 The Car Insurance Blog
Car Insurence, Car Insureance, Car Insurace & Other Common Misspellings
 Shopping for your car insurance online can be a great way to save time and money. However, if you decide to start the process by visiting a search engine take the time to enter your search query correctly.
Misspelling your search query can affect the quality of the sites returned in your results. Here are the top ten most common misspellings made by people searching for car insurance:
Car insurence
Car insureance
Car insurace
Car insurnace
Car insuranc
Car insurnce
Car insurane
Car isurance
Car incurance
Car insuarance
While Google and other search engines work to return the most relevant results following a misspelt entry they are not infallible. So if you want to look for your new policy via a search engine then type carefully, or just click this link car insurance.
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What To Do If Your Car Insurance Claim Is Rejected
 Recently we covered how motorists can best deal with the situation of making a car insurance claim. But what if your insurer rejects the claim, what should you do then?
It is not uncommon for insurance companies to either reject a motor insurance claim or reduce the payments they make.
There are several factors that can trigger such as event:
- Your insurer may come to the conclusion that you were largely (or even entirely) at fault if your claim is related to a theft from the vehicle or of the vehicle itself
- Your car insurance policy may contain a clause witch invalidates the claim
- It is decided the claim should be settled under another policy such as your home contents insurance (particularly in the case of theft from the vehicle)
- You provided information that was untruthful or inaccurate
- You are unable to provide receipts to backup claims of theft of items from your vehicle
- The book price of the car is considerably less than the money you've invested in restoration or enhancements
With any insurance policy your insurer will expect you to disclose any information that could be of importance to them. You are obliged to do this even if the details are not requested; this is known as “utmost good faith”.
Insurance companies often use this extremely wooly approach to sharing information to justify rejecting or downscaling claims. Should this situation arise with your car insurance claim there are some important points to remember:
- The small print of your policy carries a lot of weight; study it thoroughly before, during and after your claim (and ideally before taking out a policy in the first place)
- Keeping accurate records of conversations and correspondence along with receipts can make a huge difference in backing up your claim as well as the eventual success of your claim
- The payout figure announced by your insurance company is not set in stone. Rather than just accept the amount on offer you are perfectly entitled to question the payout and put forward you case for why it should be increased
If after all that you still disagree with your insurers decision to reject your claim or the payout level awarded your next step should be to contact the Financial Ombudsman Service.
The FOS acts as an independent arbitrator to resolve conflicts between insurance companies and customers, they deal with thousands of complaints every year.
The first step in complaining to the FOS is to confirm your car insurance claim has been dealt with in full by your insurance company. You can raise your complaint with the FOS once your insurer has provided a letter or final response to your complaint or has failed to do so within eight weeks.
If you need the assistance of the Finance Ombudsman Service to help with your car insurance claim visit their website http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/
Delays in resolving a car insurance claim can lead to massive disruption in people’s lives. Hopefully this post will help make your next claim run more smoothly. We all need help from time-to-time so please don’t be discouraged from contacting the FOS for support with your claim.
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How To Make A Car Insurance Claim
 It’s all very well knowing how to get cheaper car insurance and how to find the right policy but what if the time comes when you actually need to use your motor insurance. Would you be confident in knowing what steps to take when making a car insurance claim?
Every year, insurance companies process thousands of car insurance claims and pay out millions of pounds to people whose cars have been the victim of theft or damage. Even more is paid out to motorists involved in accidents on the roads.
Whether its personal injury or the theft or damage of a vehicle the process of claiming on your motor insurance policy can be a stressful one. To make things easier here is our guide to making a car insurance claim.
- The first step is to contact your insurance provider as soon as possible after the event. Most insurers have a 24hr number you can call so use that to reach the right person more quickly.
- If your claim is crime related such as theft, damage or vandalism immediately report the crime to the police and take note of your incident number. Should a police investigation result in any prosecutions your insurer will need to know the incident number.
- Write down all the details concerning the incident and refer to these notes when making your written claim.
- Be sure that your version of events is accurate and consistent. Changing your story further down the line could arouse suspicions that jeopardise your claim.
- Get all the help and information you need from your car insurance company to support your claim. Don’t be afraid to ask your insurer questions as its essential to have all the correct documentation and evidence to back up your car insurance claim.
- Retain any documentation relating to your claim in a safe and secure place and ensure that your insurance company can contact you easily.
- Keep copies of any communication regarding your claim; be they letters, emails or telephone conversations and take the name of any person you speak with.
- Before going ahead with any repairs to your vehicle you need to get absolute verification on the status of your claim. Until your insurer confirms they will cover the price of repair you are accountable for all costs.
- If your car requires repair most insurers will recommend a garage where the repairs will be guaranteed for a specified period of time. If you take your vehicle in for repair yourself there is a good chance the cost will not be covered by your insurance company.
Having to claim on your motor insurance is never a pleasant experience but following these easy steps will help make the process run as smoothly as possible.
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Norwich Union’s Price Check Brings Price Comparison In-House
Following on from Norwich Union’s decision to withdraw from price comparison sites the Aviva company has now announced the launch of Price Check; it’s in-house car insurance comparison service.
If you request a car insurance quote from Norwich Union via its website or over the phone they will now provide you will alternative quote from other car insurance providers, even if they are cheaper than their own.
The move is certainly a unique one, there are very few businesses who will actively promote its competitors services.
The reactions seen in Norwich Union’s TV campaign to promote Happy’s Price Check reflect this extremely well.
Whether or not this offer strikes the right note with customers remains to be seen. It should also be interesting to see if any other insurers decide to follow suit and what impact (if any) this has on price comparison sites operating in the UK motor insurance market.
First reactions would suggest several price comparison sites are unimpressed with the Price Check service; gocompare.com, confused.com and insurancewide.com all had interesting views.
