Car Insurance for Musicians

[King Tut]

Can anyone recommend a company that will give me a reasonable quote if I state my employment as a musician? I rarely use my car for gigs but terrified that if I had an accident when I WAS using it for a gig I’d find I’m not covered.

[mybass]

It’s tough finding an insurer…(the Musicians Union will have a company they use if you can find out?)
l left my broker after many years as he was getting some silly prices each year to the point where I’d had enough. My wife, being a teacher had her Teachers Union advising use of Aviva. We insured her car as the first and me, as a musician as the second and it was accepted and was half the price of the old broker cost.

 

Look at www.musicguard.co.uk 

 

Also if you are in or join the Musicians Union you can get free insurance to £2000.

Edited July 19, 2022 by mybass

[casapete]

Think we did this a while ago, but probably due an update.

 

Ive used a few of the bigger companies over the years, and didn’t stay with many for long as

renewals often went sky high after the first year or two. Many of them will cover musicians,

and require you to specify ( usually from a list ) which category you fall into.

I’m currently with AXA Direct, who have been competitive at renewal time for a few years

for me. Always worth doing some price comparison stuff though, with some of the websites

offering various incentives on your cover ( £250 excess free etc) to choose them. 

Edited July 19, 2022 by casapete

[King Tut]

1 hour ago, casapete said:

Think we did this a while ago, but probably due an update.

 

Ive used a few of the bigger companies over the years, and didn’t stay with many for long as

renewals often went sky high after the first year or two. Many of them will cover musicians,

and require you to specify ( usually from a list ) which category you fall into.

I’m currently with AXA Direct, who have been competitive at renewal time for a few years

for me. Always worth doing some price comparison stuff though, with some of the websites

offering various incentives on your cover ( £250 excess free etc) to choose them. 

I tried AXA. They wouldnt insure me as a Musician - Pop Group, but got a good quote as Musician - Amatuer. I don’t really make a living at it so could I realistically go for amateur, playing festivals and butlins rock weekenders?

Edited July 19, 2022 by King Tut

[casapete]

19 minutes ago, King Tut said:

I tried AXA. They wouldnt insure me as a Musician - Pop Group, but got a good quote as Musician - Amatuer. I don’t really make a living at it so could I realistically go for amateur, playing festivals and butlins rock weekenders?

That would be down to you I’m afraid - personally wouldn’t suggest not fully disclosing anything

where insurers are concerned, as they will do their best to evade paying out over the slightest

detail. Can’t remember what I’m down as without checking my policy, but think it mentions

theatre as one of my places of work. ‘ Pop group’ is obviously high risk drugs and rock n roll

stuff to them....

I seem to remember questioning why a company wouldn’t insure me under that

category a few years ago, and they said it was high risk as imagine the claim if I had an accident

whilst giving Mick Jagger a lift home after a gig! Wonder if they still use that example these days.

[King Tut]

21 minutes ago, casapete said:

That would be down to you I’m afraid - personally wouldn’t suggest not fully disclosing anything

where insurers are concerned, as they will do their best to evade paying out over the slightest

detail. Can’t remember what I’m down as without checking my policy, but think it mentions

theatre as one of my places of work. ‘ Pop group’ is obviously high risk drugs and rock n roll

stuff to them....

I seem to remember questioning why a company wouldn’t insure me under that

category a few years ago, and they said it was high risk as imagine the claim if I had an accident

whilst giving Mick Jagger a lift home after a gig! Wonder if they still use that example these days.

FFS!!

[MacDaddy]

 

Double bassists get cheaper quotes than electric bassists, classcial musicians get cheaper quotes than 'popular music' musicians.

[jonnybass]

I'm no expert, but surely this only applies if you use the vehicle in the commute to your (main) job or as a commercial vehicle?  

 

If I am a bricklayer and a DB player in a dance fusion band which earns ££.  I only have a smart car which cant fit my DB in so i get picked up everytime in the band van, my main employment is bricklayer I cannot see why declaring my second job is relevant on any claim.  If I own and drive the band van instead of a smartcar and I am the only driver, then yes I can see the relevance, especially if I am on my way to/from a gig, likewise if its my only employment I can see the relevance.  In the claims I have had, other than when the person who hit my car and drove off accused me of driving while I was 9 miles away working in a call centre I have never been asked what i was doing/my employment history other than was I on my way to work. 

