In short. Yes, in practice. Wheels that are not part of your car's standard specification are a modification, policies usually have terms on modifications, and the Financial Ombudsman Service, which handles complaints about insurers, advises telling your insurer about any change as soon as possible (FOS, 1 October 2024). Contact your insurer before you fit the wheels. If you were asked about modifications when you took out, changed or renewed the policy and left the wheels out without taking reasonable care, the Consumer Insurance (Disclosure and Representations) Act 2012 can allow the insurer to refuse a claim or pay only part of it. Between renewals, it is your policy's own terms on changes that apply (FOS, misrepresentation and non-disclosure). Declaring is not the whole answer either: the Ombudsman has seen drivers who declared their modifications and paid more for their cover, then found when they claimed that the value of the modification was not covered. So ask what your policy pays for the wheels themselves, and compare it with what they cost you. For a set of four Onyx Forged wheels delivered to Great Britain, the table below gives the amount our checkout charges in pounds, and that amount with UK import VAT, diameter by diameter.
Why new wheels are a modification
The Ombudsman defines a modification as a change to your car that is not part of the manufacturer's standard specification, and gives changing alloy wheels as one of the simplest examples. It adds that drivers often do not realise such a change can raise the premium, because of the extra risk associated with modified cars, and that an insurer may consider a modified car more likely to be stolen.
Our wheels are made to order for one car. You choose the design and the diameter; the width and the offset follow from the car (how a set is configured; the configurator itself is in French). They do not come from your car's manufacturer, so whatever their size, the Ombudsman's definition covers them.
The size can matter. In a case the Ombudsman published, an insurer voided a policy after an accident when it found that the car's alloy wheels were three inches larger than the manufacturer's standard size. The driver said he had not known the wheels had been changed; the Ombudsman found that an average consumer would not have spotted it, so he had taken reasonable care, and had the policy reinstated. When you order the wheels yourself, you know exactly what you are fitting, so say it. Tell your insurer that they are aftermarket forged wheels, monoblock or two-piece, and give their diameter and width: customer service sends you, on request, the width, diameter and offset of each wheel.
What the law expects from you
The Consumer Insurance (Disclosure and Representations) Act 2012 applies in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Three of its rules matter here:
- when you take out or change a policy, your duty is to take reasonable care not to misrepresent anything to the insurer (section 2). That duty replaces the older duty to volunteer information, and whether you took reasonable care depends partly on how clear and specific the insurer's questions were (section 3);
- when the insurer asks you to confirm or correct details you gave earlier, at renewal for instance, failing to do so can count as a misrepresentation (section 2);
- between renewals, the Act only deals with what you tell the insurer when a policy is taken out or changed (section 2), and the Ombudsman confirms that a change you did not report after the policy started cannot be a misrepresentation under the Act. Whether you must report it then depends on your policy: the Ombudsman notes that there are usually specific terms to follow before modifying a car, so read that clause before you order. If the terms required you to report the wheels and you did not, it looks at whether it is fair for the insurer to act.
If your answers to the insurer left out a modification, it has a remedy only if you did not take reasonable care and if, told the truth, it would not have insured you at all, or only on different terms (section 4). It is for the insurer to show that the misrepresentation was deliberate or reckless; otherwise, it counts as careless (section 5). What it may then do is set out in Schedule 1:
| The misrepresentation was | What the insurer may do |
|---|---|
| Deliberate or reckless | Avoid the policy, refuse all claims and keep the premiums, unless keeping them would be unfair |
| Careless, and the insurer would not have covered you on any terms | Avoid the policy and refuse all claims, but return the premiums |
| Careless, and it would have covered you on different terms | Treat the policy as if it had those terms, if it so requires |
| Careless, and it would have charged a higher premium | May pay the claim in proportion: the premium you were charged, divided by the higher premium |
In that last case, if you paid three quarters of the premium the insurer would have charged, it need pay only three quarters of the claim. And if your policy made it clear that significant modifications had to be declared and you did not declare them, the Ombudsman says it is unlikely to uphold your complaint.
