View Full Version : Insurance Estimated Mileage
AlexRider
08-01-15, 03:46 PM
Okay, so I have a question regarding the 'How many estimated miles do you plan on doing per year' question that insurance companies ask.
Let me start by saying I have my own bike, but I haven't ridden it yet as it was recently purchased. I have never ridden a bike prior to this except for on lessons/tests.
Now, I want to put that I'd ride about 2k miles per year; but I'm unsure as I have no other previous mileage history other than what I've done in my car.
I could end up doing less due to the crap welsh weather (which in that case, would't matter anyway), but then I could end up doing more as I get more confident and start riding further.
What's the legality behind this? If I put 2K miles down, and end up doing; lets say, double that amount - would I be penalised if I had an accident and had to claim?
Any experiences with this?
Thanks,
- Alex
EDIT: Thread should have probably been made into a general insurance query rather than being specific about mileage, as it kind of trailed off topic - oh well :lol:
always put more that you think. mine is unlimited mileage but i average 7k a year just for pleasure.
if you go over the mileage you specify and you have an accident then they could use that as a get out clause.
If you do more miles than you declared then you could potentially have a problem if you need to make a claim.
Try quotes with different mileages and see if it actually makes much difference to the premium. If not, you can obviously go with the higher limit.
If there is a big difference in premium then you could see how it goes but, if you're going to go over the limit you stated, you would need to call the broker and tell them.As they all tend to charge a fee for mid-term changes, this could cost you more in the long run.
I'd take a higher limit personally - 2,000 miles really isn't very much if you're anything like keen. :)
I would keep asking them to up it until it makes a significant difference. If you find out you really enjoy the bike you may be out on it every weekend and some evenings and rack up 10k in a year!!
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AlexRider
08-01-15, 05:03 PM
Well, my insurance at full comp for 2k miles is £620 on an SV, if I double it to 4k it goes up to £720. It's a bit of a rip off if you ask me, and that's without pillion cover - with it is another £100. Gah, why is insurance so expensive. My mother pays £7 a month for her SV *sigh*.
How old are you?
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AlexRider
08-01-15, 05:10 PM
How old are you?
Sent from my magical portable device
19, I passed my test yesterday actually; been driving a car since 17 - so I don't blame insurance for being kind of high at the moment - just a nuisance really
carelesschucca
08-01-15, 05:45 PM
Hmm, I put 10,000 on my insurance for mileage. But I do high mileages on my weekends. You may surprise yourself how many miles you'll do in a year.
Red ones
08-01-15, 06:28 PM
A lot of insurers band mileage. So you may find they can tell you where the bands start and finish. You may find its like, up to 1000, 1001-4999, 5000-9999, 10000+
+1 for what Red ones said. I was in a similar situation to you, had 2000 miles down, did nearly 4000 in two months. Summer was fun with the peaks and Wales so close to me.
I emailed my insurers and told them I'd like to increase it to 6k miles and it made no difference to my insurance, so like other haves said, just keep asking what the price would be if you increase it and increase and see if there's any actual difference. If not, go with a lower mileage and then if you do look like you're going to go over, get in touch with them!
squirrel_hunter
08-01-15, 07:23 PM
My 2MA is on classic insurance which has limited mileage on it. I asked the insurer about this who told me to ignore the restriction, as they aren't bothered and aren't going to do anything to check. Interesting...
I can't remember what I have down as my mileage on my standard policy bikes. No one has ever asked me what miles I've actually covered...
Bet it would be different if you had an accident and they had to pay out.......
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squirrel_hunter
08-01-15, 09:49 PM
Possibly. However I have a mate who has 3rd party on other bikes, I often give him the keys. Plus there's those trackdays I've been on...
aesmith
09-01-15, 09:14 AM
I'm sure they'd go by the mileage the bike has done, irrespective of who was riding and whether on road or track. If they could be bothered to check of course.
When I renewed the SV I realised that I'd gone over the 10K (courtesy of a mild winter), but the insurers raised it to 15K without any change in premium.
For the original poster, it sounds bonkers to me. Presumably they're concerned about a new rider, but how do they expect you to gain experience if you're limited to 2000 miles a year? Have you tried different insurers?
When I had a classic policy, I had to declare the mileage of the car when I took out the policy, never had to do this for the bike, so how do they know how many miles you have done ????
Sir Trev
09-01-15, 10:36 AM
I've never been asked for the odometer reading either.
