Want to know if you’ve got the best car insurance deal for your circumstances? Here are five ways you can check whether you’re paying a fair rate for your car insurance.
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1. Use a price comparison website
Do you let your insurance renew automatically each year? If so, you could be losing out on the best car insurance rates. Here’s what to do instead:
- Visit a price comparison website, like MoneySuperMarket or Confused.com. These websites allow you to quickly compare quotes from different insurance providers.
- If there’s a cheaper premium available, either switch providers or see whether your existing provider can match the quote.
Start comparing quotes a few weeks before your insurance policy renews. Don’t leave it until the last minute or you won’t see the best deals.
2. Consider multi-car insurance
Multi-car insurance policies allow you to insure two or more cars under the same policy. So, if you live in a household with multiple vehicles, a multi-car insurance policy could help you save money.
It doesn’t always work out this way, though, so you should still get separate quotes for each car and see how they compare to a multi-car quote.
- Check which insurers offer discounts on a second vehicle – options include Axa and Sheilas’ Wheels, among others.
- Enter your details and get a multi-car insurance quote.
- Compare the quote with your separate quotes and decide which works out cheapest for you.
Do your cars have different insurance renewal dates? That’s okay – you can still get multi-car insurance.
3. Watch out for add-ons
Some insurance add-ons are useful, but you don’t need them all. For example, if you’ve already got breakdown cover, you’re wasting money if your insurance policy also includes breakdown cover. Or if you work from home and you don’t rely heavily on your vehicle, you might not need a policy with enhanced courtesy car cover, and so on.
- Think about which (if any) add-ons you need, and only pay for what’s required.
- If you do want extras, check whether it’s cheaper to buy these policies separately elsewhere. For example, you might find it cheaper to pay for life insurance rather than personal injury cover.
Add-ons can really bump up the cost of car insurance, so don’t pay for what you don’t need.
4. Choose your cover carefully
You can normally choose between three levels of cover:
- third party
- third party, fire and theft
- comprehensive
Every car must have at least third-party cover, but a comprehensive policy gives you the highest level of protection.
If your car isn’t worth much or is old, you might be tempted to just take out third-party cover, but beware – it’s not always cheaper. Sometimes, comprehensive cover actually works out better value, so compare quotes for different levels of insurance to get the best deal.
5. Consider how you use your car
How you use your car can affect how much you pay for car insurance. For example, if you only use it for social purposes, you don’t need to insure your car for commuting purposes (unless you drive to work, even just once in a while).
Make sure your policy reflects how you drive your car or else you might find that you’re paying more than necessary.
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How to find the best car insurance
The simplest way to find the best car insurance? Check out some price comparison websites. Don’t pay for optional extras you won’t use, and consider shopping around for the add-ons you are interested in.
And finally, a bonus tip: it’s usually cheaper to pay for your insurance annually, rather than monthly. So, if you can afford it, take a look at your quote breakdown and see if a one-off payment offers better value.
