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Anyone recommend a car insurer that isn't stupidly high for photographers?
Just been in Go Compare and all those horrible comparison sites, and I compare my quote for an IT job and that of a Photographer, the difference is at least £150!
Are there any specialists worth looking at?
I've been with Direct Line for several years now Ade, and they seem quite competitive (as painter/decorator)
I don't know about what band Pro togs are in, but if you make contact, explaining that you already have camera insurance, that covers theft from car, it might make a difference....... assuming you do have camera ins cover like Aaduki already that covers car theft....
direct line was £750 for a £1500 car, 9 years no claims....
it's what you would call "a right bugger"
I teach photography, if I put "private self employed teacher" in, rather than photographer, things come down significantly. hmm
You're not a photographer, you're "self-employed in the media industry". 
They're assuming your car has £20K of kit in the boot you want covered. That should be covered by your equipment insurance, though read the small print first... if you're pushed by the insurance company, let them know that you won't be storing gear in the car (and you can have that as a special provision on your insurance, ie gear not covered).
Quote: I teach photography, if I put "private self employed teacher" in, rather than photographer, things come down significantly. hmm
Rather strange there should be a considerable difference where it may be worthwhile opting for self employed teacher without being fraudulent.
Car Insurance has gone up on average of around 40% leaving one with trying to cut the risk such as the excess amount. Your postcode is also a significant factor that you cant do anything about apart from moving.
Get the lowest you can find on-line then haggle over the phone, you would be surprised at the margin they work to.
ta folks
my renewal was £401 - when I fessed up to being a tog she came back with £750.... is being a tog so much more risky than being an IT boffin?
Just some points on any misconceptions about the price:
- it will not be based on 'what' might be stolen from the car (that wouldn't be covered under any standard motor policy anyway), simply the fact that things in the car could cause it to be broken into;
- they base price on the habits of drivers with particular occupations i.e. where the car is likely to be, time it will be there, the simple fact you are likely to travel more - the 'industry' builds up profiles against any known occupation, then they decide if they want that risk - this is why you get noticeable differences between similar insurers.
Upshot is, they are wise to this now and are offering better suited policies e.g. Direct Line for business - alternatively, you may find a broker can find you a deal that isn't available on the open market.
There's rarely any 'good news' when it comes to insurance!
Good luck
Chris
Or they are assuming that you are going to be racing around like a complete idiot, hanging out the window while driving one handed, trying to get 'that shot'. I would appear that is the reason for the loading, not the amount of gear in the boot as that value wouldn't be covered under most car policies anyway. It seems that there are alot of motor claims involving photographers (paps) being involved in accidents.
I'm with direct line. I pay around £230 a year fully comp on a 3 year old vectra 1.9 deisel. I specify that i'm not a press photographer. This is pretty reasonable considering the miles i do.
I have had other insurers turn me down flat for being a tog. The worst was that one Michael winner used to do 'it's a commercial' -can't think of the company (old age affecting the little grey cells) - anyhoo, they wouldn't insure anyone in the media so having Winner advertise it was a bit of a joke.
Think yourself lucky you're not a teenager, my lad pays a couple of grand!
My insurance went up by about a £150 when I changed my ocupation to a photographer from working in an office, the cheapest for me over the last few years have been Bell, Admiral and now Direct Line but it's still a lot more expensive than a lot of other jobs with the same details and millage.
As an IT boffin did you have business use cover? As a self employed pro tog you will need business use cover as carrying your gear around is a business use. This could be one reason why the cost is higher.
A second reason is the nature of what you carry around. Although the car insurer won't cover your gear per-se, the very fact that you have high value, highly portable equipment makes it a target for theives. Even if they don't steal the car they may attempt to break into it. It doesn't really matter that the insurance company will most likely insist that gear is never left unattended in the car (which at it's strictest could mean you can't even leave the car to pay for petrol) as theives who know what you do for a living may still break in anyway on the offchance that something is lying around.
Trying to pass yourself off as a teacher may yeild a lower premium, but it isn't strictly the whole truth - yes you may do some teaching, but that isn't your whole job. Imagine a publican claiming to be an office clerk because they spend a bit of time doing the paperwork, or a kitchen hand because they wash a few glasses.
Insurance is always likely to stir up strong feelings as no one really wants to pay for it, and most people feel they are a better risk than the insurance companies do. The problem is worse with motor insurance in so far as it is a legal requirement to have at least third party cover under the road traffic act so can't be avoided - at least not legally.
With non-standard occupations, such as photographer, it can often be better to deal via a broker, rather than rely on the internet.
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