 

But I may be lucky there.

[King Tut]

38 minutes ago, jonnybass said:

I'm no expert, but surely this only applies if you use the vehicle in the commute to your (main) job or as a commercial vehicle?  

 

If I am a bricklayer and a DB player in a dance fusion band which earns ££.  I only have a smart car which cant fit my DB in so i get picked up everytime in the band van, my main employment is bricklayer I cannot see why declaring my second job is relevant on any claim.  If I own and drive the band van instead of a smartcar and I am the only driver, then yes I can see the relevance, especially if I am on my way to/from a gig, likewise if its my only employment I can see the relevance.  In the claims I have had, other than when the person who hit my car and drove off accused me of driving while I was 9 miles away working in a call centre I have never been asked what i was doing/my employment history other than was I on my way to work. 

 

But I may be lucky there.

For many years I was a train driver which i put down as my main employment. I got cover for business as occasionally id need to use the car at work for convenience.  I've recently retired so can't really use that one anymore. I'm a bit of a worrier. The thought of being involved in an accident where another party needs lifetime medical care or suchlike is what worries me. If the insurance didn't pay out I'd be bankrupted. Just not worth it - if only for my mental health and not having to worry!

[Mykesbass]

I used Privilege for years when I worked in record companies as I had issues with other companies not wanting to cover me. Might be worth a look.

[silverfoxnik]

5 hours ago, casapete said:

That would be down to you I’m afraid - personally wouldn’t suggest not fully disclosing anything

where insurers are concerned, as they will do their best to evade paying out over the slightest

detail. Can’t remember what I’m down as without checking my policy, but think it mentions

theatre as one of my places of work. ‘ Pop group’ is obviously high risk drugs and rock n roll

stuff to them....

I seem to remember questioning why a company wouldn’t insure me under that

category a few years ago, and they said it was high risk as imagine the claim if I had an accident

whilst giving Mick Jagger a lift home after a gig! Wonder if they still use that example these days.

I remember Direct Line saying the exact same thing to me back in the late '80s!!

 

The only decent reply I can think of to such a stupid statement would be to say that the only reason Mick Jagger would be in any of our cars these days, would be that we're dropping him off at the local Day Care centre... 

[mybass]

1 hour ago, silverfoxnik said:

I remember Direct Line saying the exact same thing to me back in the late '80s!!

 

The only decent reply I can think of to such a stupid statement would be to say that the only reason Mick Jagger would be in any of our cars these days, would be that we're dropping him off at the local Day Care centre... 

I had that (almost) exact same reason given by Prudential many years ago “the reason we won’t insure you as a musician is you might be driving Boy George and have an accident etc etc “ it’s all codswallop.

[Mykesbass]

1 hour ago, silverfoxnik said:

I remember Direct Line saying the exact same thing to me back in the late '80s!!

 

The only decent reply I can think of to such a stupid statement would be to say that the only reason Mick Jagger would be in any of our cars these days, would be that we're dropping him off at the local Day Care centre... 

 

29 minutes ago, mybass said:

I had that (almost) exact same reason given by Prudential many years ago “the reason we won’t insure you as a musician is you might be driving Boy George and have an accident etc etc “ it’s all codswallop.

I had this for house insurance - you might be seen on TV with one of your artists an people will know you are not at home 🧐 Only worked for a tiny independent label at the time.

[TKenrick]

I've been insured with Victor C Knight for years, they specialise in musicians and were basically the only company who would insure me unless I lied and gave my occupation as 'music teacher'. Never had to claim through them so can't comment on how well they handle that side of things, but they should at least be able to give you a reasonable quote.

[Dan Dare]

1 hour ago, TKenrick said:

I've been insured with Victor C Knight for years, they specialise in musicians and were basically the only company who would insure me unless I lied and gave my occupation as 'music teacher'. Never had to claim through them so can't comment on how well they handle that side of things, but they should at least be able to give you a reasonable quote.

