8 February 2013

Biggest ever repair bill for Rowan Atkinson’s McLaren

16 months after his accident, Rowan Atkinson has got his McLaren back after repairs cost his insurers a record £910,000. Glad we don't have his renewal premium.

When Rowan Atkinson lost control of his McLaren F1 and crashed the car into a tree in August 2011, he escaped with a fractured shoulder blade. The McLaren suffered rather more serious ‘injuries', the engine ended up 20 yards from the rest of the wreckage which caught fire. His insurers were unsure whether the car could be repaired or whether they would have to replace it.

Bought in 1997, the McLaren F1 cost £640,000 but unlike most cars, it has appreciated in value and a non-trashed example sold for around £3.5m last year. Technicians at McLaren spent four weeks examining the car before being able to give the insurers a quote for repair.

Happily the £910,000 bill was approved by his insurers and 16 months after the crash, Atkinson has his beloved supercar back describing getting back behind the wheel as "like putting on a familiar sweater”.

The repair bill was three times more than the previous record holding £300,000 for a Pagani Zonda crashed in 2010.

Rowan's accident fits well with the gender stereotype accident. No minor parking scrape for Rowan, but a proper single vehicle, leaving the road at high speed and hitting a tree causing massive damage affair.

It has been estimated that Atkinson's insurance premium could now easily reach £60,000 with a substantial excess.

Compare car insurance quotes with MoneyMaxim and if you're worried about the size of your excess, you can cover that too with an insurance excess protection policy. Younger drivers in particular may be able to more than cover the cost of an excess protection policy with the reduction on the car insurance premium by taking a higher excess.