With car insurance fluctuating, it’s now more important than ever to make sure you’re getting the best value cover. Here are some top tips from WHICHCAR.IE to help you get the best deal when insuring your car.
- Drive Carefully: The most obvious point but an important one as insurance premiums are calculated by the risk of a claim. Being seen as a safer driver with no penalty points or previous claims can help bring your premiums down. Some insurance firms also give you an option to install a tracker on your car & in return give you a discounted premium. However, all of your driving style is recorded and they know if you have broken the speed limits based on GPS.
- Consider the car you buy: Bigger engines and older cars both tend to cause premiums to be higher. Older cars are also more likely to give you trouble in the long-run. Reputable dealerships perform safety checks on all used cars they sell & also perform car history checks to ensure the vehicle has not to be classed as a write off by an insurance company previously. All these factors combined make it worthwhile to choose to buy from a dealership, for that bit peace of mind.
On WHICHCAR.IE it is also easy to narrow your search based on specific criteria: price, year, engine size, transmission & fuel type – all of which are factors to consider when taking out insurance.
- Shop around: Insurance companies will likely match or try & beat what their competitors are offering. So don’t go with the first quote you receive.
- Buy online: Many insurers will from time to time offer specific discounts on their products. A lot of them also offer up to a 10% discount if you buy online from them.
- Add another experienced driver: You could avail of a further discount by adding a spouse/partner to your policy– just make sure they have a clean driving record before doing so. Some insurance providers offer a discount of up to 20% just for adding your spouse or partner, so it is certainly worth asking about.
- Learner Drivers: Following on from Point 5, adding a young inexperienced driver or a driver with penalty points on their license could actually increase your premium instead of bringing it down. They may find it works out cheaper if the buy their own used car with a lower value, such as a 1litre Nissan Micra. Check out WHICHCAR.IE to find the best value used cars in the South East.
- Consider the security systems: A car with an alarm will be cheaper to insure than one without an alarm. If searching for a used car on WHICHCAR.IE, make sure to take a look at the ‘Car Overview’ section as this will highlight any security features on the car.
- Avoid over-valuing your vehicle: You can only claim whatever the insurance company’s assessor deems is the value of the vehicle so if you over-value your car when taking out cover you may end up paying more than you need to for your insurance premium.
- Parking: Parking in a garage or in a driveway with CCTV area may reduce your premium as opposed to parking your car in an area where it’s more at risk of damage or theft.
- Pay your insurance in one go if you can afford to do this, it saves you money as paying for your premium on a monthly basis means that interest of up to 20% is added on to your premium, depending on your provider.
- Pick the right cover: Third-party, fire and theft may be worth considering over fully comprehensive if you have an older car (2008 and older) or don’t drive regularly or for very long distances, in order to save money. However, fully comprehensive is a safer option when buying a newer, high-value car. Eg 191 Audi A6 Saloon.
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