Littlepeahead
09-01-15, 10:45 AM
My insurance company said they ask but it wouldn't make any difference in a claim. I checked as I had the SV off the road and the BMW was fairly new after my foot op so I didn't know if I'd ride the SV at all (I didn't) or if the BMW proved less painful to ride and we had a good summer that I would do more miles than expected (which I did). But overall the mileage was around the combined amount that year was what I'd stated for both bikes.
I guess if you say you are doing 2k a year and you do 25k then if the bike were to be written off then a higher mileage might affect the stated value of the bike?
yokohama
09-01-15, 01:59 PM
When I had a classic policy, I had to declare the mileage of the car when I took out the policy, never had to do this for the bike, so how do they know how many miles you have done ????
They won't know exactly but if you've had the bike over a year, they can access the mileage from the previous MOT certificate. For me, the insurance is due in December, MOT is February so i have to make sure i don't go over 5000 miles between February and December.
Surly if you do too few a miles your a risk as your out of practice as well as if you do 6.000 + as your more likely to come across Mr white van man(other idiots are available) who can crash into you!
I have to declare I use my for commuting and its a big % incress on the Daytona.
AlexRider
09-01-15, 02:30 PM
I've put 5000 down just for piece of mind, it increased my insurance by £100 but whatever. That's not the problem I have now - I have to have my bike restricted, and that apparently comes under modifications. If I select it my insurance automatically doubles to £1400 - ridiculous! I'm not paying that, why would it double for REDUCING the power of the bike.. Should I not declare it?
They have the option to select 'restricted license for less than 3 years' - if I select that and don't declare the restrictor under modifications would I be held liable?
I'm getting quotes with complete cover group for reference and have the 'A2' license
Corny Gizmo
09-01-15, 03:45 PM
I didnt declare my restrictor as I forgot, then remembered a month later.
So I called up and told them and they said it would have been assumed anyway due to when I got my licence and how old I am/was - either way it is declared and hasnt changed my premium.
I suggest you go the same route, or at least discuss over the phone before buying.
AlexRider
09-01-15, 03:47 PM
I didnt declare my restrictor as I forgot, then remembered a month later.
So I called up and told them and they said it would have been assumed anyway due to when I got my licence and how old I am/was - either way it is declared and hasnt changed my premium.
I suggest you go the same route, or at least discuss over the phone before buying.
Who did you go with? I was trying with complete cover group as they were the cheapest, but they requested that I had a restriction certificate when I did it over the phone - and I don't have one as I bought an ECU from a user on the org and fitted it myself..
Corny Gizmo
09-01-15, 03:49 PM
Im currently with Express insurance, they didnt ask for a cert. I was previously with 'Just motorcycle insurance', they also never asked for a cert
Insurance company are like politians.
They are capable of wiggleing out of anything with the smallest excuse
AlexRider
09-01-15, 03:59 PM
Quote for express was £1350 - I'll try the other one. Insurance companies can stick their quotes where the sun doesn't shine. They pull number out of their **** lol. If I don't declare the restriction will I be penalised? Surely, judging by my age(19), and bike I'm insuring, they should automatically know that the highest license I have is the A2 and would therefore need a restrictor
Only reason I can think of that would cause an increase due to restriction is that they may think it may be more costly for repairs or something.
At the end of the day, as NTEC says, they can and will find anything to avoid paying out.
Your best bet is declare anything material and find the best price.
It will suck to start with but eventually your premiums will get better
AlexRider
09-01-15, 04:11 PM
Only reason I can think of that would cause an increase due to restriction is that they may think it may be more costly for repairs or something.
At the end of the day, as NTEC says, they can and will find anything to avoid paying out.
Your best bet is declare anything material and find the best price.
It will suck to start with but eventually your premiums will get better
Why would it be more costly? It's an ECU restriction so nothing additional has been added, just the ECU replaced
Maybe I should try TPF&T for the first year :/
It shouldn't, but then we have common sense. Lol
How old is the bike? What sort of use is it?
AlexRider
09-01-15, 04:15 PM
It shouldn't, but then we have common sense. Lol
How old is the bike? What sort of use is it?
2006,
social, domestic, pleasure & commuting (Although I won't use it for commuting that often)
So it doesn't NEED to be fully comp.
Only occasional commuting, can you get around with out the bike?
AlexRider
09-01-15, 04:19 PM
So it doesn't NEED to be fully comp.
Only occasional commuting, can you get around with out the bike?
It doesn't need to be, no - however I would prefer fully comp just because it's my first year, and the chances of me dropping it, or making a driver fault are surely higher as I'm a new rider
I don't know how long I will have my car for, so commuting would be ideal to have on the policy
as a new rider insurance companies will expect you to crash so think about it from their point of view in that if you pay them £1.5k and you make a claim of £2.5k then they are out of pocket. everyone crashes their bike at some point even the experienced riders.
is the bike worth going fully comp?
if the bike is on credit then yes i would go fully comp but if it's not and its second hand then TPFT might be a better option. if you crash you pay out your own pocket to fix it, this in turn might just keep the devil on your shoulder in check.
