New research by Confused.com reveals that UK drivers aren’t always completely honest when it comes to taking out their vehicle insurance policy.
The findings from Confused.com reveal that at present drivers believe they can lie on their insurance policy and this won’t have any consequences. In fact, 18% of motorists admitted they’d ‘stretched the truth’ when applying for a car insurance policy.
Despite the fact that consumers are required to provide accurate information when purchasing insurance, there are a number of factors which people ‘exaggerate’ in a bid to get themselves a cheaper deal. The most common lie told during the quote process is where the vehicle will be kept overnight, with nearly half (45%) admitting they embellished the truth on this point.
Another frequent fib told by motorists is whether they intend to use their vehicle for social, domestic and pleasure purposes or commuting. Over a quarter of drivers (26%) admit to lying when it comes to this question on their car insurance policy.
| Most Dishonest Regions – Car Insurance | |
| 1 | Birmingham 30% |
| 2 | Cardiff 23% |
| 3 | Manchester 21% |
| 4 | London 19% |
| *Data taken fron One Poll research March 2013 | |
The findings also reveal that it is men who are most likely to ‘bend the truth’ when it comes to submitting insurance information, with 22% admitting to lying compared to just 14% of women.
The regions in the UK where drivers were amongst the most dishonest when applying for vehicle insurance policies, included Birmingham, Manchester, Cardiff and London.
To better understand how far motorists are willing to stretch the truth, Confused.com asked drivers to answer the following question:
‘If you’ve “stretched the truth” in any way to affect the outcome of a vehicle insurance policy quote, which of the following were you untruthful about?’
The results were as follows:
| Where I keep the car overnight | 45% |
| Estimated current mileage | 37% |
| The purpose of my journeys | 26% |
| Occupation | 14% |
| Where car is kept during the day | 11% |
| Points on licence/convictions | 10% |
| Accidents in the past | 9% |
| Car alarm/immobiliser | 7% |
| Years of no claims | 6% |
| Who is the main driver | 6% |
| None of the above | 5% |
| Primary address | 4% |
| Number of years driving | 4% |
A spoof video created by Confused.com can be found at CONFUSED.COM .
The video highlights the common things people exaggerate about regarding their insurance policy.
Sharon Flaherty, Head of Content at Confused.com, had the following to say: “Honesty is always the best policy when it comes to getting the best insurance deal, but for those amongst us who try to stretch the truth to get a cheaper insurance premium, their time is up.”
“Vehicle insurance taken out after the policy holder has been dishonest is invalid and we want to make UK drivers aware of this. We want to ensure all motorists on the roads are protected with the correct insurance for their vehicle should the worst happen.”
