Do insurance co always check proof of NCB?

yes and yes and should you fail to provide they will invalidate your insurance

states 5yrs+ NCB etc)? If you 'hibernate' your NCB for a year or two, should you ask your old company for NCB certificate (if there is such a thing?), or would the old renewal letter do? I get the feeling some of these insurance companies charge for sending out proof of NCBs?

your current renewal letter should suffice if you don't have one your previous insurers should provide one I have not been charged but that probably applies to only reputable companies - its like the human body somewhere there will be an ar*ehole Derek

It depends on the insurance company. You may not be asked for proof until there's a claim.

If there is no claim, I assume the (unproven) NCB increments by one year at the end of the year and your renewal notice will show such? Which would be proof for another insurer if you switch.

If you've been hibernating, your last insurance company will send you a letter on request confriming the NCB status as of termination/cancellation of your last policy.

No they don't, they just increase the premium accordingly.

Yes.

Usually renewal notice which shows the NCB plus the policy number.

Explain to your new insurer. THey'll tell you what you need to do and if its a decent broker, will probably do it on your behalf if you have the old policy number.

Wrong, I've only ever been asked for it once.

I haven't generally been asked but I've just taken out a policy with Swintons and been asked to provide proof 'within 7 days'

So I hope the post moves quickly as I have to ask for it, get it, then send it to them.....

like everything else it depends on your insurer the reminder I got left no doubt Derek

When I changed my insurer earlier in the year the new company said they could get details of my NCB themselves.

I assume they can use this to check.

Previous certificate, schedule, letter from insurers? I get my motorbike insurance through a brokers called Hastings. They recently renegotiated their policies with my insurer then asked me for proof of no claims, the idiots.

Well, you all want to listen up!!! I had 5 years, YES 5 Years NCB on protected status since 4, lost my job so had to sell my car and had no transport for a year. Got new job and with first months salary bought a 2nd hand car and thought nothing better than to insure it with 5 years NCB. XX WRONG XX as I haven't been on the road for the last year I revert to ZILCH NCB!!! and all the other insurers I tried all pulled the same scam including the AA!!! so read the small print before you insure!!!

Hmm. Last time I tried this I hadn't been insured for two years. No problem - I kept my NCB (9 years, no protection). This was a couple of months ago.

cheers, clive

You've been done. NCD expires (apparently) if not used for _two_ years, but should be OK after one. We had my wife's car on a classic policy (no NCD) for a year; we reverted to a normal policy when we realised she'd lose her NCD if she stayed on the classic.

Not usually, I have only ever been asked once by Devitt insurance, Hastings is hit or miss from what I've heard.

The various companies may share this type of information. In the past I've had a email stating that my NCB has been validated without me having to provide any proof*.

There is also the possibility that many of the insurance company names you see advertised are all part of the same group or holding company. Also bear in mind that you are not necessarily buying insurance from Tesco, Coo-op, the AA, Swinton etc. as these are just the middlemen and your insurance may be from a bigger company (or the owned by the same holding company providing all the services to these brokers).

You may also find that lying when asked about your NCB may invalidate your insurance if you make a claim.

I do know that when applying for insurance that your credit record may be checked.

When applying to drive, or hire a car, on the insurance provided by my one time employer I was made aware that they could electronically check things like the driving record with just the licence number (points on licence etc.)