Car Insurance, HOW MUCH?

Starting out as a new driver can be a very expensive thing to do. First you have to pay for a provisional licence, then you have to pay for lessons (see earlier blog,) then the tests and once you pass it does not cost any less you have to buy a car, get insurance and keep the car fit for the road. Insurance will be the most expensive part for a new driver and can seem to some like you are paying for nothing however getting the insurance company you use right can be one of the most important decision that you make. Yes the cost for young and first time drivers is increasing every year but some companies will help with this by offering monthly payments instead of a one of payment up front, again you need to be carefull what you are signing up for as there will be an interest payment if you chose to pay monthly and this can be quite high. There are other options you can go for such as the 10 month bonus accelerator, this will mean that you only have cover for 10 months instead of the usual full 12 months but at the end of the 10 months the insurance company will give you 1 years no claims bonus which will reduce you cover for the coming year. There are also other things you can do to reduce your insurance costs such as a Pass Plus however there are fewer insurance companies that accept this and offer a reduction, you also have to be awear of what discount you will get as the cost of a pass plus can be more expensive than what you end up saving.

Always check for reviews on insuracne companies and see what others say about their experiences but at the same time user reviews have to be taken with a pinch of salt. If you have a bad experience with a company you are likely to write a bad review as this helps release your frustration and anger, if you receive a good level of service you are far less likely to write a review and therefore you will find many more negative reviews on websites that positive reviews.

Other ways to bring down insurance costs can be to put another driver on the policy. You the car owner should always be the policy holder and the main driver but if you live at home with your parents and your car is registered to their address then if may be worth looking at adding one of them to your policy. This could be benificial in more than one way, not only will it bring down your insurance policy cost it will also mean that your parent will be able to drive your car, remember you have only just passed your test and may need some help driving in the near future. Always get your parents permision before adding their name to the policy and make sure with the insurance company that if you have an accident, their No Claims bonus will not be affected.