It is a well-known fact that car insurance premiums are soaring more than ever before. In fact, this year the cost of car insurance was 12%/£100 higher than what it was last year. On top of this, the rising cost of petrol is making matters worse for an average UK driver.
The month of August recorded an average car insurance premium of £525 which soared to £549 in September, £572 in the following month and £597 in November. The rising petrol costs are adding to the agony and to top it up the chancellor has declared a 20% increase in the insurance premium tax.
However, there are various methods to cut down the overall car insurance costs. A prudent driver can apply these methods to slash the costs and make some good savings. By reducing overspending and applying tight budgeting techniques, you can actually save around £280 on your car insurance. You can start afresh in 2017 and make car insurance cost cutting the latest New Year resolution.
Most tried and tested tips to cut down car insurance costs:
Shop around for the cheapest deals: It goes without saying that you need to analyse which motor insurance provider can offer you the cheapest deals. For this, you need to have a fair comparison between all the UK motor insurance providers to check out their quotes. An online price comparison expert like FreePriceCompare can be a big help as we offer free comparison service to get you the most suitable car insurers across the UK.
Only add the regular drivers to the policy: Your policy must include drivers who would drive the car for a few days or more. Do not add your ageing parents just for the sake of reducing the premium cost. This may not go down well with the insurer and you may end up losing the insurance policy.
Safeguard the no-claims bonus: No-claims bonus is an important method of reducing the overall insurance cost. By not making frequent claims every now and then, you can actually leverage the possibility of a 90% discount on premium that would otherwise cost hundreds of pounds.
Modify the car with modern tracking devices: You can actually get your vehicle fitted with a few safety devices like the Black Box, alarm, tracking device and immobiliser to minimise the insurance cost. By adding such technical devices that add to the efficiency of your vehicle, you become a contender of a 5% discount on the insurance premiums.
Cut down the miles: If you can slash your vehicles annual mileage then you can expect a good discount in premiums. By reducing mileage by 5,000 miles, a 35 year old driver can save around £50 a year in premiums. The savings would double if you reduce mileage by 10,000 miles and so on. However, you need to be honest about mileage as tricks of any kind could lead to the policy becoming void.
Choose cars that repel insurance cost: Motor insurance costs are dependent on the type and model of the vehicle. SUVs pull higher premiums while cars with different models and smaller engines can save you some big money on the cover.
Use the garage: Insurers consider drivers more responsible when they keep their vehicles inside their garage. Cars kept outside on the streets have a higher risk of getting stolen and therefore, the driver has to pay higher premiums.
The above mentioned tips can actually reduce your overall motor insurance cost by a big margin. Apply them to save big on your car insurance cost in 2017!
Brijesh is a financial advisor at Freepricecompare.com and a passionate blogger. He writes on personal finance and money-saving tips. He suggests all UK motorists to compare car insurance quotes before accepting renewal quote with existing supplier. When he isn’t writing, he is spending time to find advance technique of farming and its way of applying. He also plays his guitar gifted by his father.