Will this move pay off for Norwich Union? Do price comparison sites have anything to fear or is this just some flash in the pan? We’d love to hear your thoughts about Happy’s Price Check.
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Norwich Union Car Insurance Boycotts Price Comparison Sites
Insurance giant Norwich Union has taken the decision to pull its motor insurance policies from car insurance comparison sites. This means you can only get a Norwich Union car insurance quote directly from norwichunion.com In a move that mirrors the stance taken by Direct Line if you search for car insurance on one of the UK's many price comparison sites you won't be able to see quotes from Norwich Union and compare them against other insurance companies. Director of Marketing at Norwich Union, David Tyers, said: "We think direct should mean direct. As a brand with 200 years behind it, we think that customers trust us."
Given the continued success of price comparison sites this is a bold move. Not being visible to people who use these services is not without risk. On the upside Norwich Union will avoid having to pay fees for customer referrals. In a time when the global credit crunch is biting any saving a company can make will be welcomed. Whether or not this turns out to be a good decision, only time will tell.
All this arguing aside the only point that really matters is how this affects car insurance customers. We all want a policy that offers a sensible level of cover but we don't want to pay over the odds.
If more insurance companies join Norwich Union and Direct Line in boycotting price comparison sites it means more time spent shopping around to find quotes, making it more difficult for customers to find the best deals.
Green Car Insurance – A Good Idea?
Green car insurance is a subject that is cropping up more regularly than ever in the UK.
As concerns over global warming continue to grow, companies in all sectors of business are looking at how they can reduce the damage they cause the environment.
The car insurance market is no exception; but is green car insurance a good idea?
This type of policy works by providing funds to environmental projects that offset the carbon emissions you produce when driving. At first glance taking out a green motor insurance policy seems to be an interesting proposition and will certainly appeal to the environmentally conscious.
As the wave of environmental anxiety continues to wash over the world a new range of green car insurance companies have sprung up offering motorists the opportunity to play their part in helping remedy the situation. Let’s take a look at some of them.
Green Car Insurance Companies
eGreen Insurance – when you take out a green car insurance policy with egreeninsurance they will take £25 from your premium and buy half an acre of rainforest. This prevents the land from being destroyed and helps combat climate change by offsetting the CO2 emissions produced by your car.
The Green Car Insurance Company – this environmentally friendly insurer runs a programme to offset 100% of your car’s carbon emissions with projects that include planting new forests in Scotland.
ibuyeco – their 100% carbon neutral insurance works with environmentally friendly projects to save 1kg of emissions for every 1kg of CO2 produced by your vehicle. To achieve this they work with renewable energy and landfill projects all over the world.
More Th>n – a slightly different take on green car insurance. The More Th>n Green Wheels policy helps its customers to develop a greener driving style. As a policy holder you are given access to information on your braking and accelerating rates, the number of short journeies made and more to help you become more environmentally aware when driving.
So if you are considering taking out a green car insurance policy there are certainly several options to choose from. However, we still need to answer the question of whether or not it’s a good idea.
The main plus point of green cover is clear, help combat global warming by offsetting your carbon emissions. In isolation this sounds great but there are several other factors to consider.
The most important factor is whether or not your policy offers the level of protection you need and for many people cost is a very close second.
In order for a green car insurance policy to be a viable option it has to meet these two main criteria; provide you with the right level of cover at an affordable price.
If green car insurance appeals to you it is well worth comparing the policies and premiums available against those of the more traditional insurers. While it’s great to help the environment it is still essential to get quality cover at a competitive price.
A final point to remember is that a green car insurance policy isn’t the only way motorists can help the environment. If you find cheaper cover while switching to a new insurance provider you could always consider donating the money saved directly to programmes designed to combat the effects of carbon emissions.
Lose The Mods For Cheaper Car Insurance
If you are looking for ways to make savings on the cost of your motor insurance, modifications (or “mods”) can be a great place to start.
Adding these extras to your vehicle can result in your car insurance premium increasing by hundreds of pounds.
While many motoring enthusiasts are willing to accept this added expense in order to indulge their passion it is always worth considering whether or not it is really necessary for you.
Many of the car insurance comparison sites now factor modifications into their quoting process. So if you are considering adding mods to your car why not play about with a few comparisons and see the difference they can make to your quote.
You may find that adding mods will make your car insurance unaffordable or that removing them could result in a nice saving. Either way it only costs ten minutes of your time to find out.
Finally don’t forget to keep your insurance provider informed. If you remove modifications let them know as it could lower your premium. Most importantly, if you add mods after taking out a policy tell your insurer immediately. Failure to do so could result in your policy being invalid in the event of making a claim.
So, rethink those mods and see what savings you could make!
Car Insurance Comparison Sites Urged To Shape Up
As more and more price comparison sites spring up offering a facility to compare car insurance online the quality of service offered is apparently falling.
According to a recent investigation by the FSA several car insurance comparison providers are not working to best practices in terms of providing accurate and relevant results.
If you are considering using price comparison sites to shop around for your car insurance check out the FSA’s findings before proceeding.
A high quality price comparison site can be an invaluable tool when searching for car insurance, but if a few bad eggs are entering the market being able to trust the service you use has never been more important.
Car Insurance Comparison Poll – The Results
Thanks to all of you who voted in our recent poll. Well, the results are in and the clear winner is…
…Tescocompare.com
Despite being a relative newcomer to the car insurance comparison market Tescocompare.com received 44% of all votes. Moneysupermarket.com came second with Gocompare.com making up the top three.
It would appear a three horse race to by comparison king may be emerging as Confused.com, Comparethemarket.com and uSwitch.com received only 7% of the vote between them.
Confused.com Hit Back In Best Comparison Row
 Following the announcement that Moneysupermarket.com has been named the best price comparison site for car insurance its major competitor has hit back labeling the claims biased.
Clearly not wanting to be out done Confused.com have claimed independent research by Consumer Intelligence found not only they but also Tescocompare.com were in fact cheaper than Moneysupermarket.com when in came to comparing car insurance online.
