LV= says claims for stolen catalytic converters have soared, leading to ‘difficult decisions’
- ‘They quoted £7k-£8k’: young drivers face huge car insurance rises
- A Honda Jazz may not seem at high risk of theft, but the number of claims for catalytic converter thefts has soared.
Just before Christmas I received a letter from LV= informing me it would not renew the insurance on my Honda Jazz because of the risk of it being stolen, which I find hard to believe.
I sent an immediate letter of complaint and, after receiving no reply, wrote again at the start of this month to its head office in Bournemouth.
LV= has still not replied but this morning I received an email repeating the wording of the original notification.
I have had car insurance with LV=, and its predecessor Frizzell, since 1969, and also have house insurance policies with it. Its actions are particularly annoying because I have just spent £500 to get the Jazz through its MOT.
After an accident a few years ago, (in which another car was driven into the back of our Jazz) we replaced the tailgate with one that is a different colour and didn’t treat the scratches.
The chance of anyone stealing such a conspicuous and unsaleable car is exceedingly remote, and I made clear in my letters that I plan to move all four of my policies to another firm if it does not reconsider.
FC, Presteigne
With flashy brands such as Range Rover, BMW and Mercedes among the most commonly stolen cars in the UK, your beaten-up Honda Jazz seems a less obvious target.
But when I asked LV= it confirmed that it had, indeed, taken the “difficult decision” to stop insuring your car because the model you own is one of the casualties of a car crimewave.
LV= says: “We’re seeing an increase in theft of cars, and continue to experience trends in theft of high-value parts, such as catalytic converters, headlights, and even steering wheels, that organised gangs of thieves find very lucrative.
“This is being fuelled by the hi-tech nature of these cars as well as the perceived value of these components, and a general shortage of car parts because of global supply chain disruption. This is affecting all types of vehicles and some secondhand cars are highly desirable, being on average more than 30% more expensive than they were two years ago.”
The insurer says although a Honda Jazz may not seem high risk, the number of claims for catalytic converter thefts has risen by 52% in the past three years. “We never want to leave our customers in the difficult situation of having to find alternative cover but these thefts are something we’ve been monitoring, and we must make difficult decisions to help keep the cost of insurance down.”
It is not a blanket decision on the brand: only Honda Jazz SE models, made between 2001 and 2008, are affected because of the type of catalytic converter they have.
It is a difficult time for motorists, as although fuel costs have fallen back, the cost of insurance is racing ahead, up 43.8% over the past year, according to official data. The other side of the coin is that insurers are making record motor insurance payouts. In the three months to the end of September 2023, payouts to customers over stolen cars and theft from vehicles reached £178m, up 35% on 2022, according to the Association of British Insurers.
You have been a loyal customer of this company for 50 years but it is sticking to its guns and you will have to go elsewhere for insurance if you want to keep driving your trusty Jazz.
It is a second car and you say you are still debating what to do when the policy expires next month.
Zoe Wood@zoewoodguardianMon 29 Jan 2024 02.00 EST
Response to letter is copyright of Zoe Wood, Guardian newspapers
Honda Jazz photos are copyright of Sotiris Vassiliou
