Seven Ways to Make Your Car Insurance Cheaper

No-one likes to be paying out more money than they need to, but when it comes to motoring it seems increasingly unavoidable.

From fuel prices to insurance, the cost of motoring continues to increase in the UK on an annual basis.

Thankfully there are a few things you can do to bring down insurance costs. Here are seven suggestions to get you started.

 

1. Choose the right car

Every car is assigned one of 50 different insurance groups, and the cheapest cars are found in categories one to five. The simplest and most effective step you can take to reduce your insurance premium, either for an annual policy or for short term car insurance, is to drive a car in one of these five categories, which include popular models such as the Vauxhall Corsa and Fiat Panda.

 

2. Avoid modifications

Whether you want to improve your car's performance or add some detailing such as alloy wheels or body-kits, you should be aware that insurers can see these additions as high-risk improvements. Expensive detailing makes a car more attractive to thieves, and increased performance increases the chances of the car being involved in a collision - a risk that is magnified amongst young drivers.

 

3. Improve your driving skills

Insurance companies often offer substantial discounts for drivers who have demonstrated advanced driving skills. This can be done via the Pass Plus Scheme that aims to make drivers more considered and conscientious when they are behind the wheel.

 

4. Increase your excess

Insuring a car is about assessing risk and charging accordingly. If you are prepared to cover more of the costs associated with that risk - in the form of a higher excess - your insurance company is likely to reward you with lower premiums.

 

5. Buy only the cover you need

If you only drive your vehicle on an ad-hoc basis then you could be wasting money paying out for an annual policy which more often than not you are not using. Switching to short term car insurance for one to twenty-eight days or utilising one day insurance as and when you require your car could help to lessen the costs. When adding an additional driver for a trip away, again, short term car insurance could prove cheaper than extending your existing policy.

However, if your car is uninsured it MUST be declared SORN (see https://www.gov.uk/register-sorn-statutory-off-road-notification) and kept off the public road (in a garage, on a drive or on private land).

 

6. Adding a more experienced “additional driver”

It is sometimes possible to reduce the cost of car insurance by adding an older, more experienced driver to a policy. However, it should be noted that adding an “additional person” to a policy when that driver is actually the “main driver” - in an effort to reduce premiums - is illegal, and it will invalidate any subsequent insurance claims.

 

7. Add additional security features

Insurance companies prefer cars with alarms and immobilisers, as the risk of them being stolen is greatly reduced. Also, storing your car off public roads at night will also secure you some significant discounts on your insurance premiums. So this could be a good time to get on the good side of any friends or neighbours you may have with an empty lockable garage!

 

Hiten Solanki

Hiten Solanki is a digital marketer and freelance writer currently based in London and writing on behalf of a number of clients including TempCover.

Most Commonly Stolen Car Parts

According to insurance companies the frequency of car thefts where one or more parts of a car are stolen is on the increase. The statistics show that this is most likely to happen if you leave your car out on the street overnight – so the importance of locking your vehicle in your home garage cannot be overstated if you want to make life hard for criminals. What are the most commonly stolen car parts - and what steps can you take to make it harder for the thieves to target your vehicle?

 

Car Rims

There’s nothing like pimping up your car with a set of smart looking custom rims. However, these are like magnets for thieves who easily jack your car up and use special equipment to quickly remove these expensive additions to your vehicle. If you think locking lugs will deter such criminals, then think again as these can often be broken with a considerable amount of brute force. Fancy looking car rims also alert thieves to the fact that you’ve probably got an expensive media centre in your vehicle too – whilst it might be cool to stand out, it’s not cool to advertise your car as the one with the richest pickings on the inside. The simplest way to deter thieves from stealing your expensive rims is by simply not buying them in the first place – it’s very difficult to hide something that’s designed to make your car stand out.

