Driving is something that many of us love doing, for the sheer pleasure of heading out on road trips and feeling the thrill of the open road in front of us. Other drivers simply have to use their car to get around each day, whether they really want to or not. In either case, the cost of insuring your car is sure to be one of those expenses that you would rather do without. Unless you are currently paying for Cheap Car Insurance this is likely to cost you a pretty penny every year, with the cost often rising year after year regardless of your circumstances.
If you want to keep on enjoying the pleasure and convenience of driving then there is no way to avoid having Insurance cover on your vehicle, and you shouldn't want to either. This type of policy is essential for protecting you and other road users in the case of something unexpected happening. Having said that, the good news is that there are a number of useful ways you can look for cheap Car Insurance while keeping a good level of cover.
Shop Around Every Time
The arrival of online insurance comparison sites now makes it far easier and quicker for you to get a Cheap Car insurance quote these days. The difference between one company's quote and another's can be massive, as they all have different markets they are interested in and want to be competitive in, leading to different pricing rules. This doesn't mean that once you get a great quote that you always need to stick with the same insurer from then on, though. Instead, you should look around for new quotes every single year, to ensure that you are always getting the best possible deal. Staying with the same company year after year without getting alternative quotes is the simplest way to pay over the odds eventually. If you want to stay with the same insurer then you can ask them whether they will match better quotes from other companies in order to keep your business with them. If they can't do this then it is time to look elsewhere.
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Choose Your Extra Drivers Carefully
You probably already know that the addition of extra drivers can have a huge impact on the car insurance premium you pay. However, what you might not know is that this doesn't always result in an increased price. A young driver or someone else with a high insurance cost can look to reduce their premium and get cheap car insurance by adding on a parent or some other experienced driver with a good, clean driving history. There is no easy way of knowing which additional driver will cut your insurance costs and which will add to them, so it is simply a question of getting a few different quotes and seeing what figures come back. You might get a very pleasant surprise and make an easy, big saving by doing this. Of course, adding on extra drivers can also make the insurance more in some cases, so be prepared to spend some time trying different approaches. If someone who would increase your premium is only going to user the car occasionally then you can leave them off and just add them temporarily whenever you need to.
Get Quotes for Different Levels of Cover
If you want really cheap car insurance then you might automatically assume that you need to get Third Party Only cover. While this seems to make sense, it isn't always the case that the most basic level of cover costs the least amount of money. This is because drivers who choose Comprehensive cover are viewed by insurers as being more responsible, and they are therefore rated as lower risks. What this means is that you could end up getting more cover and paying less for it, which is the kind of money saving deal we all love to see. Again, you will just need to try out a few different approaches to see which one is best for you financially. Of course, if the car isn't worth very much then you are probably not too bothered about getting Comprehensive cover anyway, although you should still check to see how much it is.
Get Insurance Quotes Before Buying a Car
If you are looking to buy a car then it makes perfect sense to get insurance quotes for it before you buy it. Insurance costs are worked out taking into account a number of factors, so you have no reliable way of knowing how much a particular car would cost you to insure without checking. You can check out the current list of UK car insurance groups on the internet, as this is the starting point for understanding which vehicles are considered high risk by insurance companies. Generally speaking, smaller cars with good security features and an average performance level are usually the cheapest to insure, although there are a few surprises in the car group listings. If you already have a policy and are thinking of changing to a new car then don't assume that it will cost the same to insure as your current one just because it is a similar looking vehicle.
Reduce the Risk of Theft
By simply parking your car in a driveway or in a garage you immediately cut the risk of your car being stolen, which can result in a handsome saving on your insurance. Insurers like to offer cheap car insurance to drivers who take precautions like this, so be sure to mention where you park and whether the car has any additional features such as an alarm, tracking device or immobiliser fitted to it. Any security feature fitted as standard will already be taken into account in the vehicle's insurance group rating, though. Fitting sporty modifications to the car can make it more attractive to thieves, increase the risk of theft and lead to your premium getting hiked up.
