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FAQs

The FAQs are to be linked to each heading on the contents; this will allow users to quickly go straight to their question rather than trying to find it.

What does HILLcompare.com do? HILLcompare.com is a different kind of price comparison service. We compare finance products not just on price but on their suitability to your individual requirements. To save you time and money, we have set up a large panel of finance companies all waiting to quote for you. Our system that will ask only the minimum of questions. Our one quote process means that you do not have to spend time registering your details with numerous websites - that's the time saving part. Our aim is to bring you the widest independent choice and get the right quote for you, whether it's insurance, loans, credit cards, current accounts, shopping, gadgets and more. How does HILLcompare.com make money? Each insurer pays us an introductory fee per sale or fee per lead. We don't charge you in any way - not even a penny, and unlike some other price comparison sites, we do not charge insurers to advertise on our site, they only pay us when a sale or lead has been made. Given this set up, we have developed the most competitive panel of financial companies that we can. That way the financial companies make sales and we make some money. Are our prices the same as going direct to an insurer? Yes! We do everything we can to ensure that the price you see on our site is the same as the one you'll see on the insurer's site providing you enter exactly the same details! If the loan period is shorter when you enter on HILLcompare.com and you enter a longer repayment on direct loan company, then you would expect to receive a different monthly payment. What makes HILLcompare.com different from other price comparison websites? HILLcompare.com differs from other comparison companies because it recognises that charities such as CCLG (Children’s Cancer and Leukaemia Group) require as much help as possible to treat children with cancer and Leukaemia. (Registered charity number 286669). That’s why HILLcompare.com will be donating on a monthly basis a percentage of its profits to CCLG to help them with research to develop more effective cures and carrying out treatment to children who have been diagnosed with cancer and Leukaemia. You can find more information about CCLG via the following link: http://www.ukccsg.org/ Why do you need so many details? If you've ever trawled around the internet going from one company to another you'll have noticed that each company asks a host of questions. Although you may be looking for the same product, each company will ask a slightly different set of questions, so in order for us to retrieve quotes from each site we have to cater for all differences. However, if you went through each insurer's site without using HILLcompare.com, you would be asked a lot more questions. We only ask once. What is protected no claims bonus (NCB)? Once you have driven claim free continuously for a certain number of years, you should be able to protect your no claims bonus. If you have 5 years protected no claims bonus and you have a fault claim, your bonus level won't be reduced. However, insurance companies don't just base their quotes or premiums on the amount of no claims bonus you have, they will still look at your claims history. So although the following year you will still receive the same maximum discount on your policy due to the protection, your quote or premium may well be higher due to the new claim added to your policy. Insurance companies see policies with claims as a greater potential risk than claims free insurance policies. Why is there such a difference in prices? Not every finance company quotes competitively for every type of risk. Some will focus on young people living with parents while other focus on people who own a home. Although the market is hugely competitive it makes more sense for a company to attempt to corner a section of the market than compete with everyone on every risk. Why do insurance companies ask about medical conditions? In order to offer a quote to someone the insurance company naturally has to know what risk it is quoting for. It is not looking for a complete medical history of every customer. What the insurer does require, however, is to be informed of any medical condition that you were legally required to report to the DVLA which has affected the conditions of your driving licence. This will not affect your premium but is just for information purposes. What happens if I wish to drive abroad? We would always ask that you read the terms and conditions of any policy you intend to purchase as there will be differences between each of them. You will find that the vast majority of policies will offer the very minimum amount of cover for travelling within Europe. It may be possible that your insurance company can provide extra cover for travelling abroad though it's more than likely there will be a charge for this. How do I lower the cost of my insurance?
Convictions
The more motor convictions on your licence the higher the premium.
Learner Drivers
Although learner drivers may lack experience and be a greater risk they can take a course which shows that they are proficient drivers. This is a Pass Plus scheme for which some insurance companies may cut premiums by as much as 30%. There is also an Advanced Driver course which can reduce their premiums.
Modifications
Attempting to make your car look like it should be in a James Bond film is all well and good but your insurer may raise your premium if there are any differences from the factory standard.
Parking Location
The safer the place you leave your car the lower the risk. If you leave your car on the street overnight then an insurance company will say that this is a greater risk than a car kept securely overnight in a locked garage.