Confused.com, currently promoting a £1million pound give-away competition, slated the recent Ipsos MORI survey as being own-funded and contradictory to independent research.
So who really is the best?
As this argument rages on we want to know who you think is the top comparison site when shopping around for your car insurance. See the results of our poll.
Was Moneysupermarket.com The Best For You?
 A recent mystery shopper survey by independent research company Ipsos MORI has found price comparison giant Moneysupermarket.com to be the best comparison engine for people searching for cheaper car insurance.
When compared (pardon the pun) against its major rivals moneysupermarket.com was almost twice as likely to find the cheapest quote, battering its closest competitors including:
- Confused.com
- Gocompare.com
- Comparethemarket.com
- Uswitch.com
- Tescocompare.com
Moneysupermarket.com are certainly the dominant force in the UK price comparison industry with a total market share of more than 50% and their car insurance comparison tool retrieves quotes from more than 60 insurance companies.
But were they best for you? We’d wanted to know which comparison site you think is the best when it comes to buying car insurance. See the results of our poll.
45 Great Car Insurance Resources
 The world of car insurance can be a complicated one. So I thought I’d share the best resources I’ve found to help you navigate the car insurance maze.
Whether you want to find a cheaper/better policy or simply want to better understand how your car insurance works these sites and tools can help.
Price Comparison Websites
Extremely useful for searching hundreds of car insurance quotes quickly and easily:
1. confused.com - Searches 97% of car insurance companies to find you quotes
2. moneysupermarket.com - Compares motor insurance quotes from 50 insurance providers
3. uswitch.com - Finds quotes from more than 40 insurers
4. tescocompare.com - Provides quotes from a pane of over 30 insurance companies
5. gocompare.com - Access quotes from over 50 leading insurance providers
6. comparethemarket.com - Searches over 400 policies from big name insurance companies
Female Drivers
These sites specialise in tailoring policies to meet the needs of female drivers:
7. sheilaswheels.com - Find cheap online insurance for female drivers, including handbag cover
8. diamond.co.uk - A girl's best friend with cheaper insurance for women drivers
9. girlmotor.com - Cheaper car insurance for women in three simple steps
Young Drivers
Quotes for young drivers are usually much higher than average, these sites understand that:
10. 4youngdrivers.co.uk - Excellent for drivers over 19 with one years no claims discount
11. 17to40.co.uk - Focuses on individual circumstances to help young drivers get cheaper cover
12. hootcarinsurance.co.uk - Provides young driver quotes from more than 30 insurance companies
Classic Cars
If ever a specialist motor insurance policy was required it is for a classic car and these insurers are experts in this particular field:
13. lancasterinsurance.co.uk - Get classic car insurance quotes from a panel of leading UK insurers
14. footmanjames.co.uk - Quotes for classic and vitange vehicles at competitive prices
15. peterbestinsurance.co.uk - Offers policies specifically designed for classic car owners
Performance Cars
For those who enjoy sports cars and modifications check out these sites that can help you lower your premium:
16. adrianflux.co.uk - Searches 40 insurance companies to find great quotes for modified cars
17. performancedirect.co.uk - Helping to bring down sports car insurance for more than 35 years
18. peart.co.uk - Specialise in offering competitive quotes on performance vehicles
Tips & Guides
Knowledge is power and these helpful sources offer some great ideas for lowering the cost of your insurance:
19. carinsuranceguide.org.uk - Detailed and impartial car insurance guides
20. moneysupermarket.com - Indepth 12 page guide covering a range of car insurance topics
21. uswitch.com - Four page car insurance guide from quote to claim
22. carinsurancemanual.co.uk - A useful list of car insurance providers and articles
23. msn.com - Covers the basics of car insurance
24. theaa.com - A guide to car insurance groups
25. moneysavingexpert.com - Great car insurance money saving guide
26. motorinsurance.co.uk - Useful guide to choosing the right type of policy
27. yahoo.com - Car insurance Q&A with Yahoo.com
28. find.co.uk - All-round car insurance guides with insightful tips
29. gocompare.com - A buyers guide to cheaper car insurance
Forums
Where better to discuss insurance providers and claims experiences, the information picked up can be of great use in selecting an insurer or making a claim:
30. moneysavingexpert.com - One of the busiest car insurance forums around
31. moneysupermarket.com - Hundreds of threads discussing quotes, claims and companies
32. usedcarmart.co.uk - Discussions including cheap quotes, young drivers and making claims
33. ukinsuranceforum.co.uk - A forum dedicated to discussing UK insurance
34. rac.co.uk - Nice forum from the RAC offering advice on accidents and claims
Reviews
Find out how other customers rate their insurance provider and share your opinion with others:
35. reviewcentre.com - Read hundreds of reviews on UK car insurance providers
36. ciao.co.uk - Detailed reviews of car insurance companies complete with ratings
37. uk-insurance-index.co.uk- Read dozens of online reviews and write your own
Glossaries
Confused by terminology? Check out these great A-Z car insurance glossaries:
38. abi.org.uk - Detailed car insurance glossary from The Association of British Insurers
39. gocompare.com - Useful jargon buster to help understand car insurance terminology
40. 17to40.co.uk - A great A-Z designed to help younger drivers
News
Keep up to date with all the latest car insurance developments with these great news services:
41. google.co.uk - Search Google for up-to-date car insurance news
42. yahoo.com - Read car insurance news articles on Yahoo
43. bbc.co.uk - Keep up to date with motor insurance news on the BBC
Last But Not Least
Two other free online tools that everyone should be using:
44. abi.org.uk - Find out the insurance group of any vehicle
45. mileagecalculator.co.uk - Calculate your mileage online
So there you go, 45 free online resources to help in your quest for cheaper and better car insurance, happy surfing!
