Drivers warned car insurance 'error' will see £860 added to their premium

Drivers have been warned car insurance "errors" will see £860 added to their premium. Motorists have been warned after a Guardian newspaper reader wrote into the consumer affairs section of the national newspaper to request help.

They explained: "My 19-year-old son, CO, passed his driving test in the summer of 2022 but unfortunately had an accident and wrote off his car later that same year. Due to an error, two accidents have been entered on the motor insurance database by his insurer, General Accident, and when his new insurer, WiseDriving, discovered this, it added an extra £860 to his premium, taking the overall cost to £2,000."

They said: "In the summer of 2023, he received a very high renewal quote and moved to WiseDriving, which was about £500 cheaper. However, shortly after taking out this insurance, WiseDriving got in touch to say it had found two accidents against his name, and unless we could prove this was an error, it was going to increase his premium."

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The parent said: "As you can imagine, we are increasingly in despair. His insurance is due for renewal soon and it’s likely the database has still not been updated by GA, which is impossible to reach, and we are still more than £800 out of pocket.

Aviva, which owns GA, says: “We are sorry that CO has experienced problems in getting the erroneously logged claim removed from his insurance records. We are committed to supporting our customers through the claims process and, after a full review of this case, we have contacted the motor insurance database and the duplicate claim will be removed as soon as possible.

“We have also contacted WiseDriving to confirm there is only one claim, so that his current premium can be corrected. We recognise that CO has not received the service he should expect, and have offered £300 in compensation to apologise for any anxiety this may have caused.”