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Insurance companies reward safer
drivers. By making a few small, yet crucial changes to your car and
your motoring habits, you could knock a good chunk off your annual
car insurance premium. Here’s how to go about it.
A safe driver is less likely to be
involved in accidents that might jeopardise their no-claims bonus –
and a no-claims bonus of five- to ten- years can represent almost 70
per cent off your premium with companies like Ensure and
Cooperative. If you’re a born boy-racer, you might even think about
insuring your no-claims bonus so that you don’t lose it in the event
of an accident.
Owners of ‘safer’ cars are likely to be
charged a lower premium on their car insurance. If you decide to
change your car, you should check with your insurer that the new
model won’t be significantly more expensive to insure. To make your
existing car safer, consider fitting an approved alarm, immobiliser
or tracking devise. This can represent a discount of between 5% and
10% depending on your insurer. Lastly, think carefully about your
parking options. Cars which are parked in garages are on driveways
are far cheaper to insure than those which are kept on the roadside.
See if you can negotiate off-street parking, or clear the junk out
of your garage and keep your car in there.
It’s a simple calculation – the more
time you spend on the road, the more likely you are to have an
accident. Some car insurance companies will offer you the option of
restricting your mileage in order to save money on your premium.
Others, such as Norwich Union, working in conjunction with ASDA
Finance, even offer a ‘pay-as-you-drive’
car insurance scheme aimed at younger and low-use drivers.
You may be a careful driver, but it’s
important to offer your car insurance company proof of this. By
joining the Pass Plus scheme or taking an advanced drivers course,
you can show them that you are a low-risk proposition. Some insurers
will offer discounts of up to 35 per cent to those prepared to take
further driving lessons.
Adding a young and inexperienced driver
to your policy may be false economy. It is likely that the premium
will be calculated on the youngest driver, who will generally not
have a no-claim bonus.
Even following these guidelines, you
should of course always shop around for the best deal. Get car
insurance quotes from as many insurers as possible so you know
you’re getting the best deal. Somewhere like Co Operative may act as
a good source of comparative reference for
car insurance, providing a comparison table and a detailed
summary of what their policy provides. |