The Ultimate Guide To Young Driver Car Insurance
 In a recent post we explored reports that many insurance providers had started refusing quotes to young drivers. While many news articles focused on the negative side of this story we preferred to look at offering a solution to the problem.
And here it is; our ultimate guide to young driver car insurance. A look at why motor insurance is so expensive for younger drivers and 14 in-depth tips to securing a cheaper premium now and in the years to come…
So why is young driver car insurance more expensive in the first place?
The main reason many young drivers face having to more from their motor insurance is down to “perceived risk”. One of the main factors insurance companies consider when calculating the cost of your premium is how likely you are to actually make a claim. The more likely an insurer thinks you are to claim on your policy the higher your premium will be.
And how exactly do they calculate risk?
Every insurance company use slightly different criteria to calculate risk and will give different weightings to those criteria. Those differences aside, all insurance providers will consider a group of key factors:
- Age
- Driving experience and record
- Claims history
- The car you drive
- Post code
- Gender
What does this mean for younger drivers?
These factors having so much influence on the price of a car insurance quote spells bad news for younger drivers and the problem is made more frustrating by the fact many are out of your control. Let’s look at these areas in more detail and see just how much of a problem they can cause:
- Age – young drivers are just that, YOUNG, if insurance companies are going to hold that against you there’s little you can do.
- Driving experience and record – well if you’re YOUNG you won’t have much experience on the roads to help get a cheaper quote will you? Worse still, if you’ve managed to add a blemish or two to your record in this short time then your premium will be even higher.
- Claims history – again, if you’re YOUNG with LITTLE EXPERIENCE how can you have built up any no claims discount? And if you’ve already had to make a claim that will go against you as well.
- The car you drive – if you are lucky enough to be able to afford a nice new car expect to pay for that privilege with a higher premium, if you can only afford a cheap death trap expect to pay a higher premium, if you’re a motoring enthusiast who likes to modify their car, surprise, expect to pay a higher premium – anything out of the “middle of the road” norm and insurance companies will feel justified in increasing the cost of your policy.
- Post code – unsurprisingly some areas on the country are worse for accidents and thefts, usually these are big urban cities such as London, Manchester and Liverpool. More accidents and thefts equal more claims which equal higher premiums. So if things weren’t looking bad enough already, if you live in such as area the outlook just got a whole lot worse.
- Gender – and just to round things off young male drivers are persecuted a little further with the “boy racer” tag which will raise the cost of your premium no matter how competent and safe a driver you really are, talk about prejudice!
To summarise this little section of the guide; the more of these factors you have going against you the harder it will be to find car insurance at a reasonable and affordable price.
How Can Insurance Companies Justify This?
In one word, STATISTICS!
Insurance companies love statistics and much of the research conducted goes a long way to supporting their approach of charging more to cover young drivers.
Many of these reports highlight the fact that younger drivers:
- Speed more
- Are involved in more accidents
- Injure and kill more people on the roads
- Are more likely to drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs
- Suffer more thefts
- And as a result make more claims!
You can read more about these figures at www.abi.org.uk
All these stats and facts result in the “perceived risk” that leads to car insurance providers dishing out higher premiums to younger drivers. And it is the worsening of this situation that has resulted in several insurers turning young drivers away.
Is There Any Good News?
It’s fair to say that having read the guide to this point the picture looks very bleak indeed. Insurance companies take a dim view of younger drivers and the statistics back them up.
However, it is important that we understand the problems in order to combat them and find a solution, and this is exactly what we are going to do.
OK, Now For The Good Stuff!
14 Great Tips To Help Younger Drivers Lower Their Car Insurance Premiums
By combining as many of these tips as possible you can significantly lower the cost of your insurance.
- Take the PASS PLUS course – I wanted to get this one out of the way first as it’s only an option within 12 months of passing your test. Choosing to take this advanced driving course can help lower your insurance costs as some companies offer a discount to drivers who have passed the course. The discounts will vary from one provider to another. In addition to cheaper motor insurance the course also reduces the risk of having a crash by improving your skills and experience on the roads, in the long-term this can help build trust with insurers and lower your premium even further. Visit the PASS PLUS site to learn more
- Avoid modifications – adding “mods” to your car is a bad idea for younger drivers and helps promote the “boy racer” tag that insurers use to bump up your premium. By resisting the temptation to “soop up” you can help prevent your quote from going any higher. If you do decide to modify your motor make sure you let your insurer know as failure to do so could mean your policy is invalid when you make a claim. This scenario could make getting future car insurance an even harder prospect.
- Improve security – any money saved on modifications could be better spent improving the security of your vehicle. Fitting an approved alarm and immobiliser system reduces the chance of theft (which makes you less of a risk) and can help lower your quote. Parking more securely at night, such as on the drive or in a garage also improves security and lowers insurance costs. Make sure your insurance company is fully aware of the efforts to which you are going.
- A smaller engine – remember when we said the car you drive affects your premium? One of the main reasons younger drivers have more accidents (and pay higher premiums) is that they aren’t experienced in controlling powerful vehicles. Opting for a 1.0 or 1.2litre engine (in a low insurance group) will result in far cheaper insurance compared to a 4litre super charged turbo! Also you will benefit from cheaper road tax and petrol costs, the savings from which can offset the cost of your insurance and make it cheaper.
- Going on your own insurance and building up no claims bonus – I won’t lie, in the short-term this could sting a little but past that point the savings are huge. Typically one year’s no claims will result in a 30% discount on your premium and by building up four or more years the discount can be between 60-70%. With this in mind going on your parents insurance to lower the cost in the short-term makes little sense. Some insurance companies allow named drivers to build up no claims bonus but usually this is not transferable to another provider.
- Look for rapid bonus schemes – when taking the plunge of going on your own insurance keep an eye out for rapid bonus schemes. These deals allow you to build up one year’s no claims bonus within 9-10 months as apposed to the traditional 12. This is great way of accessing the discounts available by having a no claims bonus more quickly.
