Alex Robbins is contributing editor at Telegraph Cars where, as well as responding to readers’ queries, he also contributes reviews of new and used cars, together with articles on buying and selling. 

His knowledge of the used car market informs his many buying guides relating to the best buys in particular sectors, with an emphasis on value for money.  Every week he will answer your questions on buying and selling, as well as solving your car problems, whether consumer or mechanical.

Do you have a motoring dilemma you’d like our expert to solve?  For consumer and used car advice, or car faults, email CarsAdvice@telegraph.co.uk and include your subscriber number. This week’s question… 

Dear Alex,

Having used Aviva car insurance for many years I have been put off by their prices going up by 20 to 25 per cent annually for the last few years. A very long telephone conversation with them got about a 3 per cent reduction. I tried a comparison website, and sure enough I got cheaper quotes. I noticed that Aviva had declined to quote on this website as they had an upper age limit which I had just reached. It seems as though Aviva wants to dump us oldies – even when we’ve been loyal customers. Does that mean nothing these days?

– RB

Dear RB,

I’m afraid loyalty does indeed count for nothing in the insurance game at the moment – in fact, the way most of these companies work, loyalty will actually cost you.

This is because most companies offer low rates to entice customers, then raise that initial low rate with each passing year. As a result, loyal customers end up subsidising those cheap deals for new customers. 

The way to get the best deal, therefore, is to shop around for the cheapest quotes each time your insurance is up for renewal. This is, thankfully, relatively easy nowadays, what with the proliferation of comparison websites, although it’s admittedly trickier if you aren’t internet savvy.

With regard to your claim of age discrimination, I put your comments to Aviva, and Iain Hamilton, the company’s head of motor underwriting, had this to say:

“Car insurance premiums are based on many different factors, including the type of car driven, where someone lives and the person that drives the car, including the age of the driver. 

“Our claims experience shows that the risk of having an accident and the cost of a claim increases as people get into the older age groups, however we will continue to insure existing customers indefinitely, regardless of their age.  

“We recognise that many of our customers want to drive for longer and we continually review our underwriting criteria so that we can continue to offer insurance to as many of our customers as possible.”

In short, that’s just the way car insurance works – and while he isn’t wrong, it should also be noted that pricing insurance in this way based on gender is no longer legal. One might therefore be justified in asking whether it should happen based on age. 

That’s a debate for another day; for now, all I can suggest is that you shop around for the best deal and forget about loyalty. The insurance companies certainly seem to have.