How to make a good choice when you purchase car
insurance
What constitutes a good car insurance
choice for one person, may not be seen as such by a
second. Such differences have as much to do with people's own favoured
buying preferences as they do any objective considerations.
In particular, people's attitudes as to how much they should allow
price to determine choice vary. If you look at the high popularity of
price comparison services, then clearly, getting cheap
car insurance is the key objective for most, with the type of
policy they are getting featuring less prominently in that choice.
For others, a smaller group, good standard cover is important and such
individuals are less likely to buy the cheapest
car insurance identified by, for example, a price comparison site.
Given these considerable subjective variations in how people choose to
get car insurance in the UK, what objective points might be made to
assist poeple in their choices?
Well, the most important thing is to check out the car
insurance policy carefully. Know what you're getting before, rather
than after, buying. If you select a very low cost policy, are you happy
with what's left out? Does it have a very high voluntary excess and if
so are you happy to pay that amount if you have an accident? Taking
account of your own needs, what's not there that you really need? Or
indeed, what could you do without to reduce the price?
There's nothing to stop you consulting an insurance company's own
online resources for more on the car insurance policy where a price
comparison system doesn't give you what you need. Given that you very
often will need to do this, the more that you want from your policy,
the less efficient a price comparison site is as the top-listed prices
are associated with more basic policies given their low cost. Thus, you
will have to check numerous policies to find the right one that meets
your minimum needs. Under such conditions, it does beg the question
whether going to a well-respected direct
car insurance provider is a more helpful choice.
Briefly, then, reasons to use a price comparison site include:
where you are genuinely on a very tight budget
and are willing to accept the risks that come with the no frills cover
associated with the very
cheap car insurance quotes
where you are keen to take a pragmatic approach
to what you actually must have in your policy (to reduce your insurance
costs) and are willing to check out the policies associated with the
listed quotes, accepting that the cheapest few quotes might well not
meet your needs
where you are expecting a high premium (as with
the young driver or a driver with previous convictions, for example)
and are willing to make a practical choice to avoid excessive costs
Reasons to go direct for car insurance include:
A clear 'quality agenda' where finding a
competitive price is important but where good standard cover is
essential
Attractive current direct promotions from
established car insurance brands