- Look for worthwhile cash back offers – as well as rapid bonus schemes look to take advantage of cash back deals offered by insurance companies. Insurance providers operate in a highly competitive market and frequently offer these incentives to attract customers. Cash back offers between £50-£75 are not uncommon and can act as a nice little saver on the cost of your policy.
- Shop around online – with so many companies and policies available using the internet to speed up the process is a good idea. Price comparison websites such as confused.com and moneysupermarket.com compare quotes from dozens of insurance companies and a search only a takes a few minutes. The results, (while not 100% accurate) provide a quick overview of the prices available and let you find the deals that are right for you at a reasonable price. A little bonus tip here, HAGGLE! Once you have these quotes to hand try to barter with the insurers and challenge them to beat your lowest quote. We’ve already discussed how competitive the industry is and this is where you can take advantage and lower your quote even further.
- Consider specialist insurance companies – as well as getting quotes from mainstream companies don’t forget to check out those who specialise in young driver car insurance. Companies such as 4youngdrivers and Adrian Flux provide cover for many young drivers and are well placed to offer competitive quotes. Again use your influence as a potential customer to drive the price down as far as possible.
- Offer a higher voluntary excess –this is a useful tool but one that should be used with caution. By volunteering to pay a higher excess the cost of your quote will fall as there is less liability for the insurer. The important point to remember is not to set your excess at a level you could not comfortably afford to pay in the event of a claim.
- Limit your mileage – reducing your perceived risk is a major weapon in your arsenal for lowering car insurance premiums and limiting your mileage does just that. If you are on the road for a shorter amount of time you are less likely to be involved in an accident. By working out how many miles you will drive over the year and agreeing to stick to that limit it is possible to negotiate a further reduction in your premium. Be sure to leave yourself a few miles in reserve just in case.
- Pay upfront rather than monthly – in theory paying in monthly installments sounds like a good idea. In reality it can be very costly. Most insurers charge interest on monthly payments which increase the overall cost of your premium. Paying upfront may put a dent in your budget for a while but it is usually the cheaper option. Occasionally some insurers offer monthly payments that don’t incur any fees, if you can find a deal like this then great, if not it is better to bite the bullet and pay upfront.
- Insure third party only – if your car is worth relatively little you may want to consider only insurance yourself for claims made against you rather than covering damage and theft to your own vehicle. In some cases the cost of replacing a cheap vehicle may be less than taking out a comprehensive insurance policy.
- Drive safely, carefully and responsibly – I thought we’d finish with a nice easy one and this harks back to those young driver statistics we mentioned earlier. Sadly all young drivers get tarred with the same brush so by proving yourself to be a competent and trustworthy driver your premiums will fall. Avoid speeding tickets and other driving penalties and the savings happen sooner than you might think. Combine this with building up your no claims and insurers will soon be queuing up to offer you car insurance at a discounted rate.
One point that has become apparent in this guide is young drivers still face a challenge to find affordable car insurance. The trick is to make this difficult period as short as possible. Hopefully, following the tips above will help you to find the best deals, gain the trust of insurance companies and get started on the road to cheaper premiums.
Young Driver Car Insurance – All Is Not Lost
You may recently have read one of the many articles published announcing that several leading motor insurance providers have taken the decision to refuse quotes to young drivers.
Leading brands such as Swiftcover, More Th>n and Esure have apparently decided that young drivers are more trouble than they’re worth.
And when you look at some of the statistics being thrown around you can see where they are coming from:
• An eighteen year old is three times as likely as his/her parents to have an accident whilst driving.
• 17-25 year olds hold just 10% of all driving licenses but cause more than 20% of car accidents.
• One in three young male drivers will write off a car in their first year of driving.
• 25% of the convictions for causing death by dangerous driving are for drivers under 20
You can read even more of these “alarming” statistics here and here.
Other car insurance companies to take this step include; Sheilas' Wheels, Marks & Spencer and AXA and with more providers likely to follow suit this isn’t a small problem than can simply be ignored.
Now why these articles and stats make for good reading the truth is there are many young drivers out there, who drive responsibly and safely, who are suffering higher car insurance premiums due to actions of the minority.
Car insurance premiums for young drivers have historically always been high and this latest development will only make it more difficult to secure a reasonably priced policy.
But as the title says, all is not lost; there are many steps young drivers can take to help lower the cost of their insurance, such as:
• Avoiding modifications
• Driving a car with a smaller engine
• Going on your own insurance and building up no claims bonus
• Taking the Pass Plus course
• Offering a higher voluntary excess
• Shopping around online
• Limiting your mileage
• Looking for rapid bonus schemes to build no claims bonus more quickly
• Paying upfront rather than monthly
• Improving security
• Looking for worthwhile cash back offers
• Considering specialist insurance companies
• Insuring Third-Party Only if the car is relatively cheap
All these options are covered in greater detail in our ultimate guide to young driver car insurance.
Get Your Car Insurance On eBay
From antiques to video games you can find just about anything on eBay, the world’s largest online auction site.
Now it seems we can add car insurance to the ever-growing list of services offered by the UK’s most successful online marketplace.
eBay have teamed up with insurancewide.com to offer a car insurance quote comparison service on their eBayMotors section – a site visited by more than three million of us each month and where a car is sold every two minutes.
For those who use eBayMotors the opportunity to compare car prices and car insurance in the same place should be greeting as an extremely convenient set-up.
After all, how many times have you set your heart on a car only to realise you can’t afford the insurance. Checking the costs alongside each other has the potential to make the buying process run much more smoothly.
Insurancewide.com and eBay are combining to offer a service that should be commended. If you should ever find yourself surfing for a car on eBay why not try their new insurance service too and drop us a comment to let us know your thoughts.
