Croydon - the car crime capital

It’s official. Croydon is the car crime capital of England’s South East.

Data just released shows that the town suffered more thefts and break-ins in 2005 than anywhere else in the region, driving up the cost of car insurance for anyone unlucky enough to live within the vicinity.

Drivers with the town’s CR0 postcode can expect to fork out more for their premium, while people living in nearby areas where car crime is substantially lower can expect to be paying up to 20% less.

Research undertaken after these revelations came to light demonstrates just how much a Croydon address can affect the price of your car insurance. Numerous motor insurance providers were asked to come up with quotes for the same driver depending on where they lived, and results showed that they could expect to be charged up to £94.50 more simply because of their CR0 postcode.

It’s not necessarily gangs stealing cars that have rocketed the car insurance rates, but is mainly due to opportunist thieves making smash-and-grab attempts to steal mobile phones, handbags and anything else left on display. Car insurance companies will deal with your claim if your belongings are stolen, but ultimately you’ll end up paying a higher premium so it does pay to take care.

There’s more bad news for Croydon’s drivers too. If you own a Ford Fiesta, a Peugeot 106 or Renault Clio then beware. The latest research shows that these cars are the town’s criminals’ most popular targets and more are stolen and broken into every year than any other car.

webmaster@hootcarinsurance.co.uk

*A replacement car can usually be arranged under any of the following conditions:

1.Non fault accident – where we have the name, car registration number and insurance details of the person who caused the accident, we will supply a replacement car on a credit hire basis. This means the charges for this service will be passed onto the insurance company of the person who was responsible for the accident. This service may not be available where we are unable to get an admission of liability from their insurance company, or wherethe driver is unknown or uninsured.

2.If you have comprehensive insurance, a replacement car may be available under the terms of your insurance policy. Please check your policy details for more information.

3.The repairing garage may be able to provide a replacement car. This is subject to availability.

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