Modifying your car will affect your car insurance premium. Car manufacturers work with car insurance companies to insure cars at a certain standard. If you modify your car, for example by souping up the engine, then the chances are the factors on which your premiums are based will have changed. This might mean that the number of insurers who will insure you is cut dramatically. It might cost you a lot more now that your car is flashier than KITT from Knight Rider, so if you can’t afford the tight leather pants you should think long and hard about changing your car beyond recognition.
As Paul Jenson from Hoot Car Insurance www.hootcarinsurance.co.uk points out:
If you’re still convinced that you need to lower your suspension and black out your windows then Hoot Car Insurance have put together a few tips:
- The exhaust system must stretch out from the main body of the car. Poisonous fumes will otherwise engulf the car and you’ll get very ill, or worse
- You mustn’t fit red lights at the front or white lights at the back
- You can’t have any bells or music in place of the standard horn (you should restrict yourself to horns only)
- Tyres mustn’t stick out from the body of the vehicle as they overload and put strain on the axles
- Don’t lower your driving seat so that you can’t see out of the window. This could be extremely dangerous and could cause an accident
So before you head off to Halfords check whether you’re making a mistake by altering your car. Otherwise it could be a real pain in the wallet.