The following is a list of modifications that will need to be declared when you contact your insurance company:. If your paintwork has not been modified the colour of your vehicle should not affect your insurance premiums. Choosing a specialist insurer is beneficial if your car is heavily modified. Car modifications that increase the security of your car will not negatively affect your insurance premium.
Security devices such as extra locking devices and immobilisers, for example, can reduce the risk of theft or accident, and could help to lower the cost of your policy. Most insurers see these as a good modification as they help to improve the handling of your car in difficult driving conditions.
While these particular modifications may not increase the cost of your insurance, it is still important to declare them to your provider so they can make an accurate calculation and charge you the appropriate amount. To find out more about declaring your modifications, read our guide to Declaring Modifications to your Car Insurance Provider. And if the cost of modifications is too high, shop around for a different insurance company — they all have a different way to calculate risk.
Thinking of buying a car? Telephone calls may be recorded for quality and training purposes. Disclaimer: We work with a number of carefully selected credit providers who may be able to offer you finance for your purchase.
We may receive a commission payment from the finance provider if you decide to enter into an agreement with them. Driving Seat. How to. Share this article via Email Your Name:. Friend's Name:. Friend's Email Address:. Message: I thought you might like this article. If you buy a car from a dealer, and find it has an illegal modification, take it back. In case of a private purchase, again approach the seller and ask for your money back or for them to remove it. If you unknowingly install an illegal modification, get it removed or altered to make it legal.
Modifications are supposed to make your car look, feel or drive better or more safely. Some will cause your insurance premiums to go down, many will lead to higher payments. But there is another issue to bear in mind: modifying your car could actually damage it.
Christofer Lloyd, motoring expert at Buyacar. For example, replace a set of inch tyres with inch ones could damage the wheel arches, cost you more in fuel as well as impact your insurance. This is just another reason to think twice before buying a modified car, or adding modifications to your own vehicle, particularly extreme ones, such as detachable steering wheels and massively-oversized wheels — which are likely to fall foul of the law. This is because the car remains the property of the finance company for the duration of the contract term and after in the case of PCP , and modifications will affect the cost of insuring the car going forward.
Should the company become aware of any unauthorised upgrades it could terminate the contract, retrieve the car and make the driver pay for any financial hit suffered removing the modifications or selling the car. What is Remapping a Car? ECU Remapping. Cheap Car Insurance for Young Drivers. We use cookies and similar technologies. You can use the settings below to accept all cookies which we recommend to give you the best experience or to enable specific categories of cookies as explained below.
Find out more by reading our Cookie Policy. How car modifications affect insurance. Share this guide. Get a car insurance quote See a range of car insurance quotes in just a few minutes when you compare with Uswitch.
Compare car insurance. What car modifications lead to increased motor insurance costs? To be legal cars on UK roads must have white or yellow lights at the front, and red at the rear However, it is possible to upgrade your lights by changing the traditional bulb with LEDs, and fitting neon lights under the car, although the neon strip or bulb must not be visible, and it must have a standalone on-off switch Other big no-nos include spinning or flashing lights on the car, as well as blue or green lights.
Anyone seeking a sleeker profile might want to consider shaving a few inches off the height of their car by having the suspension lowered This modification is not without its problems though and should be done by an experienced mechanic who will ensure it will not fail the MOT on this modification Lowered suspension can cause problems for insurance, as the car will handle differently, and damage caused by potholes, speed bumps and curbs is likely to be greater than it otherwise would be.
Buying large or big bore exhausts is not illegal: they may even pass an MOT test because only exhaust emissions are checked The problem for fans of large exhausts is that law states:. Some insurers have no issue with them, others disagree For this reason, it is best to let your insurer know if you have any significant car decal.
Read more … What is Remapping a Car? In this guide.
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