Norwich Union’s Price Check Brings Price Comparison In-House

Following on from Norwich Union’s decision to withdraw from price comparison sites the Aviva company has now announced the launch of Price Check; it’s in-house car insurance comparison service.


If you request a car insurance quote from Norwich Union via its website or over the phone they will now provide you will alternative quote from other car insurance providers, even if they are cheaper than their own.

The move is certainly a unique one, there are very few businesses who will actively promote its competitors services.

The reactions seen in Norwich Union’s TV campaign to promote Happy’s Price Check reflect this extremely well.

Whether or not this offer strikes the right note with customers remains to be seen. It should also be interesting to see if any other insurers decide to follow suit and what impact (if any) this has on price comparison sites operating in the UK motor insurance market.

First reactions would suggest several price comparison sites are unimpressed with the Price Check service; gocompare.com, confused.com and insurancewide.com all had interesting views.

Will this move pay off for Norwich Union? Do price comparison sites have anything to fear or is this just some flash in the pan? We’d love to hear your thoughts about Happy’s Price Check.


We hope you enjoyed reading the car insurance blog. For updates on new posts grab our RSS feed.

Norwich Union Car Insurance Boycotts Price Comparison Sites

Insurance giant Norwich Union has taken the decision to pull its motor insurance policies from car insurance comparison sites. This means you can only get a Norwich Union car insurance quote directly from norwichunion.com

In a move that mirrors the stance taken by Direct Line if you search for car insurance on one of the UK's many price comparison sites you won't be able to see quotes from Norwich Union and compare them against other insurance companies.

Director of Marketing at Norwich Union, David Tyers, said: "We think direct should mean direct. As a brand with 200 years behind it, we think that customers trust us."

Given the continued success of price comparison sites this is a bold move. Not being visible to people who use these services is not without risk. On the upside Norwich Union will avoid having to pay fees for customer referrals. In a time when the global credit crunch is biting any saving a company can make will be welcomed. Whether or not this turns out to be a good decision, only time will tell.

The move has, unsurprisingly, received criticism from some price comparison sites including confused.com, gocompare.com and insurancewide.com.

All this arguing aside the only point that really matters is how this affects car insurance customers. We all want a policy that offers a sensible level of cover but we don't want to pay over the odds.

If more insurance companies join Norwich Union and Direct Line in boycotting price comparison sites it means more time spent shopping around to find quotes, making it more difficult for customers to find the best deals.

Green Car Insurance – A Good Idea?

Green car insurance is a subject that is cropping up more regularly than ever in the UK.

As concerns over global warming continue to grow, companies in all sectors of business are looking at how they can reduce the damage they cause the environment.

The car insurance market is no exception; but is green car insurance a good idea?

This type of policy works by providing funds to environmental projects that offset the carbon emissions you produce when driving. At first glance taking out a green motor insurance policy seems to be an interesting proposition and will certainly appeal to the environmentally conscious.

As the wave of environmental anxiety continues to wash over the world a new range of green car insurance companies have sprung up offering motorists the opportunity to play their part in helping remedy the situation. Let’s take a look at some of them.

Green Car Insurance Companies

eGreen Insurance – when you take out a green car insurance policy with egreeninsurance they will take £25 from your premium and buy half an acre of rainforest. This prevents the land from being destroyed and helps combat climate change by offsetting the CO2 emissions produced by your car.

The Green Car Insurance Company – this environmentally friendly insurer runs a programme to offset 100% of your car’s carbon emissions with projects that include planting new forests in Scotland.

ibuyeco – their 100% carbon neutral insurance works with environmentally friendly projects to save 1kg of emissions for every 1kg of CO2 produced by your vehicle. To achieve this they work with renewable energy and landfill projects all over the world.

More Th>n – a slightly different take on green car insurance. The More Th>n Green Wheels policy helps its customers to develop a greener driving style. As a policy holder you are given access to information on your braking and accelerating rates, the number of short journeies made and more to help you become more environmentally aware when driving.

So if you are considering taking out a green car insurance policy there are certainly several options to choose from. However, we still need to answer the question of whether or not it’s a good idea.

The main plus point of green cover is clear, help combat global warming by offsetting your carbon emissions. In isolation this sounds great but there are several other factors to consider.

The most important factor is whether or not your policy offers the level of protection you need and for many people cost is a very close second.

In order for a green car insurance policy to be a viable option it has to meet these two main criteria; provide you with the right level of cover at an affordable price.

If green car insurance appeals to you it is well worth comparing the policies and premiums available against those of the more traditional insurers. While it’s great to help the environment it is still essential to get quality cover at a competitive price.

A final point to remember is that a green car insurance policy isn’t the only way motorists can help the environment. If you find cheaper cover while switching to a new insurance provider you could always consider donating the money saved directly to programmes designed to combat the effects of carbon emissions.