Car insurance is one of those things you hate to pay but can’t avoid. You need to have car insurance to drive your car on the road, but it can be painfully expensive. Certain factors influence the costs that can’t be changed by you at all. For instance, your age and gender will play a huge role in how costly your premiums are. Younger drivers tend to have higher premiums because they present larger risks, as do men.
Having said that, there are plenty of other factors that can be influenced by you. Here are some sneaky ideas for cutting car insurance costs:
Become a more cautious driver
Does this mean you have to drive everywhere at a snail’s pace? No, it means you start driving with a bit more caution and sense. Avoid speeding all the time, don’t get distracted while you drive, and certainly, never drive while under the influence. Cautious drivers have cheaper insurance premiums because, guess what, they get into fewer car accidents. Car insurance providers see this squeaky clean record, recognize the driver is not a risk, and provide a cheaper premium.
Avoid making insurance claims
Speaking of insurance providers and car accidents, the number of claims you make will impact your premium. Claiming compensation will mean your premium increases. This is simply because car insurance providers don’t actually want to provide you with compensation. It’s money out of their pocket, so they’d rather not give it to you. To compensate for this, they will charge a higher premium for people that keep on making claims. In their mind, if they have to keep forking out cash, so should you!
Furthermore, insurance providers often give people a no claims bonus. Effectively, for every year you’re with the provider and don’t make a claim, you get a bonus, lowering the cost of your premium. So, what should you do if you get into an accident? Instead of claiming through your insurance, it is better to find compassionate car accident attorneys that can handle things for you. By making a legal case, they can help you get compensation while protecting your no claims bonus!
Drive less
The more you drive, the more expensive your car insurance will be. Yes, this sounds ridiculous, and it’s another insight into the crazy psyche of the insurance provider. In their heads, people who spend more time driving will have more opportunities to be involved in accidents. It kind of makes sense, but it’s yet another reminder that car insurance providers really aren’t your friends.
So, if you drive less, you present yourself as a lower-risk driver. Therefore, insurance providers will give you a lower premium. The more miles you have on your clock every year, the more your premium will increase. If you work on decreasing these miles, the opposite will happen.
Change your car
Some cars are much cheaper to insure than others. This is down to a series of factors, such as how expensive the cars are to repair or replace. Sports cars are also very expensive to insure because they’re really fast and therefore more dangerous. The larger the engine, the more costly the vehicle tends to be to insure.
On the other hand, smaller cars with less powerful engines are the cheapest cars to insure. This is because it doesn’t cost too much to repair or replace the parts, and they are generally lower-risk vehicles.
Add another driver to your policy
This one is for the younger people out there who have just passed their test and started driving. You’re probably comparing insurance quotes and wondering how on earth you can afford anything. As a young and new driver, your premium will be expensive.
To counter this, you can add another named driver to your policy if they are going to use the car as well. A more experienced driver will be able to lower your policy as the insurer goes oh, okay, there’s someone responsible driving this car as well. You can only do this if the other person is going to drive the car as well as you. It is a form of fraud to name someone else on your insurance policy if they aren’t driving your car.
To sum it all up; drive sensibly, avoid making insurance claims, spend less time driving, choose a more suitable car to insure, and add another driver to your policy. Do all of these things, plus the obvious tip of comparing quotes from different providers, and you will cut car insurance costs.
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