This is one of our '10 common mistakes when buying car insurance' series. The other articles in that series can be accessed via the box under this article.
Mistake
#1 Not paying enough
attention to
the
car insurance cover you're getting
By far the commonest way that people choose to find car
insurance quotes nowadays is by using a price comparison system to
compare numerous car insurance prices quickly online. There is no
doubting the covenience of just filling in one form to then get car
insurance quotes from 100s, even 1000s, of different policies.For many, perhaps most, the opportunity to save money by this means is compelling. The result is that, very often, people will buy an exceptionally cheap car insurance policy, possibly from an insurance company of which they have little or no knowledge. In the process they may overlook the need to check over exactly what they are getting - in terms of exact policy features - for such a low price.
The very cheapest car insurance policies - that's the least expensive out of 1000s of policies as identified by a price comparison site - are, almost by definition, extrememly 'no frills'. To reduce the amount the motor insurer will pay in an accident (and so slash the premium) the policy needs to be paired right down.
To buy such a policy without carefully scrutinising the inclusions and, more significantly, the exclusions to the cover is especially unwise when so many car insurers are competing fiercely for high ranks on price comparison sites thse days. Obviously, the more that they try to beat rivals on price, the less that they can offer in terms of cover, while the excess also escalates considerably for the cheaper policies.
Even the providers of these extremely cheap car insurance policies would not try to argue that they are a very prudent choice. To buy them 'blind' to what you're getting is highly risky.
Such policies, of course, do not remain cheap if you need to claim. If you have an accident, you then discover just how much you have to pay out of your own pocket owing to the 'thin' nature of these cheaper car insurance policies.
Due to the popularity of price comparison sites, there are more and more car insurance companies offering these types of 'no frills' products; so, in the modern car insurance market, it's especially important to take care.
A problem arises, however, if you try to get much information on policy feaures from a car insurance comparison site. Some provide little or no information, others are better, but even with the best, it can be difficult to make a properly informed choice.
You may often need to look at each car insurer's own website to fill in the gaps if you wish to compare policies on a properly informed basis. The more you're wanting from your car insurance cover, the more work this can involve. But, given the above arguments, it's not a step you can safely omit.
If you apply the above-outlined care to choosing a car insurance policy via a price comparison site, there is no reason not to use that type of service as your first port of call when you buy car insurance online.
However, if you are looking for a good level of cover as standard, going direct to a leading car insurance company is a sound choice. Indeed, arguably, the best way to avoid mistake #1 is to do exactly that.