 

DVD and Media Entertainment Systems

Everyone likes to travel in style these days. There’s nothing that keeps the kids quiet quite like a Disney movie whilst you’re dealing with the difficult task of keeping your eyes on the road as you drive from A to B. These systems are very popular with thieves who often have a number of tricks to remove them from the seating in your vehicle. In order to make things difficult for the thieves out there you can purchase special DVD players and media centres with detachable screens that won’t function without them. Carrying a screen round with you whilst your car’s parked might not seem the most convenient thing at the time, but trust us when we say it’s a lot better than having to buy a whole new device – and a new side window too.

 

Car Tyres

Just as car rims are a favourite target of the car part thieves – so are expensive tyres. These can be removed from your car in a matter of minutes and before you know it you’re not only down the cost of a new set of tyres, but you may also have to get your wallet out for a costly ride home. It’s very difficult to stop thieves from taking your tyres if they’re really committed, however you can make your vehicle less of a target by parking in well lit areas and avoiding backstreets. Ideally you should always try to leave your car in a public parking facility and if you’re worried about thieves attacking it late at night, then you can always take a taxi for those midnight runs.

 

GPS Systems

Global positioning systems that help drivers find their way are a popular target for thieves. Even if you go to the trouble of hiding your Tom-Tom or similar device, the holders, which often use a suction cup that’s attached to the windscreen, leave a tell-tale ring on the glass. This alone can be enough incentive for robbers to break into your car to look in the glove-box and under the seats for this expensive piece of tech equipment. The best thing to do is to lock it away in the trunk of your car, and make sure you use a cloth to wipe away the any marks the holder has left on the windscreen.

 

Catalytic Convertors

Believe it or not many thieves are on the look out for catalytic convertors. These large systems sit underneath the car and remove harmful particles from its exhaust fumes. However, these robbers are not interested in environmental issues – they’re just after the large amount of expensive metals and alloys that are used in the composition of this equipment. It’s easier than you might think to quickly jack up a car and get under it to remove the catalytic convertor, which in today’s world of ever rising metal prices can prove a decent haul when sold to a less than reputable scrap-yard.

 

Consumables

Any part of your car that will wear out over time is likely to be targeted by thieves. Expensive high intensity xenon headlamps and the gas cylinders that are used in airbags are now almost as popular with robbers as stereo equipment and DVD players. The black market trade in these items has risen considerably in recent years as both parts commonly need replacing on cars. Of course, in order to steal these parts the robber will usually have to gain entrance to your car – by making sure that you’ve got a good alarm system or that your car is safely locked away from public access you’re making it difficult for the thieves to get into your vehicle.

 

And Finally…

If there’s one thing you should take away from this article it’s that the best form of prevention is down to where you park your car. Really committed thieves can break through most forms of car alarm – and many people in urban environments are also oblivious to the noise they make, leaving no one to notify the police about a car alarm until its been going off for long enough to become an annoyance. Immobilizers are also no help in these situations as the robbers aren’t trying to steal your whole vehicle. Do whatever you can to make life difficult for thieves and you’re less likely to get targeted – it really is that simple.

Justin Smith

Justin Smith blogs regularly at second hand car parts finders – BreakerLink

The Six Safest Cars

Thanks to the resurgence of Top Gear in the last decade, and the zany antics of Messrs Clarkson, Hammond and May, the way in which many television motoring shows review cars has changed greatly.

In the past we may have had considered segments on technical aspects, on fuel consumption or whether you can get daily insurance. Now instead we tend to see the focus switch to power and speed instead and are more likely to find out how well a vehicle performs against a bobsled, or a bullet train, or Linford Christie on a turbo-charged mobility scooter than how suitable it is for the school-run. 

But whilst the TV shows may focus on performance, for many of us the key selling point lies elsewhere. Safety. We have families, we have loved ones and we want to ensure that there are protected should the worst happen on the road. Thankfully for us vehicles are being made safer, and there are an increasing number of organisations which test to see just how safe our cars are, with Euro NCAP being one such group. Each year Euro NCAP organise crash-tests and gives realistic advice to consumers on the safest cars on the market.

Euro NCAP’s testing looks at four key areas; adult occupant protection, child occupant protection, pedestrian protection and safety assist systems. And in accordance with this testing, below you’ll find the six safest cars on European roads today, as per their 2012 testing.

