Find cheaper car insurance

Car insurance can be an expensive business and it often involves a large initial outlay that, all being well, you'll never see a return on.

But there are several ways that you can cut your car insurance costs, so take note of our simple tips and you may save yourself some mon

Check your mileage

One of the criteria that car insurance companies base their policy prices on is the number of miles you cover each year. So check your current usage and make sure you're not paying for miles that you're not actually using.

It's best to try and work out exactly how many miles you'll drive over the course of a year, factoring in your daily commute to and from work and any extra miles you drive outside of this.  But make sure your figures are accurate as going over your agreed mileage will invalidate your policy.

ey.

Check your cover

There are generally three types of cover provided by motor insurers; Fully Comprehensive, Third Party, Fire & Theft and Third Party.

Each policy differs in the level of cover offered, Third Party being the most basic and Fully Comprehensive being the most complete and the level of cover can be reflected in the price so try to work out which policy is best suited to your needs when comparing prices.

However, it is no longer the case that Fully Comprehensive is the most costly option so be sure to compare all types of policy and you may find that you can actually get a better level of cover at a lower price.

Alter your voluntary excess

The general rule of thumb with voluntary excess is that the more you are willing to pay up front when making a claim, the lower the premium, so you may well be able to save money by increasing the excess on your policy.
But, again, be sure to compare policies with varying levels of voluntary excess as our research has shown that the savings are nominal once you reach a certain level of voluntary excess.

Minimise optional extras

Many policies will offer a series of optional extras such as legal expenses and courtesy cars but these all come at a cost. So work out which, if any, extra benefits you need on your policy and take off the ones that you don't as this will help lower the price of your premium.

Value your vehicle

Make sure that you are honest with the valuation of your vehicle as it is misguided to assume that the higher you value your car, the more money you will receive in the event of a claim.
The truth is that, no matter what you value your car at; insurers will only pay out the current market value of a vehicle in the event of claim so pushing up the price of your car will do nothing other than push up the price of your premium.

Buy online

Automated online applications cost a lot less to process and so many insurers will offer a discount to customers that buy their car insurance online.

It is also a good idea to pay for your policy up front if possible as you will avoid any interest charges imposed on monthly instalment plans and some companies even offer a discount for payment in full.

Make your car more secure

Fitting your car with an approved alarm and immobilizer, such as a Thatcham 1 of Thatcham 2 can reduce the cost of your car insurance. If you have a more expensive car then insurance companies may insist that you get a sophisticated tracking device fitted before they will insure you.

Watch where you park

Keeping your car in a securely locked garage overnight can help reduce the price of your policy. Over 50 per cent of vehicle thefts occur at night so in keeping your car in a locked garage you are reducing the risk of theft and this will most likely be reflected in the cost of your car insurance.