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Archive for July, 2010


27.07.2010

How To Cut Car Insurance Costs By More Than 10%

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How To Cut Car Insurance Costs By More Than 10%

Fact: To drive legally in the UK, you are required to have car insurance to protect yourself and other drivers. It’s one of the unavoidable expenses of owning and driving a vehicle on the road.

Whilst car insurance is a fact of life, high premiums are not. There are many ways to control the cost of your motor insurance premiums and even reverse recent increases in some cases. Here are just a few tips that can save you well over 10% on your car insurance this year.

1. Search online for the best quotes.

Often, car dealers work with a specific insurer “for your convenience”. Before snatching the first motor insurance policy you find, do some research and shop around. Use a price comparison site to compare multiple policies side by side. Car insurance quotes can vary by hundreds of pounds for the exact same cover.

2. Buy online at the insurer’s site.

Many, if not most, insurance companies offer hefty discounts when you buy your cover online. Why? They save money on time and agent commissions that way. It’s standard to offer a 10% discount when you buy your car insurance online. While not everyone can buy online, there can be significant savings if you can and do.

3. Review when you renew.

Don’t simply renew you policy when the time rolls around. Go over it to make sure that it still meets your needs and circumstances – and then request a new quote. Insurers will nearly always offer a lower quote when you’re shopping around for policy than when they think they have you hooked.

4. Secure your car.

Since your premium is based on the risk of damage or loss of your car, every step you take to make your car more secure and safe will reduce your premium. Park it off street or in a garage, add a steering lock or an alarm and see your premiums go down.

5. Drive less.

The less you drive, the less your chance of being involved in an accident. If your mileage is lower than the norm, inform your insurer and find out if they offer a low mileage discount.

6. Be honest on your application.

While this technically will not lower your insurance premium, it can make a huge difference when you make a claim. It may be tempting to claim your auntie’s suburban address as your garaging site and knock a few pounds off your premium – but if you need to make a claim, the insurance company could find out. If they prove you misrepresented the facts on your application, your claim will be declined and may end up liable for any damages from the accident to boot.

7. Pay in full at the start of the policy.

Check with your insurer to find out if you’re charged more for paying in installments. In essence, when you pay in installments, you’re taking a loan from the insurance company for your premium, and paying them back – with interest.

8. Pay by direct debit.

If you do choose to pay in installments, find out if your insurer discounts your premium when you pay by direct debit. Since direct debit greatly decreases the likelihood of late and missed payments, most insurers are happy to knock a few quid off the premium when you pay that way.

9. Add an extra driver to your policy.

In some cases, adding an additional driver to your policy will lower your premium, especially if that driver is older, female and has a good driving record.

10. Take a defensive driving course.

Many insurance companies will discount your premium if you complete a course in safe or defensive driving. In general, anything that reduces your accident or loss risk may lower your car insurance premiums.

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20.07.2010

Getting The Best Teen Car Insurance Rates,

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Adding a teen driver to your auto policy can be a painful experience. One, you don’t want to let them drive your brand new car and two, your rate is about to double or triple. Yes, I did say triple. Especially with a new car. The newer your cars are the higher the rate increase.

Here are some tips to help you avoid this financial headache.

Do your kids have to have a brand new car?

This one surprises me all the time. Parents complain about how much insurance costs for a teen driver and then I ask them what kind of car they are looking at and it’s a brand new 2006 or maybe even a 2007 model. You say it’s loaded with all these new safety controls and has 12 airbags. Those safety features will protect you but they also cost a lot to fix and replace so that’s why the insurance is high. Cars are easy to replace, people are not.

There are many reliable late model cars out there that are just as safe as the brand new models and will cost less to insure. If your teen wants a newer model to look cool, tell them to start working for it.

Another benefit to having a late model car is you can choose not to put comprehensive and collision coverage on it. This will drastically reduce the cost of your premiums. Keep that in mind when shopping for a car.

Make sure you get all the discounts your teen driver is eligible for.

A ‘B’ or better average will usually qualify them for a Good Student Discount. Have your teen take a driver’s training course. These two discounts can take a nice chunk off the insurance. And they also encourage safe and responsible driving. Make sure you remind them that driving is a privilege not a right.

Two other discounts you may be eligible for are for when they go away to college or overseas to study abroad. Both of them give you a discount for limiting your teen’s access to your cars. The logic is they don’t have access to your vehicles so they should not affect your premium. You have to make your insurance company aware of these situations when they arise. Most companies are not going to be proactive about lowering your rates if they can help it. It’s up to you to make sure you get all the discounts you and your teen are eligible for.

