Contact your car insurer if you are thinking about fitting winter tyres!

Just come across a BBC story on this.

** Insurers 'charge for snow tyres' **
Some motorists who fit winter tyres to their car to cope with snowy conditions are being charged higher insurance premiums, it is claimed.
< http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11969958 >

Update - Just watched a BBC news bulletin and apparently all of the major insurers have confirmed that people shouldn't be charged extra for using winter tyres. They (the insurers) have said that anybody who is should contact their Head Office direct to notify them.

Giving them the benefit of the doubt, it would sound like they were ill prepared for the surge in interest in winter tyres this year, and hadn't issued anything to staff to clarify how they should deal with queries.

If I were cynical, I'd say that it suited them to let things roll until the profile of the issue was raised.

EmmaEvs wrote:Update - Just watched a BBC news bulletin and apparently all of the major insurers have confirmed that people shouldn't be charged extra for using winter tyres. They (the insurers) have said that anybody who is should contact their Head Office direct to notify them.
.

common sense finally prevails.

Typical. Government and senior people in business being ignorant to the facts and trying to make a profit out of it.
Viva la revolution.

Hi All,


I have just arrived back from BsM after a weeks R&R and must admit I do not understand why in this country during say mid November to the end of February winter/snow tyres are not made a legal requirement.

A normal tyre used on mosr cars , vans etc once the temperature falls below 7 degrees C starts to harden up and lose it's traction, winter/snow tyres with their higher silica( think thats correct) content remain more flexible and keep gripping down to -15 degrees C and below.

Also with the deeper tread , wider gullies and increased sipes give much more needed traction in cold , wet , icy , snowy conditions.....also research has shown in winter conditions a winter/snow tyre travelling at 30 mph will stop on average 11 metres quicker than a normal tyre travelling at 20 mph.

Buying a good make of winter tyre and concidering average distances travelled over a 3 - 4 month period , a set of winter/snow tyres should last for around 3 winters.





jon.

Couldnt agree more, and I run winter tyres on my taxi and I made journey's last week I wouldnt have made without them.
But we only get a few weeks of extreme cold weather which makes them viable for most people, so I dont agree it should be legal. It isnt in France and they get much more extreme weather in many parts.
As for this ignorance from the government and insurance companies, wise up people.

Hi Tony,

I agree , insurance companies will use any excuse to make more money....it does seem hypocritical to charge someone extra ( for a supposed modification ) when fitting winter/snow tyres will increase the safety of the insured vehicle, and hopefully reduce the risk and therefore the need to make a claim.

If I rang my insurer and asked " do you class fitting winter/snow tyres , a modification and charge extra for it ".....if the reply was " Yes " the next words out of my mouth would be " **ck you then I want to cancel my policy right now ".


Jon.

I know, but they'd probably make a charge for you doing that!!!