 

Same here. I originally went to VCK because my previous insurer wouldn't touch me once I wanted to change from being a civil servant to a civil servant and weekend warrior musician. Vic was originally South East London MU branch secretary whose day job was in insurance. I find them very helpful and prices are competitive. 

[Burns-bass]

Nobody seems to like brokers anymore but I run businesses and we always use them. If you chat with someone who actually takes the time to listen to you and understand your position you can get insurance at a reasonable price.

 

You will almost always be ripped off by reductive algorithms.

 

As an example, I was quoted £1600 for liability insurance online. After calling a brokers (in this case, Gallaghers) I was quoted (and agreed) £475. 
 

You won’t pay unless you take out the policy, and you won’t damage your credit rating either. Speak to a commercial insurer and you’ll hopefully get a better deal.

[Downunderwonder]

5 hours ago, mybass said:

I had that (almost) exact same reason given by Prudential many years ago “the reason we won’t insure you as a musician is you might be driving Boy George and have an accident etc etc “ it’s all codswallop.

I am not following this line of insurance BS. Do they decline to insure your house because Boy George might come over for a BBQ and trip on your front step?

[Dad3353]

1 minute ago, Downunderwonder said:

I am not following this line of insurance BS. Do they decline to insure your house because Boy George might come over for a BBQ and trip on your front step?

 

If you're declared as a musician: yes. 

[tegs07]

19 hours ago, casapete said:

That would be down to you I’m afraid - personally wouldn’t suggest not fully disclosing anything

where insurers are concerned, as they will do their best to evade paying out over the slightest

detail. Can’t remember what I’m down as without checking my policy, but think it mentions

theatre as one of my places of work. ‘ Pop group’ is obviously high risk drugs and rock n roll

stuff to them....

I seem to remember questioning why a company wouldn’t insure me under that

category a few years ago, and they said it was high risk as imagine the claim if I had an accident

whilst giving Mick Jagger a lift home after a gig! Wonder if they still use that example these days.

The insurance companies are basically implying you are a potential alcoholic and high risk. I had similar issues when working in a pub.

[King Tut]

18 minutes ago, tegs07 said:

The insurance companies are basically implying you are a potential alcoholic and high risk. I had similar issues when working in a pub.

Ironic being that I’m nearly eleven years sober!

[Lozz196]

Interesting remarks about the Boy George/Mick Jagger stuff that insurance companies come out with. I wonder if when people put down that they work for Amazon the insurance companies would refuse them in case they might be giving Jeff Bezos a lift in to the office. 

[NHM]

Is there a difference from an insurance perspective on whether you are driving to a paid gig or unpaid - e.g. an 'open mic'?

[tegs07]

9 minutes ago, NHM said:

Is there a difference from an insurance perspective on whether you are driving to a paid gig or unpaid - e.g. an 'open mic'?

It’s to do with what you declare as your source of income. As mentioned previously a bunch of algorithms assess the associated risk based on that profession and pass the cost of insurance against that risk onto the price you pay for cover.

Edited July 20, 2022 by tegs07

[zbd1960]

Yes, it's an unintelligent "AI" algorithms making these stupid assessments and not a real insurance broker / risk assessor.

 

I agree, it's down to what is your primary income. If your primary income is being a secondary school teacher, then that's what's on your insurance. You might be a weekend bass warrior, but that's not your primary occupation. I agree that you will probably get more sense out of speaking with a proper insurance broker. 

[SteveK]

I'm amazed! Is this still really a thing?

I've been a professional musician  for more than 40 years. In my early years it was very difficult to get motor insurance. Most companies would flatly refuse on hearing the word "musician". Those that would accept me would charge through the nose. The only way I could get insurance was via the MU.

In more recent years I've not had a problem. I've used most of the major companies: AXA; Aviva; Direct Line etc, changing companies every year or two.

Comparison websites are a real saviour and time saver.

I'm sure we all know by now, but always worth remembering, when it comes to insurers - Loyalty DOES NOT pay, and DO NOT opt for automatic annual renewal!