Car insurance exists to protect you financially in the event of an accident, whether or not it is your fault. You must factor-in car insurance as part of your motoring expenses. Having good car insurance will give you financial protection which you will need if you have an accident.
Sadly not all insurances include fixing the damages to your car, protecting against liability, legal fees or damage to any other property involved in the accident. Bolt-on niche insurance products such as inconvenience cover, gap insurance and even legal protection insurance can prove to be invaluable additions to your comprehensive car insurance to ensure an accident does not end up costing you more than you can afford should the worst happen.
Choosing the right car insurance will protect not only you, but your vehicle, and third parties in the long run. If you want to drive a vehicle in the UK, you must prove that you have a valid car insurance policy. Your level of protection will depend on the type of car insurance policy you choose to take out.
WHY YOU SHOULD SHOP AROUND FOR NEW CAR INSURANCE
Shopping around for car insurance is very important for several reasons:
• You may find better quotes
• Depreciation will affect the value of your car
• A change in personal circumstances
• Financing could place your car in a greater risk banding
• It may be possible for an insurer to cover the loss of certain personal effects
• You may find inclusive breakdown cover
• You could find a policy which includes legal cover
• You could find a policy which includes cover for a second car
• You may be offered an introductory discount
Just because you have used the same insurance company or insurance broker for several years, does not mean you are getting the best deal. It doesn’t always follow that the same company or broker can offer you the best deal for your insurance.
An insurance broker already familiar with your demands and needs from your insurance history will probably be in a position to get you the best deal. They may be able to consolidate those demands and needs into a package which often will only be available via a broker.
Your car will depreciate in value according to both age and usage. Your new car begins to depreciate as soon as you put the first few miles on the clock. The value of your car will decrease every year. You should therefore insure accordingly by adjusting your car’s declared value at renewal time. This is an obvious statement but can be surprisingly often forgotten. For this reason you should make sure that you have your assumed car’s value checked against its current blue book value as opposed to against the purchase price. This is because even fully comprehensive policies will only cover a vehicle to its blue book value rather than it’s purchase price. So ensure you are as accurate as possible when declaring the car’s value. Generally speaking, a more expensive car will cost more to insure. It’s possible that your insurance company may offer you a like-for-like replacement after an accident – but this is uncommon. There is however an insurance product called Vehicle Replacement Insurance which does just that! Finding out more about vehicle replacement insurance is easy, just click on the link.
Your car insurance could be affected if your circumstances have changed since your last renewal. Perhaps you do not drive as far or often as you did, or perhaps your children have grown and want the keys to the car. Allow your insurance policy to reflect these changes by renewing accordingly. Lower mileage drivers can get significant discounts from insurance companiesAdding additional drivers is not as expensive as you would think; a great tip here is to wait until renewal time if possible. Insurers may charge you an administration cost for adding additional drivers, but if you wait until it’s time to renew you may not incur this fee.
WHICH LEVEL OF COVER SHOULD I CHOOSE FOR MY CAR INSURANCE?
Insurance cover in the UK falls into three different categories.
1. In many countries including the UK, Third Party Insurance is mandatory. It provides coverage to any third party involved in an accident with the insured vehicle including passengers. This type of insurance covers your liabilities in the event of damage to another vehicle or person in an accident. The insured is not protected against bodily injury or damage to their own vehicle with this type of policy. Third party insurance will not cover any necessary repairs made to your car.
2. Third Party, Fire and Theft Insurance will cover the benefits of third party insurance and includes any financial loss to the insured vehicle caused by fire or theft. This type of cover can offer the best value for a policyholder if the car does not have a high market value. A car which has been either leased or financed must have a fully comprehensive insurance policy.
3. The widest coverage is provided by a Fully Comprehensive insurance policy – or “fully comp”.As well as providing basic cover as in third party, fire and theft, it will also cover vehicle damage and bodily injury sustained in an accident. If your car is worth more than you could afford to replace it, then you should opt for a fully comprehensive insurance policy. There are specialised insurance products like Finance Gap or Vehicle Replacement Gap which can top up the gap between what your insurance company will pay out and the cost of getting a new car – you can find out more online by doing a simple search.
There are lots of factors affecting car insurance and most insurers offer secondary products which can meet any specialised needs of the policyholder.
FACTORS AFFECTING CAR INSURANCE
1. The Policyholder
• Age of the policyholder
• Gender of the policyholder
• Your marital status
Rural or Urban
• Engine and car size
• Vehicle replacement cost
• Any modifications that have been made to the vehicle by its owner
A younger less experienced driver will pay a higher insurance premium than someone with several years driving experience.
A married person is considered more responsible for their actions than a person is with no commitments. It stands to reason that married men with kids have more responsibilities than single men and the insurance companies therefore consider married men a lower risk category.
Where a person lives also affects the insurance cost. Rural areas that have less traffic and areas with a lower crime rate will mostly likely get a better premium than towns or high crime areas.
A powerful car is more likely to lose control at the hands of younger drivers: expensive cars cost a lot to replace if scrapped and should they simply require repairs the sum of the replacement parts often costs more than the used car’s value, making more powerful cars very expensive to ensure.
Modifications are more likely to alter the vehicles safety; performance is improved, and handling may be compromised making the vehicle more unpredictable. Car modifications therefore equate to increased risk for insurance companies, and will result in increased premiums.
2. Driver History
• Years of driving experience
• Claims made in previous years
• Driving convictions
• Annual mileage
The number of years a person has been driving suggests their understanding of the rules of the road, shows the driver has built up experience of driving under varied driving conditions and has attained a certain level of confidence while behind the wheel. The number of insurance claims made in the previous five years will either confirm or deny these assumptions. Driving convictions such as speeding, hazardous driving or driving while intoxicated will affect the premium. Parking violations are not included.
Your annual mileage is a factor too. The risk of having an accident increases the longer a vehicle is on the road.
3. Vehicle History
• Current vehicle value
• Whether you own the car or if it is leased or financed
• Car make and model
• Engine capacity and performance
• Modifications to the vehicle
If the vehicle has a low book value, it may not seem to be cost effective to pay for comprehensive insurance; however this is not necessarily the case. If the named driver has several years no claims then fully comprehensive insurance could actually cost the same as third party fire and theft cover, but with additional perks such as windscreen cover and legal assistance etc. Buying car insurance on-line can mean including a range of additional benefits with only a small increase to your premiums. If you are leasing a vehicle or have acquired it via a finance company, then you will need to provide fully comprehensive insurance for the vehicle. The leasing or finance company will require reimbursement from the policyholder for damage to the car. Comprehensive insurance will cover this.
There may be other benefits included in your car insurance policy, which are not always necessary but sometimes advisable:
• Breakdown insurance
• Courtesy vehicle
• Roadside and/or breakdown insurance cover
• Some insurers may offer you legal cover included in your policy
• Repair or replacement cover for windscreens
• No Claims protection
• Compulsory or voluntary deductible amount
Choosing the correct insurance and getting the best quote can be daunting as there are so many variables to consider. Good websites make it easy to get quotes with little aggravation. An insurance aggregator website is a good place to get you started. On-line insurance aggregator websites are generally very easy to use. As the buyer you only need to answer the questions once and they will search the insurance market for you. Once they have collected all the quotes, you will be able to compare insurance policies against each other, save and email your quote to your personal email address, go back and change your options to include or reduce the benefits you may be considering and – when you’re happy – buy on-line. Before you commit to a purchase it’s a good idea to first tell your broker the results of your search to see if he can get you a better deal. The most important factor about buying on-line is that you compare like for like quotes. This is more difficult than you may initially think. Good luck with finding the best possible car insurance policy.