Insurance for cars that have optional extras added

[laing]

Just thinking my insurance is up at the end of the month and dawned on me that there are no options to add optional extras

I can see modifications but none are relevant such as when I bought my car it came with the drivers support pack, winter pack, keyless entry and start, front and rear sensors, rear privacy glass and 20 inch wheels

Obviously if the worst was to happen and the car was written off it would cost me more to get a 2.4 D5 se lux nav with all these extras than one without the extras

How do others get around this, is it just a case of when they ask what your car is worth you inflate this but surely they would just look up the value on their system and they don't know what optional extras are in the car

any and all thought appreciated

[Tannaton]

Firstly I would suggest you discuss it with your insurer, I would expect that like most things they have their own rules and each company might deal with it in a different way to others.

However I would expect that most of them would say if the car was a total loss they would pay out "market value" regardless of what you tell them or think it might be worth. There is a view that if you can show a £38k car has got £7k of options on it then its market value is higher (I know the DSP adds a lot as it's rare and some folk seek it out) but most valuation guides and services like WBAC do not seem to take this into consideration as it has little to no impact on auction values. And some options are much more desirable than others.

[RDesign4Life]

If you browse Autotrader you'll see that there is little or no difference in prices between SE Nav/Se Lux & SE Lux Nav. When trading in to a dealer, mileage, bodywork condition and number of keys seem to be the biggest factors. Optional extra lists are occasionally quoted in the description but don't usually affect second hand values too much.

Hence your insurer is unlikely to care unless you have an agreed value policy.

[Ulrikas PA]

Or you could just go to an insurer that you can have an 'agreed value' with ?

That would make life easier.

[Deck1ng]

I contacted my insurer listing all the toys fitted, incl the dash cam. I asked if any of these should be listed seperately , to which they answered no. But at least they have on record the equipment the car is fitted with, in case of dispute at a later stage.

[Cloth Ears]

My impression is that accessories and extras don’t materially affect the used resale price, but a well-specced car will probably sell quicker than a basic-spec one, all else being equal. So insurance values probably won’t depend on the extras fitted, and you’re unlikely to recover their cost in a claim.

[Wagon Sailor]

That's my understanding, too.
Insurers will use their look-up tables. If your fur-lined cup-holder doesn't add to the value, you'll get owt for it.

[Mick787]

My understanding of things is that insurers will cover anything that was fitted to it the day it came off the production line. Anything after that is a modification or alteration which I'd tell them about, irrespective of how trivial you think it may be. Also, when telling them, make a note of who you spoke with, time, date, call centre etc as they will record conversations, you can't. Keep that note safe!
I've even disclosed the Polestar optimisation.

As others have said, I'd be speaking to your insurance company to fully establish what is or isn't covered. Sadly, insurance companies cant be trusted these days.

[baggy798]

If all those things came stock then no need to tell them.

[RDesign4Life]

Originally Posted by Mick787

My understanding of things is that insurers will cover anything that was fitted to it the day it came off the production line. Anything after that is a modification or alteration which I'd tell them about, irrespective of how trivial you think it may be. Also, when telling them, make a note of who you spoke with, time, date, call centre etc as they will record conversations, you can't. Keep that note safe!
I've even disclosed the Polestar optimisation.

As others have said, I'd be speaking to your insurance company to fully establish what is or isn't covered. Sadly, insurance companies cant be trusted these days.

Polestar is a remap tune that adds bhp. These things are definitely modifications and if you don't tell your insurer about such performance enhancements (whether Volvo approved or not) you risk your cover being voided in the event of any claim.