 

Renault Clio

The Renault Clio scored a remarkable 99% in Euro NCAP’s safety assist system area boasting as it does effective seatbelt reminders for all occupants as well as speed limitation assistance and electronic stability control. All this contributed to the Clio being crowned the safest car in the ‘Supermini’ category.

 

Volvo V40

The five-door Volvo V40 vehicle scored very efficiently for ‘adult occupant safety’ for both front and side impact with the seat and head restraints providing good protection against whiplash injury in the event of a rear-end collision. Its overall effectiveness makes it the top car in Euro NCAP’s ‘Small Family’ category.

BMW 3 Series

Like the Volvo V40, the BMW 3 Series scored particularly well when it came to adult occupant safety. Leading the field when it comes to safety in ‘Large Family’ vehicles, it offers good protection to all areas of the body for adult passengers of varying sizes according to Euro NCAP’s data.

 

FIAT 500L

The Fiat 500L continues to pave the way when it comes to safety in the ‘Small MPV’ category. The car’s City Brake Control, an autonomous emergency braking system which helps the driver to avoid a low-speed crash  by using sensors to detect potential accident points was key to the Fiat 500L’s effective scoring.

 

Ford Kuga

A 100% score in Euro NCAP’s ‘safety assist’ category helped the Ford Kuga to leave the other vehicles trailing in the ‘Small Off-Road 4x4’ vehicle section. The Kuga’s SYNC Emergency Assistance feature, which makes an automatic call to the emergency services if the Kuga is involved in a serious accident, giving the vehicle’s GPS position as it does so, was central to that high rating.

 

Hyundai Santa Fe

Hyundai’s Santa Fe sits as top dog when it comes to safety amongst ‘Large Off-Road 4x4’ vehicles. Performing particularly well for the safety of child occupants the Hyundai Santa Fe allows for the passenger airbag to be disabled if a rear facing safety seat is placed on the passenger seat.

When it comes to safety and security it is important to make sure you have all bases covered. Even when making a one-off journey it is important to ensure you have appropriate short-term car insurance in place as you never know what can happen on the road.

So next time you’re looking to buy a new vehicle, forget how impressive the car looks when racing a submarine, being turned into a hovercraft, or going the long way to Tipperary on a single tank of petrol, and instead take account of the vehicle’s safety performance a little more closely which is sure to help reduce your temporary car insurance quote.

Hiten Solanki

 

Hiten Solanki is a digital marketer and freelance writer currently based in London and writing on behalf of a number of clients including TempCover.

Honda named "Most Reliable Car Manufacturer"

I'm sure that when purchasing a new car, its "reliability" is a factor that, alongside design, economy, safety, and cost, we all consider quite important...  We would be daft not to, particularly if it is the primary way we get to work, drive the kids to school, go shopping, etc...

However, quantifying this "reliability" can be quite difficult, with most of us relying on a manufacturer's reputation, often decades old, and things our friends say, good and bad...

A survey carried out by Warranty Direct and MoneySupermarket.com has tried to add a touch of science to the proceedings... and named Honda as "the most reliable car manufacturer", with Suzuki and Toyota coming second and third, in, perhaps unsurprising to our "reputation" and "gossip" reliant team, a clean sweep for Japanese manufacturers.

The overall order is dictated by each manufacturers Reliability Index (RI) score, which takes into account the average number of and cost of failures which occur to each model produced by a manufacturer. This is based on data collected through thousands of car warranty policies which are held by Warranty Direct customers with vehicles which are less than 10 years old and have under 100,000 miles on the clock.

The average RI score is 100 and the lower the score, the more "reliable" a manufacturers vehicles tend to be. However, it should be noted that by taking into consideration average repairs costs, more expensive luxury brands, perhaps with fewer, but more expensive faults, are going to be disadvantaged.

Interestingly, Honda didn’t have it all their own way, with the Kia Picanto being statistically "the most reliable individual model".

Honda also missed out on the title of manufacturer with the "cheapest average repair costs", with this accolade being taken by Ford. The fact that Honda didn’t feature in the top ten of this list, serves to make their overall victory all the more impressive!