Car Insurers Have Saved 108 Million Pounds in South West England During Covid-19 Lockdown
£ 108,117,567
...is the estimated amount of savings on payouts realized by the UK car insurance companies in South West England during Covid-19 lockdown, as drivers stayed home between 23 March and 31 May.
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Claims drop during lockdown
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Cost of claims in a "normal" 77-days period
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Car insurers' savings during lockdown
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South West England big numbers
69% drop in car-related claims
With the UK locked down from the 23rd of March, most English citizens were forced to stay at home. As a consequence, daily commutes came to a halt, meaning fewer people on the roads, and a lower probability of accidents occurring. With a 69% drop in car-related claims, South West England has the same average decrease rate in car claims than in the whole United Kingdom (69% as well).
Overall, insurance companies in South West England could have actually saved up to £108.1 millions thanks to the change in driving habits caused by lockdown measures.
- The South West English metropolitan area accounting for the highest savings is Bristol, with a £20.4 million reduction in payouts by the insurers. The Bournemouth-Poole metropolitan area ranks number 2, with almost £10.1 million saved by the insurers.
- Usually, motor insurers put aside ⅔ of premiums to cover road accidents. However, the reduction in the number of accidents has cut that proportion significantly. One big car insurance player expects it will save as much as half the funds it expected to have to pay out for personal injury claims in 2020.
Will customers receive their money back?
With the savings made while South West England was locked down, the big insurance companies decided to reduce the premiums for their customers. That is why it has been observed in the region an average £48.7 annual price reduction on car premiums per customer. Indeed, the average annual premium was £606 as for March 2020, and has gone down to £557.3 at the beginning of June - which represents an 8% decrease in prices for the South West English drivers.
Admiral was the first car insurance company in the UK to announce a £180 million spending including a fixed £25 refund to each of its car and van insurance customers - which could represent a £151.7 millions refunds sum for the clients from South West England. Others are planning on refunding only customers that were affected by the pandemic, such as the unemployed or people placed on a government furlough scheme by their employer.
Antoine Fruchard, insurance expert and CEO at hello-safe.co.uk
“We could observe that the car insurance industry saved in the South West England region a lot of money during the lockdown. For example, in the only county of Cornwall, those savings accounts for more than £11 million during the whole period, which is a lot. Now that the lockdown is over, the number of cars on the road could soon be back at pre-Covid levels. It is likely that customers will question why they continued to pay such high insurance premiums while they weren't able to drive. While some insurance companies have already made refunds, it has been observed a £48.7 average decrease in car premiums in South West England between March and June, which proves that the competition is hard between the major motor insurers".
Our methodology
We based our study on public information provided by reliable data-providers - such as the ABI, Which, Willis Tower Watson and Money Wise - and 18 European insurance partners who provided us anonymously with claims for the period from the 23rd of March to the 31st May. 545,560 policy holders from all the UK regions have been taken into account. For further information on our editorial guidelines please click here.
About hello-safe.co.uk
Hello-safe.co.uk is a comparison platform which is shaking up the insurance market – giving you access to the best UK insurance deals in less than 30 seconds. Hello-safe.co.uk is supported and financed by Blue, an Insuretech Venture Capital firm. Blue already owns two leaders in the French insurance comparison market, Réassurez-moi and Coover. These platforms help more than 10 million people with their insurance every year. We have developed a unique comparison technology that gives access to cover details and quotes without customers having to give their phone number or email address. This engine is the result of four years of hard work.
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