Most states allow teens to have a permit. Use that to your advantage.

This one is a little sneaky but when you can save a few hundred pounds every 6 months every little bit helps. When your teen has a learner’s permit most insurance companies do not charge you for this. Only when they get their actual driver’s license do your rates go through the roof. The idea is to keep them with their permit for as long as possible. Understand that with a permit there are restrictions such as driving supervised and not driving at night. So as long as you don’t mind supervising your teen as they gain more experience by all means go ahead.

And once they do get their actual license you have to let the insurance company know about it or risk a claim they cause being denied.

Insuring a teen driver is expensive no matter how you slice it. Follow these tips and you can start getting the best teen car insurance rates available.

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13.07.2010

Five Steps To Beating Rising Car Insurance Premiums

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Following announcements from leading motor insurers in 2007, premiums for UK car insurance are expected to rise by 10-20% in 2008.

A range of causes have been quoted from a rise in claims due to unforeseen events such as the recent floods to premiums already being artificially low for some years. Whatever the reason, a further hike in motoring costs coupled with increases in other non-discretionary costs of living mean that 2008 could be an expensive year for millions of UK residents.

Fortunately, there are a number of steps you can take to counter these inflation busting increases on your motor insurance.

STEP 1 – Don’t believe the hype

In spite of what the adverts tell you, there’s far more to finding the cheapest cover than simply comparing the quoted rates. It’s a complex, multi-variable product, and deserves your attention because of this. Have a good think about how and when you use your car and what type of cover and options you do and don’t need. Many of us continue to renew policies with options we don’t need and are unlikely to use.

STEP 2 – Search online for the right cover and the lowest price

The primary benefit of searching online is that you can compare cover and premiums from several dozens of companies using the same information. Price comparison sites will give you a baseline to work from, but be aware that not all comparison sites are equal. Some make assumptions about your needs and get quotes that may be higher or lower than you will be offered. Look for comparison sites that guarantee the accuracy of the premiums quoted.

STEP 3 – Look to non-traditional and newer insurers for the best prices

A surprising study run by a consumer advocacy group ran profiles through 33 insurance companies via multiple price comparison sites, and checking a number of risk profiles. The end result was that newer insurers, and insurers not known for doing motor cover consistently came out with the cheapest premiums. Don’t close your eyes to a good price just because the company isn’t “known” for car insurance.

STEP 4 – Get cover that matches your driving needs and habits

Many of us just buy a standard car insurance policy with cover options that we are unlikely to need or use. If you’re a low mileage driver with a standard policy you could be wasting hundreds every year. There is even a new ‘pay as you drive’ policy that uses a GPS device installed in your car so that your premiums are linked to your personal driving habits including mileage, the roads you use and time of day you use them.

STEP 5 – Reduce the risk and make the most of discounts

Premiums for any insurance are based upon risk, so to reduce your premiums try and reduce the risk of needing to claim on your policy. Factors such as where your car is parked, how it is used and how secure it is are all factored into premiums. A little known trick that can work with some insurers is to add a low risk named driver to your policy. A female over the age of thirty with a clean driving record can cut your premiums by 5-10%.

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06.07.2010

Does Your Car Insurance Cover Everything Important?

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It is important that you do take good care of your car. After all, possibly like most people, it would be one of the most expensive investments you might ever have spent on. To protect you and your car as well for any other excess expenses due to accidents or other untoward incidents, vehicle insurance could do just the trick. However, keep in mind that to actually purchase insurance for your car would also mean that you would have to spend a considerable amount.

Vehicle insurance, or car insurance or auto insurance or whatever term you may want to call it, is mainly used to provide protection against losses that could be incurred as a result of being part of traffic accidents. You see, accidents could lead to huge damages which equate to huge expenses as well. Vehicle insurance covers that so that you would not have to shell out any more money. In fact, there are even some insurance companies whose coverage includes you, your car, and even other parties included in the accident.

Of course, you should try choosing the right kind of auto insurance for your car. Remember that the wider and the greater the range of coverage also means that you would have to spend more. If you have a limited amount of finances, you can try to simply ask around and inquire about auto insurance quotes. Also inquire about the areas covered. Try to find out also if you have the option to include or not to include certain areas.

Bodily injury liability insurance covers the other partys medical bills if you actually hurt someone in an accident that was purely your fault. If you have property damage liability as part of your auto insurance, you would not have to worry much if you drive your car into another car or into a streetlight or bus stop.

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