Top Gear fans warned of the perils of uninsured modifications

With just three days to go until Top Gear returns with more outrageous motorised modifications, insurance comparison site gocompare.com is warning fans that you don’t need to put a wood burning stove into a Mercedes S Class or convert your car into a boat to affect your motor insurance.

All modifications, including those made to the original specification on new cars, should be declared to insurers. Failure to do so could leave drivers out of pocket as the majority of insurers would not pay out for damage or loss of undisclosed altered parts.

Hayley Parsons, managing director, Gocompare.com, comments, “While people often think about young drivers with body kits, exhaust systems or suspension changes, in reality it is just as likely that the average new car buyer opting for alloy wheels, a satellite navigation system or leather upholstery in the showroom could get caught out. Many drivers do not realise that any changes you make need to be declared to your insurer. If you don’t, you won’t be insured for the upgrades you’ve made, and the value of the car will be based on the factory-standard fittings.”

Hayley Parsons explained: “For many people, their car is a way of expressing their personality and they are prepared to spend thousands of pounds to improve both the look and the performance of their vehicle. Often they may only add a few pounds to your annual premium but the cost of being underinsured could ultimately be far greater.

“Where this can become difficult for the policyholder is if there is a theft from the vehicle or it is involved in a crash and the driver has not declared these changes on their policy. In this situation, the insurer will only pay out for factory-standard fittings. With more extreme modifications such as having your engine chipped, your policy could be made null and void should you have a crash and these changes have not been declared.”

“Some insurance companies will not cover certain modifications so it’s worthwhile contacting your insurer before making any changes to find out how this will affect your premium. Even if you have bought the car second hand and a modification has been made by the previous owner, you will still need to declare this on your motor insurance policy.”

Adding items such as roof racks, luggage boxes and permanently fitted child car seats will not generally be considered as modifications by insurers. However, with any changes to your vehicle, drivers should call their insurer direct to check whether or not this affects their policy.