Insurance guide and advice
YOUNG AND NEW DRIVER CAR INSURANCE
- Insurance is a legal requirement for anyone planning to drive on the UK’s roads. And although an accident can happen to anyone regardless of who they are few drivers will be required to pay as high a premium as a driver who belongs to the new or young driver categories.
- It is an unfortunate fact that a young or newly qualified driver is statistically at a higher risk of involvement in a road accident and also of making a claim on their policy. Much of the increased risk of involvement in an accident for a young new driver is largely thought to be due to inexperience on the roads which results in not perceiving and reacting to potential hazards.
- Among other factors which contribute to the higher risk of accident involvement which seem to be particularly common in young drivers are speeding, drink driving, and aggressive driving behaviour.
CAN ANYTHING BE DONE TO REDUCE THE COST?
- There are a number of things that can be done to help bring the cost of a car insurance policy down, many are quite useful to just about all drivers but some are particularly applicable to young and new drivers.
CONSIDER THE LEVEL OF COVER
- Generally there are three levels of cover to consider beginning with the basic third party only cover, which is generally the cheapest of the options. Then there is third party fire and theft which offers a more extensive level of cover but will cost a little more, and finally there is fully comprehensive cover, which generally offers the most cover and flexibility but will likely cost more than the other two.
ALWAYS “SHOP AROUND”
- Using a online car insurance comparison website will allow you to quickly get quotes from dozens of insurers across hundreds of policies and allow you to compare and contrast the main features of each.
DRIVE SAFELY
- Although it may sound obvious avoiding unnecessary risk taking such as speeding or showing off will keep your chances of accident involvement as low as possible. A clean insurance history will help you build a no-claims bonus which could be as high as 75% after 5 years without a claim. Having 2 driving offences on your record such as speeding could lead to some insurers increasing the cost of your premium by up to 75%.
CHOOSE YOUR VEHICLE CAREFULLY
- A car with a smaller engine will be much cheaper to insure than a car with a more powerful engine. Not modifying the car will also keep the premium at a minimum but make sure that anytime you do plan on modifying the car you discuss it with the insurer first. Also consider used cars rather than buying new since the premium will drop on a car once it reaches 5 years old, and then further when it reaches 10 years of age.
CONSIDER ADVANCING YOUR SKILLS
- By doing THE “PASSPLUS” COURSE… Email me at richardharper1903@gmail.com or Call Me Call Me on LandLine 01509 558103 or Mobile 07725 667533 for details.
- Courses such as “PASS PLUS” or one of the other advanced courses are designed to help further a drivers experience in different situations and conditions that they may not have faced before……. Many insurers will reward recently passed drivers who complete the “PASS PLUS” course with a discount on their premium of up to 35%.
LOOK AT SPECIALIST POLICIES
- Many insurers will offer specialist policies to different categories of driver such as young or new drivers. These policies will often offer a combination of options and features that are likely to be most applicable to that group. These combinations of features and options will also vary from insurer to insurer.
USE THE INTERNET
- Use a Car Insurance comparison website. This will allow you to find the best price as a starting point, bear in mind that the best price does not always equal best value
DRIVING SAFELY & RESPONSIBLY
- Sounds obvious, bear in mind is that driving safely and responsibly will help make greater savings over time than any of the other suggestions combined.
SITUATIONS TO AVOID
“FRONTING”
- Many young drivers in particular take one look at the price of a car insurance policy and think “its cheaper to just go on mum/dads insurance”, this would on the surface allow them to get cheap easy car insurance but the fact is that if a parent takes out insurance on their child’s car and the child is the main driver they are breaking the law! The main driver of the vehicle must be the principle name on the insurance policy. If the insurer suspects a case of “FRONTING” has occurred they may refuse to pay out on the policy and the child who was driving could face criminal charges such as driving without insurance.
HAVING NO INSURANCE
- Something which is to be avoided at all costs is the “it will never happen to me” attitude that leads to some drivers taking to the roads without any cover at all. This is a grossly irresponsible, illegal, and absolutely unnecessary situation to even consider. Accidents can happen to anybody regardless of skill level. What should be obvious from the above points is that there a wide variety of ways you can approach which can help reduce the price of your policy to a more affordable level without resorting to illegal means.