[Lardman]

I've been serious considering if I really need a car anymore having driven less than 200 miles this year, but I've procrastinated long enough to need to renew the insurance again.   

Renewal costs with the red telephone £396 up 10%, same policy via the nodding dog £223 and £30 cash back,  I thought the government had brought in legislation to stop that. I don't mind jumping around but I'd rather not.

If only there was a similar option for the road fund license. 

[snowdrops]

We changed our 2 cars to 1 car last week & so I stayed with the red telephone but my quote earlier in the year was only a few £s more? The new to us car is just £20 road tax which saves us over £500 between us, plus only 1 insurance- me I’m younger than him, & 1 lot of servicing should save us over £2000 a year. Enough to turn the boiler back on I hope ! Just hope we cope with 1 car, hope Mr S realises it’s mainly me that goes places most of the time eek!

[Growster...]

Liverpool Victoria here for a smallish Golf - £186.00 plus £43 for breakdown with Nodding Dog.

About the same as last year...

I'm wondering if we ever need to replace the car ever, the costs of a 'new' one just don't make sense on 2,000 miles a year!

[Lardman]

I'm wondering if we ever need to replace the car ever, the costs of a 'new' one just don't make sense on 2,000 miles a year!

Mine needed considerable work to get it past the MOT last year, between the MOT, the Tax and the insurance just over £1000 to keep it on the road. I've paid around £5 a mile plus fuel.   It's certainly an expense. I just can't work out if it's an unnecessary one or not, the value of the freedom a car provides is difficult to quantify.

Enough to turn the boiler back on I hope !

Don't mention boilers to me Snow - Mine chucked it's toys out the pram again last week and required serious persuasion to provide hot water again, I've not been brave enough to check the central heating yet.

[Hampshire Hog]

Interesting comments regarding the RED TELEPHONE company.
I renewed with them this year with an 8% increase concluding it was in line with inflation. However I was annoyed to discover you couldn’t actually contact them by phone unless you wanted to spend a day trying. Seems to rather undermine their brand images of a phone. If you call you get told to go online instead totally the opposite of their proposition. ( Apologies I was in marketing for decades and expect brands to have images that are credible )
Unfortunately I need a car to transport grandchildren etc. Will have to see what happens to the price of petrol.

[Lardman]

However I was annoyed to discover you couldn’t actually contact them by phone unless you wanted to spend a day trying.

So Im now on hold with them as despite me not renewing the policy, completing their "do not autorenew" website form and then cancelling their direct debit, they have still renewed the policy and sent me a demand for payment.  Complete bunch of utter incompetent muppets.

Finally spoke to a person who told me I had to now cancel the policy and there was money to be paid and a procedure to be undertaken to cancel it. Errr no, we're not doing that because just because your online form doesn't work properly - complaint filed. 

If I hadn't have cancelled the direct debit, I'd be £400 lighter and trying to get them to issue a refund. I wonder how many people they do that to who don't notice?

[Hampshire Hog]

Lardman
The only funny part of your story is the fact that “nodding dog” insurance is part of the “Red Telephone” group!!

[jezza]

Hello I've just renewed my van insurance got ridiculous quote of  £1300 from Aviva through a broker Avivas quote direct from them was £475 but with restrictions ,to many for my needs  eventually went back to NFU therrs was high at £960 said it was because I had had an accident (wall jumped out behind me) I backed into a wall and that van written off  then got an horrible peugeot that a wagon took the mirror off ,reminded insurance company that mirror wad non fault accident  got price down to  £650  with modifications    jezza