BTW i'm with bikesure and they have always been fantastic and every year my premium goes down unlike a lot of insurance companies. my bike is also rather heavily modified.
OK, reason I asked is because essentially it comes down to whether you can afford to be without the bike and for how long.
Fully comp means you should have the minimal amount of time without transport. I go FC for this reason.
That and I don't have the income to repair it myself should anything happen.
If you can afford to repair it yourself, in one go or over time, and can afford to be without it for that period. The cost saving of going tpft may be worth it for you.
If you can't afford to repair it yourself or be without for the period of time, the extra for FC may be worth it.
Just to throw something else into the mix when deciding between Comp and TPFT... yes you may well drop the bike (although this is not compulsory :) ) but would you actually want to make a claim?
As you're fairly young you'll probably have a significant excess. Take the total value of the bike, deduct the excess plus the impact of a fault accident on your next 3 years premium and you might not be left with much value worth insuring. If you do drop the vehicle and no-one else is involved, you might be better off fixing the bike on the best budget you can and never telling anyone.
The "modification" issue of a restriction is clearly a nonsense. Your age and licence mean the restriction is inevitable and they should know that. They're quoting a lower price for you to illegally ride an unrestricted bike which is obviously pish.
Online stuff is convenient but in this case I'd advise you to go old school and get on the phone. Declare that the bike is restricted because it has to be. There is a fundamental difference between arranging insurance online and arranging it on the phone or face to face. The responsibility for getting things correct shifts to the broker - so long as you are truthful.
If you tick the wrong box on an online form, you're in bother. If the broker staff tick the wrong box for you, you're not.
AlexRider
09-01-15, 04:59 PM
as a new rider insurance companies will expect you to crash so think about it from their point of view in that if you pay them £1.5k and you make a claim of £2.5k then they are out of pocket. everyone crashes their bike at some point even the experienced riders.
is the bike worth going fully comp?
if the bike is on credit then yes i would go fully comp but if it's not and its second hand then TPFT might be a better option. if you crash you pay out your own pocket to fix it, this in turn might just keep the devil on your shoulder in check.
BTW i'm with bikesure and they have always been fantastic and every year my premium goes down unlike a lot of insurance companies. my bike is also rather heavily modified.
In my eyes, yes it is worth full comp - however third party might be the better option. I've run into another problem now though:
- I need a restriction certificate as proof of restriction, but because I fitted the ECU restrictor myself I don't have proof.. now what :confused:
it involves taking the bike to a dyno and getting them to test it. or ask the insurance company what they want as proof. if they want a certificate then i think you'll need to talk dirty to your local suzuki dealer.
AlexRider
09-01-15, 05:13 PM
it involves taking the bike to a dyno and getting them to test it. or ask the insurance company what they want as proof. if they want a certificate then i think you'll need to talk dirty to your local suzuki dealer.
The guy I spoke to was totally useless - I asked what they considered proof of restriction and he didn't even know. So I asked how can I provide proof then? - He said to request proof from whoever fitted the restrictor, which was myself.
Totally useless. I know a guy from a garage who said he'd write a slip that says he fitted the restrictor and it's certified for free; but he doesn't know how he can test that it is actually restricted as he doesn't have a dyno. Is there any other way to prove that it's restricted without using a dyno?
oooooh that's a tough one.
got a suzuki dealer near you? just call em and ask what they give to prove a bike is restricted when they sell one. Say you are interested in getting a new one, but are looking at insurance etc and they have asked for something so before you can commit you need to know and make sure it's ok with them. should give you an idea if it is simply a statement, a letter, a dyno graph etc
The guy I spoke to was totally useless - I asked what they considered proof of restriction and he didn't even know. So I asked how can I provide proof then? - He said to request proof from whoever fitted the restrictor, which was myself.
Totally useless. I know a guy from a garage who said he'd write a slip that says he fitted the restrictor and it's certified for free; but he doesn't know how he can test that it is actually restricted as he doesn't have a dyno. Is there any other way to prove that it's restricted without using a dyno?
FFS I can't believe people are still going through this certificate crap.
There is no legal definition of what this meaningless document should look like so run something up on a Word document. Bingo! Certificate produced by the installer as requested. :)
Otherwise try calling again and hope you get put through to someone who knows what they're talking about this time.
Fannies.
