Image via Wikipedia

Cars Insurance Tips

Cars Insurance is famously expensive, in fact it seems to be getting worse and worse, especially for younger, inexperienced drivers. I suppose it’s a vicious circle really, the more expensive it gets, the more people risk driving without insurance, and if you have an accident with an uninsured driver . . . somebody’s got to pay for it, unfortunately it’s everyone elses premiums which cop for it. There’s nothing which anyone can do about their age or experience, it’s just a matter of time, but there are a few car insurance tips which can help you to keep your premiums as low as possible, and every little helps as they say. Instead of car insurance premiums being reduced every year for drivers who haven’t made a claim, many drivers find that they actually get higher.

Cars Insurance Tips

1. The most important thing that you should do when you need cars insurance is to shop around. There are plenty of online comparison sites to choose from, so you don’t have to keep repeating your details to get quotes from a whole bunch of car insurance companies, but don’t just rely on one site either. You never know, the companies who pay for the biggest, flashest websites and advertise on prime time TV have to recoup that money somehow, maybe a smaller comparison site could find you a better deal.
2. Don’t automatically renew your cars insurance with your present company. You might imagine that they’ll reward your loyalty by giving you the best possible price - what a load of rubbish – they’re in the business of making money, not friends, and you might find that you’ll get a better deal with another car insurance company who wants to poach your business.
3. The car is also a very important consideration to cars insurance companies. We know that many people love to swan around in something flash and sporty, grunting and growling at the traffic lights (the engine, not the driver), but a smaller car with a smaller engine will be substantially cheaper to insure. Stands to reason.
4. Excess is something which you need to consider carefully. Basically, excess is the amount of money which you will pay towards the damage in the event of any claim. The higher your excess, the cheaper the premiums. Be sure to get a good balance though, if you have a $500 excess and $500 worth of damage you won’t get a bean from your car insurance. Can you afford that?
5. Some car insurance companies will give you a reduction in your premiums if your car is fitted with an alarm or an immobilizer. You never know, it might even be cost effective to get one if your car isn’t already alarmed.
6. The amount of miles you drive each year can also have an effect on the price of your car insurance. Obviously, the  more miles you drive, the more likely you are to have an accident, so driving less miles is a good tip to reduce the price of your cars insurance.
7. Your parking space can also affect your car insurance premiums. If your car is garaged overnight, then it’s much more likely to be still there in the morning, and highly unlikely to have another car crash into the back of it (unless you’ve beaten your other half to the garage and they’re not expecting it to be there). Cars which spend their entire lives in the street sometimes have higher car insurance premiums.
8. Cars insurance premiums can sometimes be reduced if you enrol (and pass, of course) on some sort of advanced driving course – this is an especially good idea for younger, inexperienced drivers – it shows that they really do take driving seriously and are responsible human beings – sort of.