Vectrix Insurance

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jamesengland
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Joined: Friday, October 26, 2012 - 10:07
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Re: Vectrix Insurance

My Vectrix was delivered and then I found my usual bike insurer wasn't interested in insuring it or even adding it to my existing bike policy (so I won't be going with them next year). I got slightly worried when I got the same answer from several other insurers I've used for cars and bikes over the last few years and began to think I'd be riding the Vectrix only round my garden.

In the end, I did what I should have done to start with and googled Vectrix insurance. I got third party only insurance for £100. That's with www.bikesure.co.uk It includes legal cover and that's with no NCD because my bikes have been insured as classic bikes and that doesn't accumulate NCD (don't ask me why...)

I thought £100 wasn't bad and the documentation was all done by e-mail. Given that the Vectrix is zero-rated on road tax in the UK, I think the fixed costs of ownership are pretty low.

One thing though... the premium for the Vectrix, TPO, is the same price as fully comp. on my Yamaha XJR1300. Maybe it's the price of relative silence...... I note than some bikers claim "Loud pipes save lives" (to justify making a racket), so maybe "Quiet electric bikes kill people" would make a good marketing slogan? :)

Bikemad
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Joined: Saturday, December 21, 2013 - 03:03
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Re: Vectrix Insurance

My Vectrix was delivered and then I found my usual bike insurer wasn't interested in insuring it or even adding it to my existing bike policy

I now find myself in a similar position. I have recently acquired another VX-1 and rang my insurance company (Carole Nash) to find out how much it would be to:
A) Add another bike to my existing policy which already has 2 x 750cc Hondas and 1 x VX-1 (All fully comp.).
or
B) Replace one of the Hondas with the second Vectrix.

I waited patiently on the phone for ages but they were unable to give me any figures as they needed to look into it a bit more.

They rang me back this morning and said their insurers needed the specification on the Vectrix before they could provide a quote.

I rang them back later after going through my handbook to see if I could provide some details but they didn't know what information they needed.
I pointed out that the bike is identical to the VX-1 that they are already insuring except that it is blue (instead of red).

He said he would make some further enquiries and ring me back again.

I really don't understand why insurance for an electric scooter should be so difficult to arrange, or why it is so much more expensive than a 750cc petrol bike.
When I first bought the Vectrix my bike insurance had recently expired, but that had only cost me £110.24 fully comp. for both of my 750 Hondas (a 1980 CB750 Custom and a 1981 CB750 F2C).

My previous insurers (Direct Choice) would not insure the Vectrix and I spent ages trying to find a company who would.

I came across this webpage and tried to obtain a quote by completing their online form, but there were certain questions that I couldn't select a suitable answer for.
I therefore had to phone Carole Nash and explained the problem, and was then told that they could not insure it because it was electric? They even suggested I should search the net for an insurer, so I simply quoted some text from their webpage regarding the Vectrix insurance and eventually they did managed to provide a quote.

The quote I received to insure just the Vectrix was £222.74. When I asked about adding the two Hondas as well I was amazed to find the the price shot up by a huge £1.00, so I made an executive decision and took the more expensive option (£223.74) and insured all three bikes instead of just the Vectrix.

I renewed the insurance in December last year and with 10 years NCD the premium had gone down to £198.69 for all three bikes, but it is still more than the £159 fully comp. insurance and £30.00 road tax combined that I am paying for a Turbocharged Smart Car.

Can anyone recommend an Insurance company in the UK who can provide cheap insurance for a Vectrix without all this unnecessary hassle.

I will let you know what Carole Nash finally come up with when (or if) they ring me back again.

Alan

myvectrix2008
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Last seen: 2 years 10 months ago
Joined: Sunday, September 28, 2008 - 13:02
Points: 226
Re: Vectrix Insurance

Ah, the joys of hunting for Vectrix insurance. Things move on in the EV world, not so much the insurance companies it would seem.

I've been with Hastings Direct since 2013 on a dual bike policy. This year however, with no changes to vehicles or circumstances

...our panel of underwriters are unable to offer you a quote.
.

I tried another 6 companies through various methods, i.e. phone, online and comparision sites. Most have plenty of marketing hype saying they can offer me quote on a Vectrix, but when it actually comes down to getting a price, they can't.

A good example was Carole Nash. An online quote couldn't help, got a phone call shortly afterwards. They didn't know what a Vectrix was, so they contacted their specialist team. Never did receive a call back.

A couple of companies could insure me, but not at a decent price. In the end, I've opted for a specialist broker called Bikesure and had to get 2 seperate policies with 2 different insurers. The Vectrix worked out to just over £153 including taxes, excluding admin/broker fees for third party, fire and theft. Cover provided by Aviva.

Bikemad
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Joined: Saturday, December 21, 2013 - 03:03
Points: 213
Re: Vectrix Insurance

In 2013, I too experienced major difficulty initially trying to find someone to insure my Vectrix after I had purchased it, and I also came across the above link on Google.
Unable to find Vectrix on the online quote system I phoned Carole Nash on their Freephone number and they couldn't find it either!
I then quoted some of their statements from their "Vectrix Motorcycle Insurance" web advert and suggested the Webpage should be removed if they are unable to insure Vectrix Motorcycles as stated, I told them it was very misleading and could also be perceived as "false advertising".

Unlike you, I did actually receive a call back from them, which lead to me taking out my insurance, as they were able to find an insurer who finally recognised the existence of the Vectrix VX-1. My two CB750 Hondas and one Vectrix VX-1 were insured fully comprehensive for a total of £223.74.

In 2014 the fully comprehensive insurance for my two CB750 Hondas and one Vectrix VX-1 was renewed with them for just £198.69, although I did have to pay an additional £50.35 amendment fee to remove one of the Hondas and add the second Vectrix half way through the year.

I currently have my three bikes (two Vectrix VX-1s and one Honda CB750 Custom) fully comprehensively insured through Carole Nash on a single policy (Aviva Premier Bike Insurance) with protected no claims (and breakdown cover) and it cost me £233.79 last December (2015).

Next time you're looking for multi bike insurance, it might be worth ringing Carole Nash and asking them to check out Aviva Premier Bike Insurance.

Alan

Bikemad
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Joined: Saturday, December 21, 2013 - 03:03
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Re: Vectrix Insurance - 2018

I have just received a renewal quote for £284.84 from Carole Nash for my 1981 Honda CB750 Custom and my two 2007/8 Vectrix VX-1 Scooters.
The total price stated was £284.84, which is only 36p more than last years.
I was surprised to see that the basic insurance premium has actually been reduced by £12.90, but the Insurance Premium Tax has increased by £2.45 to £22.27 and the Broker Fee has increased by £10.84 to a whopping £77.05.
I decided it was time to see if I could find a better deal.

Unfortunately, Bennetts said they were unable to insure the Honda, but they were able to quote for just one VX-1 (£98.50 Comprehensive) or both Vectrix VX-1 scooters (£140.46 comprehensive).

I used to be insured with Bennetts before I purchased the Vectrix, and had to change insurers because they did not insure electric bikes. It is very strange that they now insure electric bikes, but are not able to insure the very same Honda that they previously covered.

As I am currently not using the Honda (which I am planning to fully restore over the next few years before it becomes Tax and MOT exempt) I have decided to just insure the two Vectrix scooters for now, saving a huge £144.38 on my annual bike Insurance cost.

I don't understand why does bike insurance has to be so difficult.

Alan

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