Several factors affect car insurance. When insuring your car, you will be asked if your car has any modifications. An insurer sets a policy price for your vehicle and considers the chance of it being stolen or involved in an accident.
Car modifications can have a significant impact on your policy prices. Your insurer may feel there’s a higher risk of your car getting in an accident than with no modifications. Modifications that affect a vehicle’s performance are more likely to increase the price you pay.
You must tell your insurer of any modification to your car, which must be completed at a professional garage.
Do I Need To Declare Every Modification?
There are essentially two categories of car modifications. Some modifications enhance your car’s performance or appearance, and you must declare any of these modifications to your insurer. Without declaring these modifications, it could cause your insurance to be invalidated, and your claim refused if you’re in an accident.
There is no point in beating around the bush to ensure you must be as truthful and detailed as possible. You will avoid an increase in your policy premium due to “unforeseen risk”.
What Modifications Will Not Affect My Insurance?
Any car modifications that increase the security of your car will not affect your insurance. Extra locking devices, for example, can reduce the risk of theft or accident in your vehicle. It could even help decrease the cost of your policy.
Installing winter tyres will not affect your car as they help improve your handling in challenging winter conditions such as snow and ice.
As you can see, while these modifications do not affect the price of your insurance, it’s still important to declare them.
What Modifications Could Invalidate My Insurance?
Essentially any modification that results in you breaking the law will cause your insurance to be invalidated. This includes:
- Under car neon lights
- Illegal changes to wheels
- Sound modifiers
- Tinted windows that restrict more than 70% of sunlight
Is it Mainly Young People Making Car Modifications?
You would think it’s all young drivers modding their cars, but you would be surprised. Older drivers are known to install parking sensors to help them park safely in space.
As you can tell, it’s not something that would negatively impact your insurance as it’s trying to reduce the risk of a crash.
What Should I Do If I Modify My Car?
If you want to modify your car, it’s best to talk to your insurer before you do it rather than after. Something minor, like paintwork, could raise your premium. So you will want to know the outcome of your modification before getting it done.
It only impacts your insurance if you do not let your insurer know. It may cause complications if you make a claim and they find undeclared modifications on your car.
If you have further questions about Car Insurance in general or with KennCo, we have compiled all our FAQ’s to help you. If you still have a query, our agents are on 014092600 to assist you over the phone.