Your Car Insurance in 2008
For most of us the hassle of managing our finances gets more difficult every year; food bills, petrol prices, council tax, utility bills and mortgages repayments are set to rise in 2008.
Add to that credit cards, loans, holidays, Christmas (yes I mentioned the “C” word in January) and 2008 is already shaping up to be an expensive and stressful year.
Insurance makes matters worse too; house, car, life, travel, pet the list goes on and on.
With all this to handle a little friendly advice can go along way so when it comes to car insurance we’re happy to start 2008 with an overview of what you can expect from your car insurance provider and how to get the best deal.
Lets start with the bottom line, money…
Cost
Car insurance in 2008 can be summed up in two words: HIGHER PREMIUMS
Nobody wants to pay them but this is what many of us will face in 2008 unless positive action is taken.
Insurance companies should exist to provide protection at a reasonable price. But many exist to make profit. All have expenses to cover and many have shareholders to please.
As a result they need to make more money. And where do they get this from? Us of course!!
Many insurance renewals this year will be sent out not with lower quotes to reward loyalty but with premium increases to take advantage of customer lethargy and improve revenue figures.
It’s not just existing drivers that will be targeted either; those who pass their tests in 2008 will face high motor insurance costs as companies use “high risk” drivers with no NCB to boost profits – young drivers, especially young make drivers (read “boy racer” in insurer’s eyes) will be ruthlessly targeted.
So how do we combat rising insurance costs in 2008? We start by confronting the insurance companies themselves…
Insurance Companies
As we’ve already said insurance companies exist to make profit BUT they also need to compete with each other to win our custom.
This is where we can push the advantage of “you need me more than I need you”.
When that renewal letter arrives odds are you will be looking at a rise in the cost of you car insurance premium.
Should this be the case call your insurer immediately and challenge the increase.
If you’ve made no claims during the year and built up more NCB then a rise in price is unfair and unacceptable. Insurers are banking on the chance you won’t fight back and in the majority of cases confronting your insurer will result in your premium being lowered in order for them to retain your business.
If you are getting insurance for the first time then shop around for quotes and play the insurers against each other, challenging them to beat the price offered by their competitors in order to win you as a valuable customer can lead to huge savings.
Remember insurance agents are under pressure to meet targets so use this to drive down the price.
Now that we’ve taken the first steps to avoiding higher car insurance costs we shouldn’t rest on our laurels. There are savings to be had if you’re prepared to spend a little time on the research.
Whether you want to switch from your current insurance company or you’re buying car insurance for the first time using price comparison sites can help…
Price Comparison Sites
Millions of people in the UK use price comparison sites every year to buy their car insurance online.
Using these sites you can search once and get quotes from around 50-60 insurance companies.
This is an excellent tool in helping to compare prices and unearth good deals, but how will they work in 2008?
Firstly there will be more of them, over the last few years the two main names were confused.com and moneysupermarket.com – in 2007 many others including gocompare.com, comparethemarket.com and tescocompare.com emerged.
In 2008 we can expect to see even more variations start up, trying to cash in by referring us to insurance providers
With more competition in the price comparison market our best bet is to use several of them to search for car insurance quotes, some will have better technology or exclusive offers so results will differ from site to site.
Nevertheless price comparison sites do take a lot of the hard work aware from getting quotes and if they can help us save money on our car insurance then they are certainly worth a few minutes of our time.
Armed with the knowledge that we can challenge our insurers over the cost of our policy and with a vast array of free comparison services at our disposal what is there to stop us making a saving on our car insurance in 2008?
Well in a word…
…us
One of the main factors in a customer paying high insurance premiums is the customer themselves…
Customers
Lets not mince words, we all hate insurance; it costs to much, takes time out of our lives to arrange and deep down we all think insurance companies are out to rob us.
The result of all these negative thoughts is we don’t link having to deal with insurance, we’d rather just push it to the back of our minds and forget about it.
But this is exactly what the insurance companies rely on when they send out your annual renewal (accompanied with a vicious price increase)
The onus is on you, me and all other customers to fight back and obtain a fair and competitive policy. Any remnants of being rewarding for your loyalty is fast evaporating from the insurance market.
Summary
There is no hiding away from it; 2008 is going to be hard on our finances and when it comes to car insurance we face the prospect of higher premiums
But all is not lost; we know we can use the competitive nature of the market against the insurance companies and that we can use price comparison tools to quickly compare a large number of quotes.
Once you find the best deal for you it’s time to be ruthless and switch.
Let battle commence!
A (Very) Belated Happy New Year To All
We’re a little late getting started this year but don’t worry, we’re back now and raring to go. So, what’s in store for the blog in 2008?
Well, plenty of money saving tips and guides for a start! Add to that reviews of providers and comparison sites and any other news from the car insurance arena.
All together a healthy mix of news, reviews and advice to make sure we all get the best deal possible from the car insurance premiums we so loath to pay.
Pretty soon we’re going to kick off the year with a look at what 2008 holds for the world of car insurance. So as the saying goes, WATCH THIS SPACE!!
Safety Or Savings? - Striking The Right Balance
Looking back on a previous TCIB post urging people to bin their renewal to save money on car insurance it seems consumer lethargy is still a huge problem for UK motor insurance customers.
Research from Tesco Finance has found that just under one in three motorists moved their car insurance to a new provider in the last 12 months.
Even more worrying was the statistic announcing that 10% of drivers had either never switched their car insurance premium or had stayed loyal to the same insurer for over 10 years.
Those who have switched put price as one of the most important factors when choosing a car insurance quote while those who had stayed with the same provider said price was less important compared to the features and level of cover offered by their policy.
These figures create a split market, those who are concerned with saving money and those who feel prepared to pay more for the safety of ‘knowing’ they have the right policy.
Both sides make very good points. After all a motor insurance policy is there to provide protection so obtaining the right cover is hugely important.
However with the huge range of insurers now offering policies the opportunity to make a saving on your premium should not be overlooked; especially in the current climate of rising mortgage repayments and utility bills.
