Third Party Fire and Theft and Third Party Only cover is also available. Compare our levels of car insurance here.
Contents:
What affects my quote?
Cheapest isn’t always your best bet
Picking the right level of cover
Why upping the excess could be risky
Is black box cover cheaper?
Extras and perks
Car Insurance in someone else's name
Further reading
What affects my quote?
Many factors affect the price of your car insurance. For example, if you have a long driving history and haven’t been involved in any accidents, this can help to lower the cost – if you’ve built up several years of NCD (No Claims Discount), insurers may offer you a discount on your insurance premium. If you add another experienced driver to the policy - someone who will share access to the vehicle - this might result in a lower quote. Adding a new, inexperienced driver might have the opposite effect. However, keep in mind that if you add a driver to your policy, it’s expected that you’ll be driving the car more than they do, otherwise you risk ‘Fronting’, which is illegal.
The type of car you drive is also one of the major factors in determining price. All new car models are placed in an insurance group, numbered from 1 to 50 - the higher the number, the more expensive the vehicle will be to cover. As such insurers take the make and model of your car into account when calculating the cost of your car insurance policy. There’s little you can do about that if you’re insuring an existing car, but if you’re considering buying a new one, you may want to consider what insurance group it falls into – find out more from Thatcham .
Other factors that insurers take into consideration when providing a quote are drivers occupations, age, where the vehicle is parked and any security features on the vehicle.
Cheapest isn’t always your best bet
Of course, you may want to find the cheapest car insurance you can, but cost shouldn’t be your only consideration - it’s about getting great value along with the most suitable level of cover for your needs. Not all car insurance policies provide the same level of cover, so it’s worth you thoroughly checking the cover and benefits when you get your quotes. You shouldn’t just settle for a low price if the cover isn’t sufficient for what you need.
Picking the right level of cover
There are usually three different types of car insurance policy.
Third party is the lowest level, providing cover if you cause damage to someone else’s property, but not for your own car.
Third party fire and theft also covers your car if it is damaged in a fire or stolen.
Comprehensive insurance covers you, and your vehicle, and your liabilities to other people in the event of an accident that is covered under your policy These three types of car insurance policy are available from the RAC.
A full list of what’s covered by each policy can be seen here. RAC Car Insurance Plus has a number of additional key features, including vandalism cover and uninsured driver promise, so you may want to compare this level of cover with quotes from other providers.
Why upping the excess could be risky
When you receive a quote for car insurance, it will include details of the excess you will have to pay in the event of a claim. There will be two amounts; compulsory and voluntary. Compulsory is set by the insurance provider, but you can set the voluntary excess amount yourself. Usually, lowering the voluntary excess may increase the overall price, while upping it will decrease the overall price.
Bear in mind, though, that upping the excess could be risky. This is the amount of money you’re committing to paying yourself towards repairs in the event of a claim – note you have to pay both compulsory and voluntary excess. If you up the excess to a total of £250, for example, could you afford to pay that?
Is black box cover cheaper?
Black box insurance could be a great way of saving money on your car insurance as it can reward careful drivers with a reduced premium at renewal time. However, this will depend on your own circumstances. With black box your driving performance is monitored and assessed to give you a Driver Score, and it’s this than can help reduce your premium at renewal. It’s worth remembering that a Driver Score can go up as well as down, depending on your driving.
Extras and perks
Some car insurance providers might offer extras and perks as an incentive for choosing their services and as a reward for customers. Some of those features can include additional benefits, such as a courtesy car, breakdown cover or legal cover, or other perks such as discounts on other products. These could all add extra value to your car insurance policy.
Car Insurance in someone else's name
If you’re looking for car insurance in someone else’s name, be very careful. If you’re a parent putting your children on your policy as named drivers, you must make sure you’re still the main driver. When you take out car insurance, the main driver should be the individual who uses the car for the highest percentage of time. Taking out car insurance in your name but with the intention of someone else driving the car more frequently than you is called fronting - and it’s illegal.