FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE. Car insurance Price hikes expected for Queensland drivers

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1 Michelle Hutchison PR Manager & Consumer Advocate Tel: michelle.hutchison@ratecity.com.au Car insurance Price hikes expected for Queensland drivers Good news for motorists: Car insurance for Queenslanders has dropped in 6 months RateCity warns drivers to expect price hikes over next 12 months Queensland drivers can save over $500 on car insurance by shopping around! March 29, 2011, Sydney Queensland drivers are yet to feel the full financial effect of a devastating season of natural disasters, after new findings by Australia s best financial comparison website RateCity ( reveal that comprehensive car insurance costs in Brisbane and the Gold Coast have dropped over the last six months for many drivers. The RateCity Bi-annual Comprehensive Car Insurance Comparison saw an average price drop of $24.64 for Gold Coast drivers and Brisbane drivers saw a $17.62 fall compared to six months ago. The RateCity comparison used the same driver profile of a 30 year-old single male driving a 2005 Toyota Corolla with an excellent driving record. Several different locations were used for different cities across Australia including Brisbane and the Gold Coast, and the results were compared with the findings that RateCity conducted six months ago using the same inputs. Brisbane drivers are paying on average $ for comprehensive car insurance while Gold Coast drivers pay slightly less than their neighbours with an average of $ Damian Smith, RateCity s CEO, said despite an average fall to car insurance premiums, Queensland drivers should expect increases in their next renewal notice.

2 Car insurance companies have warned that price increases for car insurance are inevitable across the whole of Australia to compensate for the cost of natural disasters that hit our shores this year. Many car insurance companies have also inferred that they will be reviewing their risk profiles of Queensland areas that were hit by the recent storms, flooding and cyclones. But our comparison found that Queensland drivers can still save over $500 on average for comprehensive car insurance by simply taking the time to compare quotes online, he said. The RateCity comparison found that the spread between the lowest and highest costs for comprehensive car insurance in Brisbane has widened by $10.46 compared to six months ago, which means drivers can save even more on their car insurance bill $560 on average. Gold Coast drivers saw a drop in the difference between car insurance premiums, however the potential saving by comparing quotes online is still $504. Out of the 27 providers compared in the study, the biggest average increases to comprehensive car insurance for Brisbane and Gold Coast drivers were by the following companies: Brisbane Gold Coast Car insurance provider Average increase Car insurance provider Average increase Westpac $ Progressive Direct $ Youi $86.65 Youi $77.36 RACQ $47.50 ANZ $33.38 ANZ $34.41 OnePath $32.71 For both Brisbane and Gold Coast drivers, the most expensive car insurance provider was Westpac with an average cost of $ and $ respectively, followed by AON at $ for Brisbane and $ for Gold Coast.

3 The lowest cost comprehensive car insurance for Brisbane and Gold Coast drivers were: Brisbane Gold Coast Car insurance provider Average cost Car insurance provider Average cost Bingle $ Bingle $ Progressive Direct $ Progressive Direct $ AAMI $ AAMI $ QBE $ Real Insurance $ Youi $ QBE $ The four suburbs compared in the Brisbane comparison had the following average costs for comprehensive car insurance: Auchenflower - $ Balmoral - $ Kingston - $ Bracken Ridge - $ The four suburbs compared in the Gold Coast comparison had the following average costs: Surfers Paradise - $ Clear Island Waters - $ Parkwood - $ Palm Beach - $ While car insurance premiums are set to rise this year, it doesn t mean all car insurance providers will lift their rates by the same amount, said Mr Smith. And as our Bi-annual Comprehensive Car Insurance Comparison shows every time, car insurance providers offer dramatically difference prices for premiums. So make sure you shop around for car insurance quotes online before paying your next renewal.

4 Methodology RateCity creates a driver/car profile to ensure that any difference in premiums is NOT due to changes in either the car or the driver. The profile in this case was: 30 year-old single male Excellent driving record 2005 Toyota Corolla Rating 1 no-claim bonus to be retained We then obtain quotes from 27 insurance brands using a variety of different addresses in several cities around Australia. Our national average is a pure mathematical average of all of these quotes. RateCity urges drivers to compare car insurance on a range of features, not just premium, and in fact compares car insurance policies on 32 dimensions including product disclosure statements at This study is not designed to be an exhaustive review of car insurance costs, but by comparing the same car and driver across multiple locations every six months, we believe it is a fair and representative snapshot of costs. End For Further information please contact: Michelle Hutchison Consumer Advocate & PR Manager Tel: michelle.hutchison@ratecity.com.au

5 About RateCity RateCity ( is Australia s best financial comparison website, where Australians can easily search, compare and apply for over 13,000 financial products from credit cards to home loans to car insurance from over 250 institutions. Our job is to take the hassle out of finding the right financial products online saving our users both money and time. RateCity is a private company with an AFS Licence (AFSL: ), powered by CANSTAR CANNEX, in partnership with ninemsn. Disclaimer To the extent that any RateCity Pty Limited data, ratings or commentary constitutes general advice, this advice has been prepared by RateCity Pty Limited ABN AFSL and does not take into account your individual investment objectives, financial circumstances or needs. Information provided on and available from this site does not constitute financial, taxation or other professional advice and should not be relied upon as such. RateCity Pty Limited recommends that, before you make any financial decision, you seek professional advice from a suitably qualified adviser. Product Disclosure Statement relating to the product should also be obtained and considered before any decision about whether to acquire the product. Please refer to RateCity's FSG for more information.