21 February 2013

Commuters now carrying over £4,000 of gadgets

According to research done by esure, not really, but it's still surprising how much we carry with us.

According to research carried out on behalf of Esure, our obsession with gadgets means that British commuters now carry £4,182 of technology to and from work, representing a £289 increase in value from a similar survey two years ago.

The survey of 1002 people carried out in January found that the typical commuter's bag held up to six gadgets with 26% carrying more than three costly items at any one time. The most popular gadget was a Blackberry (46%) followed by a laptop (38%) with the iPhone 4/4S coming in at 20%.

Unsurprisingly commuters in London carried the highest total value of gadgets typically carrying three gadgets with values up to £866. The least costly commuter bags were from the East Midlands averaging £433.

The £4,128 figure seems to be an imaginary bag full of the most expensive versions of the top ten or so gadgets carried by commuters, but assuming they're being consistent with the formula, the value does appear to be rising.

Although seven percent admitted they'd had a portable gadget stolen from them in the past year, 28% didn't know whether they had any insurance cover for the items.

Personal belongings cover is often included or can be added to your home insurance policy. But if you want to make a claim, you may find your home insurance has a higher excess than ideal. You will also lose some or all of your no claims bonus and face years of increased premiums as a result. Another option is to take out a separate gadget insurance policy. Prices start from under £1.50 per month and you can cover anything from a single treasured item through to multiple gadget cover for the whole family.