We were alerted via recent comments on this blog, that folk have been having car insurance trouble when fitting winter tyres to their cars.
Just in case anyone is oblivious to the existence and purpose of winter tyres, these are tyres optimised for cold-weather driving, and not exclusively snowy or icy conditions, as some believe. In fact they perform better at any ambient temperature of less than about 7 degrees Celsius. They are made of a softer rubber compound than all-weather or summer tyres, which means that they retain their grip, by remaining pliable at low temperatures. They often feature deeper tread patterns which can dig into snow and ice.
The difference can be remarkable…
It seems that some car insurance companies are actually charging additional premiums to drivers who take the eminently sensible safety precaution of fitting winter tyres to their cars. Frizzell, owned by LV= has been named, alongside Admiral, as being an insurance company that has opted to charge extra for the privilege of safer driving. Some insurance companies are even reported to be refusing cover altogether. Although the ABI has claimed that this is down to misunderstandings by lowly call-centre operators, it is hard to square this with some of the reported conversations. For example, one Admiral customer opted, for convenience, to leave his summer tyres attached to his alloys, and fit winter tyres on stock steel wheels and was told that the cheap steelies might be more desirable to thieves.
It really demonstrates a prevailing attitude in some quarters that any modification or change from a stock specification must mean that the owner is a dangerous boy racer. Even this is wrong-headed. I have never before heard of an insurer classifying any tyre change as a modification – where would it end? Should they put premiums up on Pirelli tyres because they are more ‘desirable’ than cheap Chinese no-name alternatives? Or down because they are safer?
Irrelevant really. The plain fact is this. You should not be paying any more for winter tyres insurance. And if you speak to a company where the staff know what they are talking about, you won’t.
Adrian Flux will not charge you a penny more for fitting winter tyres, or even snow chains.
You never know when you might need them
And, of course, we also take a sympathetic approach to actual, more serious modifications – some modifications can even reduce your modified car insurance premium.
Get a winter tyre insurance quote by clicking on the button below
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