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Insuring your car
With car insurance representing between 6 and 12% of you total motoring spend it is really important that you get the right insurance cover for the best possible price.
Levels of cover will vary between different types of car insurance policy and from insurer to insurer, so it is really important that you understand the level of insurance cover that is right for you and that a policy offered by a particular insurer is aligned to your needs, so that you can compare prices on a true like for like basis and get the best deal.
It is a legal requirement for anyone that’s drives a car to have valid car insurance in place.
Third-Party only cover
This car insurance is the most basic available and is the minimum level of cover available to legally drive a car on the UK roads. As the name suggests this will only cover injuries and damage to 'Third Parties'
Includes cover for:
- Injuries to other people (including your passengers) and animals
- Any damage to other vehicles
- Any damage to property
Exclude cover for:
- Injuries to yourself
- Any damage to your vehicle
- Any replacement cost if your car has been stolen or destroyed by fire
Often this type of cover is not the cheapest, this is due to this type of cover being chosen by young and inexperienced drivers who statistically are less experienced drivers with a higher risk profile
Third-Party, Fire and Theft cover
This level of cover includes all the benefits of Third Party cover but now includes some additional elements
Includes cover for:
- Injuries to other people( including your passengers) and animals
- Any damage to other vehicles
- Any damage to property
- Any replacement cost if your car has been stolen or destroyed by fire
Exclude cover for:
- Injuries to yourself
- Any damage to your vehicle ( some polices will include cover for damage to your vehicle as a result of an attempted theft)
Comprehensive cover
As the name suggests this level of cover overs you the greatest level of protection. One of the peculiarities of insurance cover is that this higher level of cover is not always the most expensive so should always be explored as an option.
Includes cover for:
- Injuries to other people (including your passengers) and animals
- Any damage to other vehicles
- Any damage to property
- Any replacement cost if your car has been stolen or destroyed by fire
- Injuries to yourself
- Any damage to your vehicle ( some polices will include cover for damage to your vehicle as a result of an attempted theft)
- Most comprehensive polices allow you to drive another persons car with their permission (cover would be limited to 3rd party cover)
This level of cover is irrespective of whether the accident was the fault of a third party or yourself
What extras are included?
The detail of what is actually included as a free of charge element of your policy and one that is a chargeable extra may vary between different insurers and there policies, so it is always important to check that the quotes you have received are comparable and include the elements of cover you value and need.
Some examples of cover that may vary are:
- Breakdown cover
- Legal cover
- Courtesy vehicle if your car is off the road for repair or has been stolen. Check the maximum period that the replacement car will provided for
- personal contents
What factors affect how much you will pay for car insurance?
There are many specific factors that are taken into account when insurers calculate your insurance premium and how insurers reflect these factors may vary, some of the key factors are:
- Car - type, specification and value of vehicle
- Driver - Age, driving experience, claims history , driving offences (Details of additional drivers)
- Location of vehicle - Postcode of the driver and where the vehicle is kept, on the road, driveway, garage
- Car usage - Personal / business or combination
What is Policy Excess?
A policy excess is an amount you will need to contribute should you need to make a claim, the policy excess may vary depending on the type of claim you have.
There are two elements to policy excess:
- Compulsory - this amount is set by the insurer
- Voluntary - this amount is set by you, increasing this amount should reduce the premium you pay, but often increasing the voluntary excess amount will only have a small impact on your premium.
When choosing you insurance policy, always try varying the voluntary excess amount to see the impact it has on your premium, also ensure that the compulsory excess is the same when comparing quotes.
Check your cars insurance group as this will be reflected in your insurance premium
There are 50 insurance groups (1-50), generally speaking the lower the insurance group the lower your premium, so if you are looking for a new car it is always a good idea to check out its insurance group.
The insurance group is set by the Group Rating Panel and takes a number of factors into consideration:
- Cost of damage - Parts & repairs
- Average repair times - This reflects the labour cost for repairs and other points such as paint finish
- Performance - High performance cars have more frequent claims and as such will have higher insurance group ratings
- Value of new cars
- Security factors - The more secure a car is the less likely it will be stolen and the lower the insurance grouping.
10 TOP TIPS FOR INSURING YOUR NEW VEHICLE
Find The Best Deals By Shopping Around
Always get a number of quotes from different insurance providers, this is true if you are leasing or buying a vehicle. Premiums vary significantly between different insurance companies so it definitely pays to get a number of quotes. Comparison sites are a great way to do this quickly, although from our experience its is always best to go to at least 2 comparison sites as not all insurance companies may be registered with one particular comparison site. Also be mindful that some insurance companies do not appear on any comparison site e.g. Direct Line.
Always look to get an indicative insurance quote before you commit to getting your new vehicle
Again general sound advice when leasing or buying any vehicle is to get some indicative quotes before you commit to getting your new vehicle. Insurance premiums can vary significantly between different vehicles and whilst the car insurance group is one factor there are many other factors that will influence your premium. So always look at your total monthly costs when choosing your new vehicle, including monthly lease cost, servicing and maintenance, fuel and insurance premium.
Don’t pay for extras unless you really value them
For example adding legal cover, courtesy car, breakdown cover will all typically come at an extra cost to your core insurance premium.
Estimate your mileage as accurately as you can
Your premium will reflect the number of miles you travel. Whilst it is important not to undercall this estimate it is equally important not to overstate it.
Don’t include other drivers on your policy if they are not going to be regular drivers
You can always add someone on a daily basis if they needed to drive your car.
Pay your premium in full if you can afford it
Monthly direct debit instalments will often Pay your premium in full if you can afford it a high cost of finance, thus increasing the total premium paid.
Think About Your Job Title
Often job titles alone may influence your premium and whilst you must give a a title that reflects your role premiums can often vary for example a teacher / Head teacher / music teacher may all give slight variations to your premium.
Level of Voluntary Excess
Increasing your policy excess will normally result in lowering of your premium, however this may only have a small impact and you need to ensure that you can afford the higher voluntary excess should you need to make a claim.
Think where you park your car overnight
If you have a driveway then look to park it there rather than on the road and if you have a garage use it to park your car in. The more secure your parking the lower your premium.
Have you considered a black box?
This is not offered by all insurers, but some insurers will fit a telematics device which will reward you with a lower premium if the car is driven well and nighttime driving is relatively low. This is often a good option for younger drivers.