Car Insurance Buyers Guide: How
to buy cheap
As the cost of car insurance continues to increase subtantially, drivers are
increasingly keen to do what they can to cut costs. Indeed, research
from the British Insurance Brokers Associaton (BIBA) confirms that the
majority have tended to cut back
on policy
features to try to contain the cost of their car
insurance.
Further, people are even more inclined to use price comparison sites
nowadays (popular choices here are listed top right), indicative of
price considerations being ever more prominent.
Indeed, with the ready availability of numerous price comparison sites,
it is a simple matter to find the best value quotes around. However, in
order to buy as cheap as possible, there are measures that the driver
can apply him or herself to further reduce the premium.
These include considering the cost of the insuring the vehicle when
buying a new
car. To some extent, this is taken care of as a side effect of another
choice - as more people trade down in terms of their new car purchase
to reduce their fuel costs - but it's wise to consider the cost of car
insurance
specifically.
It makes sense to aim for a car insurance group of less than 8 (on the
Thatcham 1-50 rating scale) if a car in this range is suitable. Here's
a list of the
ten cheapest cars to insure.
If you improve your car security by fitting an immobilizer or any other
Thactam-approved devices, that will cut your insurance. If you can park
your car off-road, ideally in a garage, that wil also reduce your car
insurance premium too.
If you do not drive many miles annually, cap your annual mileage. If
you're aged under 25 consider a telematics
car insurance provider or add an over 25 as a second driver.
Especially for the young driver, take an advanced driving course can
reduce the cost of cover albeit only with some
car insurance providers.
Consider increasing your voluntary excess and try various sizes to see
which gives you the best price without overdoing it in case you then
had to pay that amount in an accident. Some car insurance providers increase your premium if you
increase your voluntary excess; so you need to be careful that an
increase has dropped the cost for the insurer you finally pick.
While using a price comparison site is a good way to buy cheap car
insurance, do check out some direct car insurance providers, especially
the supermarkets (quick links right, more detail below), as they may be
offering free offers and
clubcard points that, taken together, represent the best deal for you.
If you do go for the cheapest car insurance quote identified by a price
comparison site, you should check over the policy
features to determine whether the cover is acceptable before purchase.
Such cheap policies can make a 'standard' no frills policy look like a
luxury product and are better passed over even if you then buy a
slightly more expensive policy.
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