Improving your ride? How will this affect your insurance cover?

Defensive Driving Techniques to Avoid Accidents and Insurance Claims

If you want to reduce your risk of traffic accidents and the insurance claims that accompany them — which could cause your premium to go up — you need to drive defensively. Here are some driving tips to help you avoid crashes and stay safe on the road. Always Assume...

Avoid deadly distractions behind the wheel

Not texting is a start, but there's more to safe driving. Here’s the bad news: Distracted driving causes thousands of accidents every year, many of them fatal. The good news? If you're driving, it's 100% preventable. You've seen them around your city or town. You may...

10 Tips to Protect Your Car’s Suspension System

Your vehicle's suspension system ensures a smooth and safe ride, protecting critical components from wear and tear. Understanding and maintaining the components of the system is essential, not just for comfort but also for the stability of the car on rough roads....

The what, why and how of a Vehicle Identification Number

If you’ve ever bought motor insurance, you’re likely to have come across the terms Vehicle Identification Number or VIN and chassis number. You must wonder why insurance companies insist on having this information. That’s because VIN is like a genetic identifier for...

What Is ORVM In Car And How Does It Work?

When you adjust the side mirrors before driving, you deal with the Outside Rear View Mirrors (ORVMs). These mirrors are essential for safe driving, helping you see what’s happening beside and behind your car. This post will discuss what ORVMs are, how they function,...

How to Track a Vehicle with GPS: A Simple Step-by-Step Guide

GPS-based vehicle tracking is today, one of the most helpful tools since it can be employed by any individual or company who wishes to keep track of their cars, trucks or any other vehicle. Thanks to today’s cheap GPS tracking devices, a vehicle owner can easily place...

How To Rebuild Your No Claims Bonus After An Accident

If you’ve had an accident, it can feel like all the good work you’ve put into building your No Claims Bonus (NCB) has gone down the drain. But here’s some good news, you can rebuild it. Your NCB in car insurance works like a reward for safe driving, and that lovely...

Safety Tips For Driving In Floods

Often when we get stuck while driving through floods we panic and force through the water. Instead you need to stay calm and follow these instructions. Situation One: Water Level Is Above Tyre Level  When water level is above the tyre level it's no use forcing...

Car Defogger and How to Use Them?

Have you ever experienced your car windows and windshield suddenly fogging up? It can be scary since poor visibility may cause a dangerous road accident. Driving in the cold or rainy seasons can often lead to foggy windows. This is a common problem, and can quickly...

How to choose the right commercial insurance policy

Unpredictability is the only predictable thing about business right now. Over the past few unprecedented data breaches, and global pandemics have all taken front stage in the insurance industry. And no business is immune.  With the range of commercial insurance...

Are you considering making some upgrades to your vehicle? Maybe you are contemplating fitting a rear spoiler, a louder exhaust or even just a racing strip, all these additions may improve the performance or change the look of the vehicle but some can double the price of your insurance.

But it is not just massive wheels and a souped-up engine you need to worry about, not informing the insurance company about all the kinds of modifications – even changing the paint color- could invalidate your policy. Of all the changes you could make to your vehicle, fitting a more powerful engine could see your insurance premiums sky rocket the most. But even small changes can have an impact on how much your insurance cover will cost you.

Your insurance premium is based on your risk profile and upgrades to a vehicle is a red flag for insurance companies. For example, a turbo engine would mean the vehicle will go faster, increasing the risk of accidents and modifications to improve the look of the vehicle may increase the chances of theft. Insurers balance the scale by pushing up the premiums.

Failing to inform your insurer about any modification to the vehicle could invalidate a policy and having an invalid policy is considered fraudulent and this could impact you negatively in the event of a claim.

Below is a list of top 10 modifications that could increase your insurance premiums:

  1. Fitting a turbo engine.
  2. Changes to the vehicle’s bodywork.
  3. Changes to the transmission or gears of the vehicle.
  4. A complete body kit and panel.
  5. Roll bars, roll cages & the removal of seats.
  6. Changes to the paintwork.
  7. Upgrading the brakes.
  8. Changes to the exhaust systems.
  9. Upgrading the suspensions.
  10. Adding stripes, decals or badges.

The onus rests on you to ensure the insurer is aware of any modifications on the vehicle, as they may affect your risk and the premium. Be sure to inform the insurer about anything that did not come standard on your vehicle, from wheels to sunroofs to a new sound system. This will ensure you know what is covered and what is not should the worse happen.