Insuring your car, whether it is a family saloon or a classic, is a legal requirement unless it is declared SORN (Statutory Off Road Notification) and is kept off public roads. So, accepting that you need to insure it, how may you be able to lower the cost of obtaining the cover?

Well, potentially, there are a number of possibilities some of which we highlight below: –

Shop Around

There are many providers of motor insurance so you may wish to shop around to try to obtain a competitive deal. A quick and simple way of doing this is to use one or more comparison price websites although do bear in mind that not all insurance companies use such websites. Some of these websites have a panel of dozens of insurers whom you should be able to obtain quotes from.

Keep your car in the garage

Where you leave your car overnight has an impact upon how much you will be charged for your cover. If you leave your car in the garage or on the drive then it is less likely to be stolen or hit by another vehicle than if it were parked on the street overnight. Insurers understand this and therefore you may well pay less in premiums if you leave your car in the garage overnight.

Mileage

The more miles you drive your car the more likely you are to be involved in a road traffic accident so be accurate when estimating how many miles you anticipate driving each year. A good way of working out the number of annual miles you may drive is to compare the mileage stated on your last two MOT certificates.

Additional Drivers

Be selective about who you agree can drive your car and be included on your car insurance policy. If you add say an 18 year old who has just passed their driving test then your premium is likely to be more than if you included an additional driver who is say 50 years of age with 30 years of unblemished driving experience.

Add a voluntary excess to the policy

Your car insurance policy will come with a compulsory excess where you have to pay say the first £150 of any claim. However, you should also be able to pay a voluntary excess as a result of which your premium would be lower than if you did not do so. However, do be aware that this will mean that if you do claim on your motor insurance policy you will have to find a larger sum to pay towards the cost of any insurance claim.

Car Security

If you have an alarm, engine immobilizer or tracking device fitted to your car then your insurance company may charge you less for providing the cover.

We hope that the above is of benefit.