Car Insurance tips for new drivers
So you can finally take the ‘L’ plates off, get in the car without an experienced driver and actually get out there on your own. But, wait a minute. You can’t drive on the road without car insurance. Before you can get all excited about driving yourself to your friends’ houses, the shops or the cinema you need to get yourself a decent car insurance policy.
But you have probably heard car insurance for new, young drivers is expensive and not always easy to get. Many insurers are reluctant to insure young drivers, because statistics show they pose a greater risk on the roads and are more likely to get in an accident. But how do you get out there on the road and prove them wrong if you can’t get any car insurance.
Pay-as-you-go car insurance (sometimes called telematics insurance) is a usage-based car insurance where you either pay per mile or pay how you drive.
A box is fitted to your car to gather the following information:
This information is then used to work out how safely you drive.
You’ll then pay for the miles you’ve driven at the end of the month – and only those miles.
Here are a few tips that may help reduce the cost of your car insurance.
Have a look at the video below, which shows how insurers work out car insurance premiums .
More on how the cost of your car insurance is calculated can be found on the AA webpage
Although taking yet more tests is the last thing on your mind, the Pass Plus test, which includes motorway driving, night driving and how to handle your car in tricky weather conditions can lower your insurance premium by up to a third. This is a huge amount if you are paying several hundreds of Pounds every year.
Seeing as insurance is based on risk you need to manage and basically reduce the risk you pose to your insurer if you want to get an affordable premium. But this takes time to do through driving; however, you can lower the risk of theft and damage by storing your car in a safe and secure location such as a garage. However, if this isn’t available to you, make sure your car has an alarm, steering lock, immobiliser or even a professionally fitted tracker.
If you are earning your own way and don’t think you are likely to make a large claim, you can choose to increase your excess. The excess is the amount you pay towards every claim. If you choose to share a greater proportion of this with your insurer they will reward you with a lower premium.
Finally, it’s your first car so don’t go crazy. The bigger the engine the more you’ll pay and the more modifications you have the greater the cost of your insurance premium. Once you have built up a couple of years of No Claims Bonus, then you can upgrade your car to something a little flashier.
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