In my opinion a mix of the two is the ideal mentality when shopping for car insurance.
Make sure your policy has all the features you need but don’t restrict yourself to one insurer and one quote.
Loyalty is rarely rewarded in today’s market and with comparison sites such as confused.com you can easily find motor insurance policies that match your needs on both policy features and price.
So, if you currently care more about price double check that your policy offers the protection you need; the consequences of not doing so could be potentially disastrous. AND, if you haven’t switched your car insurance for a while be sure to have a look at the options available, you can easily lower your premium without compromising on quality.
Limit Your Mileage For Cheaper Car Insurance
Just a very quick post to highlight a very quick money saving tip:
If you’ve applied for car insurance before you’ll know the insurer/broker/comparison site always ask you’re expected annual mileage.
The answer you give has a direct impact on the cost of your car insurance premium.
However, you can use this to your advantage. Before you next apply for a car insurance policy work out how many miles you expect to drive in the next 12 months and if it’s lower than you normally say make sure you let your insurer know.
Driving fewer miles means less chance of having an accident, less chance of making a claim and, in the eyes of insurers, makes you less of a risk.
The result can be a nice little reduction in your car insurance quote. I’ve just tested this myself on moneysupermarket.com and I was able to cut my potential quote from £411 to £390, a saving of just over 5%
This is a great little saving that’s so easy to do, give it a try!
Comparethemarket.com – A TCIB Review
Recently the blog received a comment from FrankPR who handle promotional campaigns for price comparison website comparethemarket.com. They were interested to know what I thought of the car insurance comparison service offered by their client.
Comparethemarket.com has been around for a couple of years now providing price comparison for a range of insurance products. The site recently underwent a facelift in preparation for a massive TV campaign to advertise their car insurance channel.
Always willing to please I made a visit to comparethemarket.com to test out their car insurance finder. Here’s what I thought…
First impressions...
…the first impression of the site is a very positive one, the layout is extremely user-friendly, taking care not to overload you with too much information, navigating to the car insurance comparison tool is simple enough even for the most novice user.
So, what about the comparison service itself...
The question set you have to fill in may well be interpreted by some as being ‘too long’. In truth I would prefer to call in thorough; the site says you can compare quotes in 4 minutes and that seems about right from the searches I performed.
One thing to remember when using price comparison websites is the more questions you answer the more accurate your quotes will be. If you want to use a service where the questions can be answered in seconds be ready to receive inaccurate questions based on many assumptions.
The comparethemarket.com question set strikes a good balance between the two. The questions are ones you would expect and there’s nothing you won’t be able to answer in your lunch hour.
On to the results...
Again the layout is easy on the eye and simple to understand. The quotes are understandably ordered by price with other primary information such as provider name and monthly cost also clearly visible. Clicking on the ‘more info’ link under each quote provides further policy details to help you make an informed decision.
Finishing your application...
The comparethemarket.com site has a promise ‘the price you see is the price you pay’. For a price comparison site this is a massive promise and one that can be very difficult to deliver.
Upon proceeding with my first application, which was a very straight forward process, the price was indeed the same as quoted, which was highly impressive given the number of accuracy complaints associated with the price comparison industry. Admittedly a few other quotes did deviate by a few pounds but overall the accuracy was commendable.
What else impressed...
A particular favourite of mine was an option on the results page to amend and recalculate your quote. You could change your cover type, excess and add/remove legal protection, breakdown cover and NCB protection and generate new quotes without having to take a backwards step. This is a great timesaver that I’m sure is well received by many customers.
The retrieve a quote option is also incredibly handy. If you don’t have time to complete your application, simply save it and return later on. One point on that, if you’ve already obtained a price you like make sure you return before the quote expiry date passes.
Areas for improvement...
When compared to the long established aggregators the number of quotes returned can be a little thin on the ground for more specialised insurance requirements. If they continue to grow I’ll be looking for comparethemarket.com to include as many providers and quotes as possible to persist in improving the service they provide.
Introducing some free guides and tips to help customers better understand their car insurance policy and the money saving options open to them would be a useful addition to the newsletter option currently offered. I would also like to see a forum introduced to increase customer interaction. As the car insurance comparison industry becomes evermore competitive customer retention will be vital to long-lasting success.
My overall opinion...
Comparethemarket.com is a welcome addition to the car insurance comparison arena. A well presented, easy to use site combined with accurate results makes for a very satisfying experience for the customer.
The site offers excellent possibilities for finding a cheaper motor insurance policy and has the potential to break the stranglehold enjoyed by the established aggregators.
Should you use it...
I would certainly add comparethemarket.com to your list of price comparison sites when searching for cheap car insurance quotes. The site is easy to use, offers a thorough comparison (for those prepared to answer the questions) and most importantly works to provide accuracy in its search results.
From my experience most people prefer one comparison service over another depending on what they’re looking for as well as their level of expectation. The next time your comparing car insurance quotes give comparethemarket.com a try and see how they stack up to any others you may have used in the past.
To learn more about comparethemarket.com visit their site.
If anyone has used comparethemarket.com to search for car insurance please share your opinions with us, good or bad, in the comments.
Mystery Surrounds Thecomparisons.com
Following the recent launch of tescocompare.com it appears another car insurance comparison site could be waiting in the wings.
Thecomparisons.com has been getting mentioned more and more in the last few weeks but we still have very little idea what the site will actually do. Although you have to admit this is a very clever way of generating buzz for a site before it’s even launched.
When first appearing on the radar, thecomparisons.com featured a
rather attractive logo of the “typical family” with a tag line promising to compare prices for the entire family.
While this has since been replaced with a more mundane “coming soon” message it has done little to dispel the intrigue surrounding the site.
With car insurance being one of the most lucrative areas of price comparison it would be a good bet that a facility to compare car insurance quotes will appear somewhere; of course we could be wrong about that.