Nutsinatin
09-01-15, 07:10 PM
This is what Suzuki give out, I was with wicked quotes and they didn't ask for proof, my friend was with Just Motorcycle Insurance and they didn't either.
AlexRider
09-01-15, 07:47 PM
FFS I can't believe people are still going through this certificate crap.
There is no legal definition of what this meaningless document should look like so run something up on a Word document. Bingo! Certificate produced by the installer as requested. :)
Otherwise try calling again and hope you get put through to someone who knows what they're talking about this time.
Fannies.
I know there is no legal definition, I told the guy and he wasn't having any of it. I also asked what he considered to be proof of restriction. What did he say? He didn't know, he said ask a dealership. I said what if I fitted the restrictor myself - he said get it refitted by an authorised garage and provide proof.
Regardless of whether it is a legal document or not, if you don't have it in the first place, then insurance companies don't have to insure you if they request it before your policy starts..
oh, and FYI; I rang three times, 3 monkeys with no brains answered and told me the same thing. I won't ring them again.
This is what Suzuki give out, I was with wicked quotes and they didn't ask for proof, my friend was with Just Motorcycle Insurance and they didn't either.
Thank you very much. I'll take this template to my local garage and ask him to check the restrictor then sign it. Cheers :o
I think I'm going with just motorcycle insurance, as I put the restrictor under 'modifications' and it didn't make a difference to the premium - When I'm done with this I'll let you know how it goes
SvNewbie
09-01-15, 10:22 PM
I said what if I fitted the restrictor myself - he said get it refitted by an authorised garage and provide proof.
I hope you asked him to define authorised garage, since that is more made up nonsense.
If this is how they are acting when you are trying to give them £600 then I'd seriously think twice about insuring my self with them.
AlexRider
09-01-15, 10:28 PM
I hope you asked him to define authorised garage, since that is more made up nonsense.
If this is how they are acting when you are trying to give them £600 then I'd seriously think twice about insuring my self with them.
Yep, not going to bother with them now - they seem to be talking a load of crap. Going to pay a bit more and go with somebody else I think :neutral:
I got my SV when I was 20, TPFT was £350 a year (or somewhere around that). If I did the insurance through gocompare and other such sites, as soon as you put any 'modification' on, just like you've said, it throws the insurance right up. But if you speak to them they'll just say sure, no problem. I don't think fully comp is worth it in your situation.
Also, there was another post on using the ECU restrictor. You don't need any certificate whatsoever! It just people ripping you off. If you need to claim they may ask you to prove it's restricted. So then after that you could get a dyno (if the bikes not too broke!) or show them the ECU which can be proven to be restricted.
Check this:
http://www.motorcyclenews.com/news/2009/november/nov1309-the-33bhp-certificate-rip-off/
Oh and you should also consider telling them about modifications like aftermarket exhausts, which you are actually meant to mention - even if they have no performance increase. But then you could not tell them, save a few hundred pounds and hope they don't pick up on it if you need to claim, which is what I've done.
Someone else mentioned about your excess which is no doubt really high, so if you had to claim for say a £2k bike, pay £500+ excess just to get a few hundred pounds worth of repairs, it's just not worth it. Whilst insurance is unreasonably high for you at the moment, I personally think it's best just to go for cheapest.
A lot of companies won't count up to a certain number of non performance mods anyway. With exhausts I'd be tempted to say better to declare than not. Whilst they are expensive to buy, they aren't as expensive to replace a standard exhaust which they could do if not declared. Of course this only applies to FC.
I had to claim off a third party and they paid for everything declared or not, as their liability is to repair or replace what's been broken by their client.
AlexRider
11-01-15, 08:50 PM
Alright, I said I'd post here once I found a solution. I went with 'just motorcycle insurance' in the end, I declared the restrictor but they haven't said anything about sending proof so that's all good. TPF&T cost me £650 in the end. I put down 5K miles to be sure.
I'm actually thinking I should have put down 10k, after my first ride yesterday and second today, I put nearly 200 miles on the bike, and I don't want to get off it!
Anyway, thank you all for contributing to this thread, I appreciate it :)
Did you ask how much it was for fully comp? Sometimes it is not a lot more. Mine was actually cheaper!!
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AlexRider
11-01-15, 08:55 PM
Did you ask how much it was for fully comp? Sometimes it is not a lot more. Mine was actually cheaper!!
Sent from my magical portable device
Fully comp came to just over £1k as I pay monthly - I believe my age is the main factor as to why my insurance premiums are quite high. I have friends who have just gotten their full license at age 24, having never ridden a bike before. But because they are 5 years older, their premiums are a few hundred cheaper!
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