Paying Monthly
Not all insurers make it clear that although they allow you to pay monthly instead of in one lump sum, they may well charge you interest. This would make the total amount you pay higher than the original quoted premium. If at all possible it may well be advisable to pay the insurance in one go, unless you're lucky enough to find an insurer who offers interest free instalments!
Security
A vehicle with a car alarm, immobiliser or tracker is potentially less likely to be stolen. Insurance companies will recognise this and may lower the quote they offer for a vehicle with security. What about no claims bonus? No Claims Bonus (NCB) is a discount given by an insurer to policy holders who do not claim on their policy in a period of vehicle insurance. Generally this period is a year though there are some policies which may offer a shorter period of insured time, say ten months and you gain a year's no claims bonus. However, please be aware that often the no claims bonus is not transferable between insurers, so you may find you build your NCB more quickly if you remain with the same insurer, but miss the chance to check your cover is competitive The total reward for no claims bonus may also differ between insurance companies in both number of years and the amount of discount received. Some insurance companies will class four years as a maximum level of no claims bonus while others will be five years or perhaps even six. Discounts normally range between 30%, to begin with, up to 60%. Some insurers will offer a bigger discount as an incentive for your business but approximately 30 to 60% discount would be a good guide. Something to note about claims and no claims bonus is that typically the insurance company will step back the no claims bonus level by two years for a claim. Also, while a claim is pending or ongoing and costs have not yet been recovered from a third party, your no claims bonus level is stepped back by two years. E.g. a comprehensive policy holder claims for damage to his vehicle following an accident caused by a third party. Until the insurance companies costs are recovered from the third party or his insurer, this would count as a claim on the policy and you’re no claims bonus level would be reduced by two years. Costs cannot be recovered once the claim has been settled and the reduction on your no claims bonus level will then become your true no claims bonus level. As this can have a substantial effect on the level of no claims bonus discount received on your insurance quotes, many policy holders opt to 'protect' there no claims bonus for an additional premium once they have reached the maximum no claims bonus level. Protecting your no claims bonus means that should there be an accident on your insurance policy the claim would be settled but the no claims bonus would remain unaffected. The claim would however be a part of your claims history and would have to be declared at subsequent renewals. One last thing to note about no claims bonus is that with two cars, a driver will need two lots of no claims bonus, one for each car. Drivers can't share no claims bonus earned on one car between two cars. There may be instances where an insurance company changes this rule and allows one lot of no claims bonus to cover more than one vehicle at the same time as a sales incentive, but this is not standard practice. Do insurance companies work out the cost of van insurance the same way as car insurance? No although they will account for your driving history, your age, if there are driving convictions on your licence etc, i.e. for van insurance they have to include some of the following added risks:
  • The total weight of the loaded vehicle.
  • The size, type or nature of the contents carried e.g. hazardous loads.
  • Modifications such as lifting ramps.
  • Ownership of the contents within i.e. do the goods belong to the vehicle owner?
  • The use of the vehicle: private, business, for hire.
Is there more than one type of van? There are many models of van, each with its own characteristics. As vans are more commonly used for business or commercial purposes the type of use often determines the type of van owned. Below are some of the different types of van available on the market.
  • Micro van - Small van used to carry small loads or deliveries.
  • Small van/Light van - Front end is similar to a car, but with a van back. Sometimes with a raised roof.
  • Medium van/Panel van - Van with a large load or weight capacity.
  • Car-derived vans - Van derivative of car, looks like the van equivalent with the back windows filled.
  • Pick-up - Cab with an open back, where the load is uncovered.
  • Large van - Similar shape to the Medium vans with a larger carrying capacity.
Why do I need home insurance? It's important you protect your home and its contents from loss or damage caused by theft, flood or fire for example. If you have a mortgage, your mortgage company will almost certainly insist that you have insurance for your home (buildings insurance) and it makes sense that you also insure the contents of your home (contents insurance) as it will be very expensive to replace your belongings should anything happen to them. What does 'new for old' mean? 'New for old' means that the insurer will replace the item you are claiming for with one of the same make & specification where possible. There will be cases where the item is no longer available for whatever reason and so the insurance companies will speak to you about how to agree compensation for the damaged or item lost. Claims in respect of clothing, household linen and bicycles will be subject to deductions for wear and tear. How do I calculate the rebuilding cost of my property? You can either find your rebuilding cost on your surveyor's certificate or you could use the following link to The Association of British Insurers website where you will find a calculator to help you work out the rebuilding cost of your property. http://abi.bcis.co.uk.