You may think that cheap car insurance is something elusive; however the good news is that there are ways of paying less for your motor insurance – it’s simply a case of knowing what factors influence the cost of your premiums and taking it from there.
In a nutshell, the things that affect how much you will pay for your car insurance are typically your age, gender, driving history, where you live, and what car you drive. There are also factors to consider when looking for cheap car insurance such as how secure your car is, whether it has had any modifications, how much excess you elect to pay and, finally, where you buy your insurance.
Let’s look at these one by one, staring with your age and gender. An older, experienced female driver will be a more attractive proposition to a car insurance provider than a novice, male, younger motorist. Obviously there is nothing you can do to change these factors but you can bear this in mind should you want to add on another driver to your policy.
Your driving history will affect the car insurance premiums you are liable to pay. Driving convictions and points on the licence can all make your premiums soar. Persistent offenders may find that some insurers will refuse to cover them at all, so drive safely, within the speed limits, and concentrate at all times. A clean licence will attract lower premiums than one littered with points and penalties.
Your postcode will affect the cost of your motor insurance. Typically, someone living in a large city may pay higher premiums than someone living in a more rural area. This is because, from the insurers’ perspective, with the former, the car is at more risk of being stolen, damaged or involved in an accident. Of course, looking to move and up sticks to get cheaper car insurance can seem a bit drastic!
Things that you can do to attract smaller premiums include driving a car that has a small engine size and is without modification. While most of crave owning and driving a flashy sports car, in truth you will typically be paying out lots more for the cover than if you had chosen a more modest family vehicle. Making your car more secure in addition to the standard factory fitted security can often help attract a discount on the cost, too.
Another way to pay less for your cover is to pay more than the standard excess. By upping your voluntary excess, you are spreading the risk with your insurer, so he will reward you with cheaper premiums.
A common mistake than many motorists make is automatically renewing their insurance with the same insurer, without first checking out what other options are available. Never just accept the quote without seeing what other insurers are offering as you could end up paying out a serious amount more than you have to.
This leads to our last point – where you buy your insurance. There are many insurers out there all vying for your business, so, believe it a not, if you have a clean licence and drive an average sized car, you can cherry pick who you buy your car insurance cover from. Look out for insurers who offer additional benefits, such as free legal assistance, or free breakdown cover, or a discount if you buy online.
Cheap car insurance is available – it’s all about making you and your vehicle an attractive proposition for the insurer.