When you are nearing or have recently passed your practical driving test and it is time to start looking for your first car, it is an exciting period in your life. Purchasing your first car is likely one of the most significant purchases you have made thus far in your life, so you naturally want it to be all you had hoped for. With such a large purchase comes a few concerns, the most important of which is attempting to locate affordable car insurance quotes.
What Are the Best Tips for Low Car Insurance?
It may be unfair that your first year of driving will most certainly be the most expensive, but there are various ways to avoid this and save as much money as possible. To ensure you receive the best deals, we've compiled a list of our top suggestions for saving money on first-year car insurance.
Add a Second Driver - Adding a second driver to your insurance is one of the main hacks to cutting costs. Always put yourself as the main driver then add a responsible adult as the ‘occasional driver’. It means that it will still be your car, and everything will still be in your name, but you just have a second driver able to use your car. If you add someone who is an older experienced driver with a good driving record, insurance companies will see your car as having a lower risk of accidents. It is worth trying out different drivers in your family because surprisingly different people will alter the cost, you can keep trying until you find the cheapest quote. Also, having a second driver on your insurance is handy in case of emergencies.
Shop Around - It may sound obvious, but it is worth shopping around several different comparison sites rather than deciding on the first cheap quote you find. Being a first-time driver, you have more of an upper hand because insurance companies offer new customers their best deals. They want you to choose them over their competitors.
Black Box - A black box will be installed into your car and monitor each journey you make. Most people only have their black box for their first year, but you can have it for as long as you decide. As well as saving you up to £400, it can also be a handy tool to help to improve your driving, as your app will score your driving and tell you areas to improve.
Car Choice - As tempting as it is to get a Flash first car, it is unlikely to be worth the huge fee you will have to pay. Out of all your driving years, your first year is likely to be the year your car will go through the wars the most. Insurance companies will raise prices for aspects such as engine size and cars that are known to be more popular. Vauxhall Corsa and Astra are easy to drive as your first car but are usually more expensive because they have bigger engines and are known for being ‘boy racer’ cars. The cheapest cars to insure as a first-time driver are small cars like a Ford KA and Peugeot 107.
Don’t Modify Your Car - Any modification to your car will raise the price of your insurance, even small changes like tinted windows. If you modify your car, you will have to declare the changes to your insurance company, failure to do so may result in your insurance policy being cancelled. One of the reasons why modifications add to insurance prices is because it is seen as making your car more vulnerable to being stolen or broken into.
Security - Where you claim on your insurance that you keep your car at night will also affect the price of your quote. If you say that your car is parked in a public car park or on the street, even if it is outside your house, your insurance will be more expensive. A garage or driveway will lower the price, as they are both more secure areas where your car will be safer.
Occupation - As crazy as it sounds, insurance companies every year will research the most accident-prone jobs. Never lie about your occupation, but how you write your job title can alter the cost. It is always worth playing about the different ways, in which you can describe your job title, to see whether the quote price changes. For example, simply saying that you are a teacher will be cheaper than specifying the subject that you teach.
Less Mileage - The excitement of being able to drive independently does mean that you will drive at just about any opportunity. However, when organising your insurance, they will ask you to state the number of miles you want them to cover you. The fewer miles you drive, the cheaper your insurance will be. However, always be realistic about how much you plan to drive, if you need to drive a long distance to go to places such as work, it is better to give yourself a little more to be safe. If you run out of miles and must buy more, it will be considerably more expensive than the original price.