modified car - invalid insurance?

[Suzy~Q]

Hi, I feel I know the answer to this, but want it verified by others please.

18 yr old insured on standard spec car. Now has modified with twin exhaust and wide alloys. He claims that if the insurance company don't know it doesn't matter. I claim that if the insurance company doesn't know it invalidates his policy - therefore he's uninsured. Can you confirm please? thanks.

[Ethel]

You are right:

If you have made modifications to your car you must inform your insurance company of them. By failing to do so, it could be difficult to make a successful claim should you need to do so and could even invalidate your insurance policy.

Drivers should try and avoid modifying cars if they wish to keep their insurance premiums down. The risk that insurers associate to such vehicles for younger drivers is often prohibitive and could make insuring a car extremely expensive.

Modifications such as changes to the exhaust are likely to incur an extra cost to the standard premium for the car.

http://www.endsleigh.co.uk/car/youngdriver-mod ified.html

[almcd007]

If he does have an accident and the asessor gets involved, he will notice things like alloys and a cannon where a pea shooter should be and these things are bltantly not standard.

If you have a box standard Corsa or Saxo - they're quite unnappealing - if you put a 3litre engine in where a 1.2 should sit, alloys on, twin exhausts, darken the windows and put wheelie bins in the back disguised as sub woofers - a thief is more likely to steal that one for a joy ride than the other. The extras spent on modifying will not be reimbursed if you make a claim, unless you have told the ins co about them and paid the extra premium.

[SlackAlice]

LOL wheelie bins disguised as sub woofers. Love it :)

[jake-the-peg]

He may find the insurance increase is nothing like as bad as he thinks

https://www.hertsinsurance.com/modifiedcars.php

[Loosehead]

He is not uninsured, ie he would not be prosecuted for no insurance but the insurance company would definately use it to not pay out. They should be told of modifications.

[Reverandfunk]

I'd be ashamed to admit I had the modifications lol.

I mean alloy's, bucket seats etc etc on rubbish 1.2 litre cars am I missing the point???....

[woodchopper]

If he wants to be a tw*t and put the items on the car - let him - just make sure his insurance company know as Ethel said.

[coopergordon]

He really should tell insurance company, as if they want to be akward they could refuse to pay out on a claim.

I have added wide wheels to a Golf, and reckon they make car safer, but insurance want more coz in their eyes it
means you are more likely to drive fast, push car to limit, and have crash / make a claim.

Similarly adding twin exhausts shouts "boy racer and higher risk" to them.

Maybe just put it back to standard, as once insurance told they may refuse to deal with him!!!!!