Instant car insurance

Car insurance prices are escalating by an average of 44 pence each day according to moneysupermarket.com research. It has therefore never been more important to shop around to find cheap car insurance deal when your renewal is due.

The only way to be sure that you are getting the best deal available is by comparing prices available through the every different car insurance company on the market. Unfortunately there are hundreds of them, which mean that it would ordinarily be a very time consuming process.

The changing car insurance market

A large contributor to the car insurance costs problem is uninsured drivers, with research by moneysupermarket.com suggesting that one in six motorists are currently driving without adequate insurance cover.
This problem is costing the UK insurance industry £500 million each year according to the Motor Insurers Bureau, with this calculation based on the insurance companies lost income from uninsured drivers and the fact that they are being forced to cover the costs of these motorists whenever an accident involving them occurs. These additional costs are then being passed onto other motorists in the form of higher basic car insurance premiums, creating problems for the vast majority of motorists who are law abiding.

The government has moved to address this problem by introducing the new Continuous Insurance Enforcement regulations. This will see drivers without adequate levels of cover issued with £100 on the spot fines and may also result in their vehicles being clamped, seized or destroyed. The policy holder will then be issued with a date by which time they must arrange for adequate cover. Failure to comply with this notice could result in an additional £1,000 fine and a possible court appearance.

Equality in car insurance

Another area of contention in car insurance has been the disparity in prices offered to male and female motorists.
However, a landmark ruling by the European Court of Justice means that from the 21st December 2012 it will be illegal to discriminate on the grounds of gender. It is expected that this will result in female car insurance prices rising by as much as 50% on the run up to this date.

Female car insurance customers will therefore no doubt be looking for new techniques to help lower their annual premiums.