During a recent interview, Anna Tims candidly recounted her unexpected experience with car insurance renewal. “I received a brief letter from my car insurer, stating they wouldn’t be renewing my policy with John Lewis Finance and Covea Insurance plc,” she revealed. The reason? Her job title of ‘author’ was labeled as an “unacceptable risk.” This left Tims baffled, especially since her primary role is that of a university lecturer, which is also documented in their records. “I do some occasional writing related to my expertise, but I’ve never encountered issues like this before,” she added.
Tims was advised against removing her author designation, as she earns income from her writing. When she sought clarification from John Lewis, they explained that the reasoning for classifying authors as a risk was commercially sensitive and declined to provide specifics, although they suggested it aligned with industry standards.
Interestingly, much of her writing involves intricate topics such as tax and accounting, scenarios that can become quite complicated even without her Vauxhall Corsa on the road. With no claims made in 16 years, it raises the question of why authors are singled out as high-risk. Coincidentally, that same day, Quotezone released a list of occupations often considered risky by car insurers, including warehouse workers, healthcare assistants, and chefs.
When we probed Quotezone CEO Greg Wilson about the rationale behind marking authors as dangerous drivers, he shed light on the industry’s practices. “Insurance providers base their pricing on statistical data that frequently shows higher claim rates for different professions—especially those involving long hours, high stress, or physical labor,” he explained. Wilson indicated that these criteria might reflect historical performance trends for various occupations and suggested that authors may have higher frequencies or severities of incidents. As a potential workaround, he recommended adjusting the job title to something like “writer,” which could lead to more favorable premiums.
Tims reached out to both John Lewis and Covea to understand their stance on authors but did not receive a definitive answer. The following day, however, they contacted her with a renewed policy offer. Unfortunately for them, it was too late; she had already discovered a better deal with a more accommodating insurer.
For those seeking improved insurance rates, Quotezone highlighted that professions such as teaching, civil service, or HGV driving could result in savings of up to 41% compared to the national average.
