at low speeds.

Take not other black box drivers:

What I do is on days when i'm not using the car is I take for a 1 minute drive doing a little loop and then I've got all fives for that day ahha.

[ASKendrew]

(Original post by Camoxide)
What I do is on days when i'm not using the car is I take for a 1 minute drive doing a little loop and then I've got all fives for that day ahha.

Never thought of that! Going to have to try it...

[bennybaruch]

(Original post by Camoxide)

What I do is on days when i'm not using the car is I take for a 1 minute drive doing a little loop and then I've got all fives for that day ahha.

I usually do that as well when I remember, it's brilliant because then it cancels out the days I go out driving late!!

[Jaayson]

Providing i pass, hopeful during the summer, got a "practice test" next week with my instructor which providing that goes well i shall go in for my test. If i then pass; I'm looking to buy a '07 Honda Civic 1.4, which with Co-Op Young Drivers is £1600 for me to insure. However i do already without releasing accelerate and brake fairly hard so in a car that is fairly new of that kind do you reckon it'll be hard to get good scores? Also i have no idea which zones are 30s and which are 40s on one road near me it changes about 6 times in the stretch of just over a mile. Does going 40 in a 30 affect your score drastically?

[LondonDriver]

Has anyone here gone over their estimated yearly mileage? What happens if you do?

[Jaayson]

(Original post by LondonDriver)
Has anyone here gone over their estimated yearly mileage? What happens if you do?

Put parents or other experienced named driver with high mileage, it brings down the cost and it means even if it is you driving the car more than what you said who is to know. However if you go over by a lot i'd suggest phoning up and letting them know.

[implus]

For the safe driver discounts they say you can get back 15% every 3 months. Is the discount accumulative; say your premium was £1000 when you took it out and you decide to pay it all in one go annually, your first discount 3 months after you get back £150, then 3 months later you get 15% back off the 850 til the 4th discount, so you end up with a 48% discount altogether.



...or is it just up to 15% off altogether by the end of the 4th discount?

[h4mza]

I tried using young co op and they are quoting me around £3-5k on cars like corsas, clios, micras etc. Im 20 and passed a year ago and not driven since. How do people get it cheap to like £800-1200

[Jaayson]

(Original post by h4mza)
I tried using young co op and they are quoting me around £3-5k on cars like corsas, clios, micras etc. Im 20 and passed a year ago and not driven since. How do people get it cheap to like £800-1200

Add 2-3 named drivers and put their mileage as high and then yours as low mileage.