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According to motoring organisation The AA, drivers can save a pretty penny by shopping around for car insurance. In its latest quarterly British Insurance Premium Index; the AA showed that the average annual premium for a comprehensive motor insurance policy in October was almost £757. However, The AA's Shoparound premium - the average of the three lowest quotes found- was £462. Hence, there's a potential saving of £295 to be had by shopping around. Here are five other ways to massage your motor insurance premium downwards: 1. Don't automatically renew your policy! Roughly half of all motorists don't get multiple quotes before choosing an insurer, and a quarter never bothers to shop around at renewal time. Frankly, you're asking to get fleeced if don't compare premiums. If you can't be bothered to shop around, visit one of the many web-based insurance comparison websites, which search dozens of providers on your behalf. Alternatively, look in your Yellow Pages for a BIBA-registered insurance broker to call. One short session of surfing (or a single phone call) could save you hundreds of pounds a year! You'll get a competitive quote in our Insurance centre! 2. Volunteer to pay a higher excess Most insurers levy a £50 or £100 standard excess, which means that you pay this portion of each and every claim. However, if you're a confident driver with a relatively accident-free history, you could choose to increase your excess to, say, £500, which would sharply reduce your premium. Of course, if you cause an accident, you'll have to stump up £500 towards repairs. However, if you're not at fault, you can reclaim your excess from the other driver's insurer. 3. Make your car safer You should think of insurance as a safety net: it's there but, in an ideal world, you'll never have to use it. Therefore, the trick is to take extra precautions in order to manage risk. For example, an insurer-approved alarm, immobiliser or tracking device will make your car harder to steal and easier to recover. Thus, these devices reduce your premium by about a twentieth (5%). Another way to avoid claims is to keep your car off the road by garaging it overnight and when it's not being used for extended periods. Don't abandon your expensive car to the street just because your garage is full of worthless junk! 4. Protect your no-claims discount (NCD) Last year, I bought my wife a nearly new family car which was larger than her previous supermini. Until this point, Mrs D had never had an "at fault" accident in almost twenty years of careful driving. However, she slightly pranged a parked car and made her first-ever at-fault claim. Oops! Alas, before her policy renewed, her new car was hit by a tank (of the Volvo variety!) while stationary, with the other driver admitting full responsibility. However, when my spouse came to renew her policy, her insurer had recorded both claims as her fault and taken away her protected no-claims discount. Of course, Mrs D straightened things out and got her 60% NCD back, proving that it pays to fork out a little extra to insure your NCD - and it also pays to double-check your premium at renewal time! 5. Become a better driver All other things being equal, the more talented a driver you are, the fewer accidents you should have. If you could do with sharpening your driving skills, try taking an advanced course with the Institute of Advanced Motorists. Also, new or younger drivers can improve their driving experience by taking the Pass Plus course. Some insurers offer discounts of more than a third (35%) to successful candidates. That's it from me. Happy driving! More: Get cheaper insurance and car loans via the Fool | Ten Routes To Cheaper Motoring!