Insurance may be seen as a traditional industry, but it seems it can also get in the way of traditions. For while we’re supposed to be sat around the Christmas table eating turkey and watching the Queen, it seems many of us are actually searching for insurance quotes instead.
According to new research from AA Insurance, over a quarter of a million Brits sought car and home insurance on Christmas Day last year – and it’s not as bizarre as it sounds.
AA’s stats show that there were 234,000 online insurance quotes for car insurance alone on December 25 last year – the number rising to 283,000 on Boxing Day. Meanwhile, there were 23,000 home insurance quotes on the big day and 33,300 24hrs later.
“A look at insurance trends showed that an extraordinary number of people seem to surf the insurance websites although relatively few – in fact 90 – people actually bought a policy on Christmas day itself,” said Ian Crowder of the AA.
“While it might seem odd to look for insurance quotes on Christmas day, for many busy people it’s a rare opportunity to spend a little time shopping around - especially as a lot of insurance renewals occur in the New Year.”
Indeed there may be many motivating factors behind the Christmas interest – such as new cars being presented on Christmas Day. Burglaries also peak at this time of the year and there is a need for homeowners to protect their new contents. Home insurance may also see a Christmas rush this year with Storm Barbara due to hit northern parts of the UK on the big day itself.
“Storm force winds and heavy rain has the potential to cause damage to buildings as well as lead to flooding and felled trees and wind-blown debris on the roads,” added Crowder. “It seems to be a case of battening down the hatches over the holiday so it might be safest to avoid travelling.”
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