Reduce the Risk of Accidents
Not all insurers offer the same discounts but there are a few common car insurance discounts you should be aware of, which are aimed at drivers with a low risk of accidents. For example, if you take an advanced driving course to improve your technique and knowledge this could make a difference to the price you pay. Equally, by maintaining a clean driving licence with no speeding convictions you will be looked on in a more positive light by insurers. Another factor taken into account is the amount of mileage you do each year. It stands to reason that the lower this is the better your chances of getting cheap car insurance, as there are fewer possibilities of you getting into an accident on the road.
Get a Higher Excess
Finding the ideal policy access is a bit of balancing act. This is the amount that you need to pay in the event of a claim. Obviously, if you set it too high then you could run into problems if you can't then afford to pay this amount when you make a claim. However, increasing this from the standard policy excess amount is one of the simplest and most effective ways of lowering your premium. You should bear in mind that if you have an accident that is another driver's fault then you can look to recover the excess that you pay. Raising the excess too high is an especially risky tactic for owners of low value cars, as it may turn out that getting it repaired after a crash simply doesn't make financial sense.
Use the Right Job Title
The job title you put on the quote form can make a significant difference to the price you need to pay. This is because some types of employment are viewed as putting you at a higher risk of having an accident. To make things more difficult, similar job titles can often be rated differently, meaning that you need to be very careful about the job title you use. Clearly you don't ever want to lie about anything when getting an insurance quote. However, just by trying out a few different ways of saying the same thing you might find that you can get a better chance of landing cheap car insurance now.
Check the Cost of Paying Monthly
At first glance, the idea of paying monthly can seem like an easy way of making the cost of your annual premium more affordable. This is fine if there is no surcharge added for paying in instalments but what if there is? In this case, you could end up a lot more for the benefit of paying in instalments. If you get a good quote but the surcharge for paying monthly is high then you could consider paying the annual premium using your credit card instead. Of course, this only works if your card's APR is lower than the insurance company's and if you pay it off within a year or less.
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Take Care of Your No Claims Discount
After you have been driving and had your own insurance policy for a few years you should start to enjoy a healthy discount thanks to the no claims bonus you have earned. This can chop a huge amount of your annual premium, so you really don't want to risk losing it. Obviously, the best way of doing this is to avoid having to make any claims on your policy. Another point you might want to think about is that of protecting your no claims discount, so that it isn't affected by any claims you have to make. There are some different opinions about how useful this approach is, as the cost of the protection can be relatively high. A final thought on this matter is that you need to consider whether or not it is worth making a claim after something happens to your car, if your no claims bonus isn't protected. If the cost of repair is going to be less than the potential increase in your premium then it is probably best to just bite the bullet and pay for the repairs yourself.
Be Careful What Extras You Add
When you get a quote for car insurance you may very well be offered to chance to add some extras to it. This could include the likes of breakdown cover or additional windscreen cover. While these are clearly very good types of cover to get, doing so on top of your car insurance isn't always the best way of getting them. This is because insurance companies often make a big profit on selling extras like this that could be far cheaper elsewhere. In this way, what was a cheap car insurance quote could end up costing you far more than it needs to. If you are offered any sort of extra like this then you should be sure to check the cost of it on a stand-alone basis before making your final decision on the matter.
Ask for a Discount
The UK car insurance market is wildly competitive right now, with loads of different companies all very keen to get your business. This makes it fairly time-consuming to work your way through all of the quotes but it also puts you in a tremendously strong bargaining position from which to get cheap car insurance. Once you have a few quotes you can start to contact the insurers and play them off against each other. Your best bet is probably that an insurance company you have an existing relationship with will give you a handsome discount. If you get some new quotes close to the existing renewal premium then give your current insurer a chance to meet them or better them. Otherwise, you could try asking the company that covers your house or for some other insurance if they will give you a discount for bringing your car insurance to them as well. By spending just an hour or so asking around for a discount you might manage to chop a decent amount off the total that you need to pay for this year's policy. You've got nothing to lose by trying it, so it has got to be worth a try after you have done everything else we have looked at here.