However with one popular theory being that The AA is behind this mystery a facility to compare car insurance quotes seems a logic explanation.
So we wait in anticipation to see what thecomparisons.com has to offer, will they help people find cheaper car insurance? Or will they be another poor site in an already crowded market?
I guess we’ll have to wait and see. On a lighter note if it turns out we like thecomparisons.com then we can all be friends on their myspace page.
If anyone has any knowledge of what’s going on with thecomparisons.com please share it with us in the comments.
Tescocompare.com Enters Car Insurance Comparison Market
Today sees the introduction of the latest financial comparison website to hit the UK. Tesco have launched tescocompare.com which will initially offer a car insurance comparison service before moving into other areas.
Facing fierce competition, in an already crowded market, that includes household names such as confused.com and moneysupermarket.com; Tesco, according to managing director Peter Dingle, aim to make an impact by focusing on accurate quotes and policy details:
“We have placed great emphasis on the fact that our site not only compares price but also looks at individual policy features to allow users to make sure they are getting the right policy for them. There will be no extra costs or charges when it comes to paying your insurance, the price quoted will be the same as if the customer went direct."
It is the last part “the price quoted will be the same as if the customer went direct” that is bound to stir up intrigue within the industry. One criticism of some motor insurance comparison services is that the quotes they find sometimes differ from what is offered upon application. This is because of assumptions the aggregator sites have to make and is something they continually strive to improve.
So how does tescocompare.com aim to deliver on this promise?
The tescocompare.com site has been launched in partnership with the Royal Bank of Scotland. The comparison service offered by this paring covers 25 insurance brands. They includes Churchill and Privilege; owned by RBS and Virgin Money, Lloyds TSB and Nationwide; underwritten by RBS.
By having this close control over the insurers on its panel their hope is they can provide greater accuracy. After the teething problems experienced by tescocompare.com on its debut it is hard to pass judgement on the quality of its service.
One notable absentee from the panel of compared insurers is Direct Line, one of RBS’ largest brands, who recently launched scathing attacks on the price comparison arena and appear to be sticking to their guns.
So will Tesco triumph in yet another industry? Only time will tell, they certainly have the brand power and the marketing budget but will limiting their panel to the RBS stable prove a wise move? Or will it restrict their ability to offer the cheapest car insurance quotes compared to sites such as confused who compare 95% of the market?
You decide…
Give Me Five Minutes and I’ll Give You Cheaper Car Insurance
Sounds like I’m promising the world on a stick doesn’t it? In reality I’m talking a couple of minutes to read this post and a couple more spent taking advantage of one of the easiest money saving opportunities available when it comes to car insurance.
All you have to do is SHOP AROUND! And better still you can search for car insurance quotes online almost instantly. I say almost because you will need to answer some questions but it beats answering the same questions over and over again.
Despite the ease of online comparison many people still ring round multiple insurers to find a quote or worse still accept their annual renewal which can be a big mistake. If you’ve got a classic of high performance car then fair enough you might need a specialist insurer but for the vast majority of us a price comparison of car insurance companies can be a great money saver.
Some you will have heard of, big names such as confused.com and moneysupermarket.com have been around for years. Now there is even more choice with sites such as gocompare.com and comparethemarket.com to mention but two.
A simple Google search for car insurance will open up a plethora of comparison services, some will be better than others but the four mentioned above would be a good place to start.
So how do these sites work? Simple, you fill in one form and their search multiple car insurance companies, again some are better than others but you should be looking to get between 30 and 50 quotes inside two minutes which you have to admit is one hell of a time saver.
Give it a go and see how far you can lower your motor insurance quote.
Why You Have To Bin That Car Insurance Renewal
If, like me, you recently received your car insurance renewal you may have been a little shocked, or even angered, to see the price of your premium has actually gone up.
You’ve made no claims on your cover, kept a clean record and successfully added another year to your NCB, so why has your premium gone up.
The reality is you should not be surprised this has happened; in fact you should have expected it.
Quite simply, car insurance companies increase premiums upon renewal in an attempt to increase profits. With the market being so competitive companies are forced to offer low quotes to attract new customers. They then bank on customer lethargy when renewal time cones around to cash in at your expense.
There has never been such a wide choice when it comes to renewing you motor insurance policy but many people still don’t take advantage of this, instead allowing themselves to be exploited by increased renewal costs.
My advice is when your renewal comes through hit the comparison sites. A quick Google search will find some great sites to compare car insurance quotes. You’ll find the established sites such as confused.com and moneysupermarket.com as well as other you may not be familiar with.
These sites work incredibly quickly so run searches on several of them to find the cheapest car insurance quotes on offer. Then contact your existing provider and challenge them to beat you best price on a like-for-like quote.
If they can, and you’re happy with them that’s great. If not, announce their renewal letter is now in the trash and you will take your business to a more competitive provider.
If your loyalty is not rewarded do not give it. After all, there’s plenty more insurers in the sea.
Avoid The Lure Of Application Lies
If like many people you see car insurance as a “grudge purchase”, as described by the head of insurance at comparison website uSwitch, then you may well have been tempted to tell a few small porkies on your application in order to get a lower quote.
If this is true then you are not alone. Recent surveys suggest around 10% of applicants lie in order to get cheaper car insurance.
Popular untruths include age, address and where the vehicle is parked; all factors that can have a significant impact on your car insurance quote. A small but increasing number of people have even started not declaring bans for offences such as speeding or drink driving.
Despite the enticement of a lower premium lying on you application is ill-advised. While it could save you money in the short term it is likely to hit your wallet severely should you insurance be deemed invalid in the event of a claim.
This is too big a risk to run, if you want to get cheaper motor insurance (and lets be honest, who doesn’t) take the time to shop around and compare as many quotes as possible. This is a far better way to make a saving and won’t land you with a huge bill should a claim be necessary.
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