Damn. After scouting around car insurance last week, and finding their premiums were all pretty similar, I went with AAMI, as they seem to have a good reputation, and they gave a grant to the PTUA a couple of years ago, so I know they’re (hopefully) good corporate citizens.
But given I drive something like a third of the Australian average, I have wondered in the past if any insurance company would offer a deal taking that into account.
Inevitably, after paying AAMI, I found one that does. Pay As You Drive.
Most of the others came out with a premium of around $550-$580. PAYD, based on 5000 kms per year, comes out at up to $200 less. And they have an option to offset car emissions.
Mind you, I haven’t yet read the fine print, nor am I absolutely sure that’ll be my usage for the year. More research required; maybe I can go with them next year.
Also found during the car shopping experience…
Keys… I was curious to find out how much it’ll cost to get a duplicate of my new car key, if needed, as newer car keys have electronic bits inside. This 2002 Drive article suggests about $80.
LMCT… Looking at car ads online, sometimes they don’t tell you the dealer’s details, just the dealer number. I’d like to know where they are. I found I can use the Department of Justice Licensed Motor Car Trader search to find who and where they are. Handy.
6 replies on “Car insurance for low usage vehicles”
I have always been with CGU as they have a less than 10,000km/year policy. My mum also found that car insurance through HBA was very cheap (especially if you have your health insurance with them too).
You know you can still change, you can cancel your policy and get the balance paid out?
PAYD would be about $200 less for me too. Hmmnn… But I do fear a newer, smaller company – will you get the service you need should anything go wrong?
Crikey! On my (then brand new) Festiva I was paying almost $1000 full cover insurance, with the price only dipping down to $700 over 5 years.
GOD Damn it I hate that AAMI ad with that woman nagging to her “Toddy”. She is so annoying. Nearly everyday I turn on the TV I have to see her and I nearly broke my own TV. I’m due to by a new one anyway.
AAMI surveys have no credibility, they just survey the people who work in their offices, like RACV surveys.
There’s a shoe repair/key cutter guy who does the holden keys cheap(er) – I’ve got a 98 vectra and he’s priced it about $100 less than goind through holden – They are located behind Michel’s in Carnegie.
I surprisingly find car insurance in Australia for my new car to be about the same price as full coverage on an older, less expensive car in the USA. In the US liability insurance is not part of the yearly car registration fee. It is instead purchaced along with the comprehensive policy from an insurance agent. In Florida one is required to provide proof of insurance to register the car each year. In Miami, Florida I paid around US$1,400 per year for full coverage car insurance for a 1997 Honda Accord and later a 2003 Nissan X-Terra. As an urban area Miami has higher rates than other regions of the US. Rates are based on one’s zip/post code.
I purchaced Allianz insurance through the Nissan dealer for my 2007 X-Trail here in Australia. I had not heard of this company until I saw ads on Australian TV after I arrived here. A co worker told me that this is known to be a reputable company.
I recently moved my car insurance from Allianz to http://www.bingle.com.au which is a subsidiary of AAMI. It was cheaper by several hundred dollars than all other insurers including AAMI. Their online quote system was easy to use too.