Cheap car insurance tips

by Chris Rowlands
Saving money is something we look for in all areas of life and is especially relevant when it comes to car insurance. In fact many of us will spend hour upon hour searching for a good deal when renewal time comes round (yet again).

You may be surprised to hear there are some pretty simple ways to shave a bit off your policy this year.

Obviously shopping around will allow us to find the most competitively priced policy and there are many websites that now provide this service as a one stop solution. You may be surprised to hear that there are some of us who still accept the renewal price of their existing insurer rather than spend time looking for a cheaper quote. Believe me it really is worth the effort. You could quite easily shave off over £100 on the average policy.

It is important to consider a policy on its merit as well as price as you could be losing out on vital cover if you're not too careful.

Another way to secure cheap car insurance is to pay up front for the policy - if you can afford to. Paying by monthly instalments may appear to be the cheaper option but many insurers will charge interest on the payments (as much as 25% APR in some cases) and this could negate any saving you've made on the policy.

If you really cannot afford to pay the premium as a lump sum you could consider taking out a 0% interest card. It is important to remember that this is only effective if you intend to pay the amount off within the interest free period.

In certain circumstances adding a second driver to the policy can help bring the price down, for example one of your parents or your spouse. Be careful you state the true main driver of the vehicle as knowingly supplying the insurance company with false information could void the policy.

Other easy way's to save money include the following; parking your vehicle off the road (in a locked garage if possible), fitting an alarm or immobiliser if you don't already have one (if your insurer does not list you as having one and this is incorrect be sure to inform them). Believe it or not keeping your annual mileage low will save you money too.

Consider adding breakdown cover to the policy if offered by the insurer, this could save you lot's of money in the long run and is usually quite cost effective considering the peace of mind it delivers.

If purchasing a used car vehicle checks can save you a lot of money as they will show if the mileage is genuine and whether the vehicle has been in an accident or stolen/damaged. Finding this out at a later date could prove very costly as your vehicle may be considered unroadworthy.

Above all allow yourself plenty of time (usually a couple of weeks before your cover expires) to search for a new policy and you should have a pleasant surprise when you compare it with your renewal quote.
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