With daily journeys to school, work, supermarkets and more, most of us can’t imagine a life without our cars. Of course, public transport is always an option when a car isn’t available, but this is nowhere close to being as comfortable or convenient. What is neither of those things, however, is how much a car can cost you. While there are many motoring costs to contend with, one of the largest is car insurance. With that in mind, here are six ways for you to save money.
Choose The Right Car
The cost of car insurance is determined by a number of different things, many of which are to do with the car itself. These include the value of the vehicle, how old it is, and how much it will cost to repair it. For this reason, you need to research a few different vehicles and compare their insurance costs before choosing one. You don’t want to pick a car you can’t afford, after all.
Compare Different Insurance Policies
Insurance costs can differ massively from one provider to another. Because of this, you must also compare car insurances from a variety of companies. Just be sure you compare like for like policies, rather than ones with different levels of cover. To make this easier, there are plenty of comparison sites you can use to look for the best deal for you and your car.
Keep Your Car Secure
Cars that are less secure than others are at a much greater risk of being stolen. Insurance providers offer more expensive cover for such vehicles, as there’s a greater chance that they’ll need to pay out in the future. With that in mind, you must do all that you can to keep your car safe. You can start by storing your vehicle in a garage attached to or close to your property.
Try Not To Claim
For legal reasons, you need to get your insurance provider know every time you get into a car accident. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean you need to make a claim every time. When you claim, your insurance premiums almost always rise, costing you more in the future. In many cases, it’s cheaper to cover the cost of repairs yourself than face more expensive insurance.
Pay Once A Year
Spreading the cost of your insurance over an entire year may leave less of a dent in the short term, but, in the long run, it will leave you paying much more money. The reason for this is that most insurance providers charge their customers interest when they choose to pay in monthly installments. With that in mind, it’s better to pay in one lump sum, if you have the cash to do so.
Steer Clear Of Teens
When teenagers first start to drive, the first thing they want to do is be put on their parent’s insurance. However, you should think carefully before doing so for your own child. While this would allow you to teach your teen how to drive, it will also increase your premiums, as new drivers are seen as a risk. It may work out cheaper to hire an instructor instead.
Car insurance is one of the biggest costs motorists face, but, with the advice above, you should be able to save some money.