25 per cent tell fibs to car insurer

18 April 2008

A quarter of motorists admit lying when applying for car insurance

In a new survey by an insurance comparison website, around 26 per cent of people have admitted to lying to their car insurer in attempts to lower the cost of their premium

Additionally, almost 50 per cent of Britons feel that lying on an insurance application form is no worse than stealing a chocolate bar.

Ten per cent of people admitted they had said their car was parked in a more secure place that it actually was while five per cent lied about what they used their car for, the true value of it and their average mileage.

More seriously, around 1 per cent of those surveyed had tried to reduce their premiums by lying about their address, the presence of penalty points on their driving licence or having serious criminal convictions.

What’s more, 98 per cent of those surveyed said they considered themselves to be honest even though 25 per cent of those questioned had admitted to lying on an insurance application.

The survey also revealed that drivers aged between the ages of 16 and 24 are more likely to lie on an application for car insurance – a third admitted to lying when buying a policy.

In the survey, the participants were asked to rank various offences by how severe they are. Almost 50 per cent ranked lying to an insurer on the same level as stealing a chocolate bar or travelling without a valid ticket.

Steve Grainger, head of insurance.co.uk, said: “Lying to an insurer is often considered to be a victimless crime, but this is far from the truth.

“Many motorists would never dream of illegally driving without insurance, but they seem to be blissfully unaware that entering inaccurate information on a motor insurance application could make their policy worthless, leaving themselves and those around them at considerable risk,” he concluded.

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