Car insurance: how to save money and get a cheaper quote

Car insurance can be expensive, but there are ways to get cheaper quotes come renewal time UK law states that if you drive a car, you need car insurance. The minimum cover that insurance companies can provide is for third party damage, which protects other road users but will not cover you or your vehicle. If you compare the pros and cons, it makes much more sense to opt for comprehensive car insurance: this will protect you against more eventualities, and quotes are often cheaper too.


When it comes to car insurance, a cheap half-measure can become expensive in other ways. Police ANPR (automatic number plate readers) help officers detect cars that aren’t properly insured, and if you’re caught you’ll be liable to pay a fixed penalty of £300 with six points added to your licence. If proceedings escalate, you might be subject to a court case, which could result in an unlimited fine and a driving ban.

And if that wasn’t bad enough, the police will also be able to seize your car. And the knock-on effect of this will be higher than average insurance costs when you do finally take out a policy. Insurance premiums increased by eight per cent from 2016 to 2017, with the average comprehensive policy costing motorists £462, according to figures from the Association of British Insurers (ABI). Bear in mind though that this is just the average – young and first-time drivers regularly end up paying thousands for their policies, while more experienced car owners usually pay much less. The ABI says that rising premiums are a reflection on increasing Insurance Premium Tax, costlier repairs on new cars, and a recent cut in discount rates.

Ways to save on your car insurance 

If you let your car insurance roll over automatically every 12 months, it’s almost certain that you will end up paying more. While searching online for new quotes can be time consuming, the effort of visiting a price comparison website or two is likely to be worth it. Car insurance groups will be delighted to undercut their competitors, so cheaper alternatives are almost always available if you’re prepared to look for them.



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