Declared does not mean covered
The Ombudsman's warning concerns drivers who did declare: they paid a higher premium, and only found out at claim time that the value of the modification was not covered. When you declare the wheels, ask your insurer two questions, and keep the answers in writing:
- if the car is stolen or damaged, does the policy pay for the wheels at their value, or does it leave the value of the modification out?
- is there a limit on what it pays for modifications, and how does your premium change?
What a set costs you, delivered to Great Britain
To compare with what your policy pays, you need what the wheels cost you. Our prices are set in euros. {{gb:caisse-en-livres}} On delivery to Great Britain, UK import VAT is due at 20% of that amount, since delivery is included in our price, and at 20% of any import duty. The carrier collects it before delivery, together with its clearance fee and any import duty, all shown on its notice. For example, {{gb:frais-dhl}}.
Set of four wheels delivered to Great Britain, in pounds: the amount at checkout on {{gb:releve}}, then that amount with 20% UK import VAT. The carrier's fee and any duty come on top.
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For example, on {{gb:releve}}, a set of four 21″ monoblock wheels came to {{gb:caisse:monobloc:21}} at checkout, plus {{gb:tva:monobloc:21}} of import VAT: {{gb:avecTva:monobloc:21}} before the carrier's fee and any duty. Add those, from the carrier's notice, to get the figure to compare with what your policy pays for modifications. The table is dated: for your own set, use the amount you were actually charged.
These amounts are for a set of four wheels: we publish no price for a single wheel. Three-piece wheels and 17″ wheels are made on quotation: their cost is the amount of your quotation, with the UK import VAT, any import duty and the carrier's fee due in Great Britain on top. Our checkout, our Terms and Conditions, our invoice and the emails sent after your order are in French for now.
The documents to keep
- The amount charged at checkout, in pounds.
- The carrier's notice, which gives the UK import VAT, its fee and any duty paid on delivery to Great Britain.
- Our invoice, in French and in euros. It describes the set exactly as you ordered it, diameter and finish included, with its unit price before VAT. For the amount in pounds, the checkout amount is the one that counts.
Until it reaches you, the set travels with a tracked carrier, with transit insurance included, and you receive a tracking number as soon as it is collected (Terms and Conditions, article 5.3, in French). Once the wheels are delivered, they are a matter for your own policy.
Before you fit them
- Read the clause of your policy on changes and modifications.
- Tell your insurer before fitting: aftermarket forged wheels, their construction, diameter and width.
- Ask whether the policy covers their value, up to what amount, and what happens to your premium.
- Keep the checkout amount, the carrier's notice and our invoice.
- At each renewal, check that the wheels appear in the details your insurer sends you, and correct them if they do not.
- If a claim is refused or reduced and you think that is unfair, complain to your insurer first. If you are still unhappy, the Ombudsman's service is free.
In Great Britain, the MOT is a separate matter: what it checks on new wheels, tyre pressure sensors included, is covered in New forged wheels and the MOT. Delivery times and costs are on Delivery to Great Britain, and the FAQ or customer service can answer other questions. The amounts in this article are for delivery to Great Britain: for Northern Ireland, write to customer service before you order.
Ordered on the website, a set of Onyx Forged wheels is delivered in 4 to 8 working weeks, shipping included (FAQ).
Sources
- Financial Ombudsman Service, How car modifications affect your insurance cover, published on 1 October 2024, read on 5 October 2026.
- Financial Ombudsman Service, Misrepresentation and non-disclosure, read on 5 October 2026.
- Consumer Insurance (Disclosure and Representations) Act 2012, sections 2, 3, 4, 5 and 12, and Schedule 1, on legislation.gov.uk, read on 5 October 2026.
- GOV.UK, Tax and customs for goods sent from abroad: tax and duty and VAT rates, read on 5 October 2026.
- DHL Express, frequently asked questions for the United Kingdom, read on 5 October 2026.
- Onyx Forged: Delivery to Great Britain, Terms and Conditions (article 5.3, in French), checkout amounts of {{gb:releve}}.
The Onyx Forged design office.
