Car insurance protects you and your family financially if you ever have a motor accident, be it your fault or not. Vehicle insurance is a necessary expense which all motorists must take into account. A car insurance policy will provide you with much needed protection against financial losses incurred because of traffic accidents.

Sadly not all insurances include fixing the damages to your car, protecting against liability, legal fees or damage to any other property involved in the accident. Bolt-on niche insurance products such as inconvenience cover, gap insurance and even legal protection insurance can prove to be invaluable additions to your comprehensive car insurance to ensure an accident does not end up costing you more than you can afford should the worst happen.

Choosing the right car insurance product will protect you, your vehicle, and other parties in the long run. You must prove that you have bought car insurance if you plan to drive in the UK. The type of car insurance cover that you choose will determine the level of protection that your insurance company will give you.

WHY YOU SHOULD SHOP AROUND FOR NEW CAR INSURANCE

Shopping around for car insurance is very important for several reasons: • You may find better quotes • Depreciation will affect the value of your car • A change in personal circumstances • Your car finance may put your car at risk • Personal effects loss may be covered by some insurers • Breakdown cover may be included in some policies • You may find inclusive legal cover offered by some insurers • It may be possible for an insurer to also cover a second car • You may be offered an introductory discount

Just because you have used the same insurance company or insurance broker for several years, does not mean you are getting the best deal. It really only means just that – you have used the same insurance company or insurance broker for the past several years.

If your broker manages your entire insurance portfolio then he is in the best position to get you the best deal, as he already has information about your demands and needs. This is also the case with car insurance as they can often consolidate your insurance needs into an all inclusive package which most insurance companies only make available to brokers.

Car depreciation occurs as a result of the age and usage of a vehicle. No sooner than you have driven your new car off the showroom floor the car begins to depreciate. Every year that you own the same car, its value decreases. Make sure that your insurance policy reflects this reduction in value. This is logical but often people can overlook the obvious. So always ask your broker to check the value of your car against its blue book value, rather than the purchase price. This is because even fully comprehensive policies will only cover a vehicle to its blue book value rather than it’s purchase price. So make sure that that is what you declare the car’s value to be. Generally speaking, a more expensive car will cost more to insure. In rare cases the insurance company may offer a replacement car of the exact model or spec after an accident. There is however an insurance product called Vehicle Replacement Insurance which does just that! To find out more about how Vehicle Replacement Insurance works click on the link.

Your personal circumstances may be different that at your last renewal. You may have switched jobs and not drive as many miles per year or have paved the front lawn and turned it into off-street parking. Get insured according to any changes in circumstances – no matter how small you think they are. You can get a significant discount from your insurer if you are a low mileage driver.You can add additional drivers to your policy for relatively little expense, especially if you wait until it’s time to renew. By waiting until renewal time you may be able to avoid the administration costs of adding extra drivers.

WHICH LEVEL OF CAR INSURANCE IS THE BEST CHOICE?

There are three different types of cover available in the UK.

 1. In many countries including the UK, Third Party Insurance is mandatory. If you are involved in an accident, this type of cover will protect you financially against damage to the other vehicle or its occupants. Third Party Insurance acts as security against liabilities for damage to another person in a vehicle accident. Third party insurance will not cover any damage inflicted on your own car or to your person. Third party insurance will not cover any necessary repairs made to your car.

2. Third Party, Fire and Theft Insurance will cover the benefits of third party insurance and includes any financial loss to the insured vehicle caused by fire or theft. The average driver may find this the best type of cover, especially for a vehicle which doesn’t have a very high market value. If you are leasing a vehicle or have acquired it via a finance company, then you will need to provide fully comprehensive insurance for the vehicle.

3. Fully Comprehensive Insurance offers the widest coverage. As well as providing basic cover as in third party, fire and theft, it will also cover vehicle damage and bodily injury sustained in an accident. If the vehicle value is higher than the insured can afford to pay to replace it, then fully comprehensive is the preferred choice. The gap between what your insurance payout would be and the cost of buying a new car can be bridged with specialised insurance products like Finance Gap Insurance or Vehicle Replacement Gap Insurance – you can easily find out more about these products by going online.

There are lots of factors affecting car insurance and most insurers offer secondary products which can meet any specialised needs of the policyholder.

FACTORS AFFECTING CAR INSURANCE

1. The Policyholder• Age of the policyholder • Gender of the policyholder • Your marital status Rural or Urban • Engine and car size • How much your car will cost to replace • Any modifications that have been made to the vehicle by its owner

A younger less experienced driver will pay a higher insurance premium than someone with several years driving experience.

A married person is considered more responsible for their actions than a person is with no commitments. It stands to reason that married men with kids have more responsibilities than single men and the insurance companies therefore consider married men a lower risk category.

Where a person lives also affects the insurance cost. Motorists living in rural locations and in areas with a low crime rate are more likely to get a lower insurance premium than those living in cities.

A powerful car is more likely to lose control at the hands of younger drivers: expensive cars cost a lot to replace if scrapped and should they simply require repairs the sum of the replacement parts often costs more than the used car’s value, making more powerful cars very expensive to ensure.

Modifications are more likely to alter the vehicles safety; performance is improved, and handling may be compromised making the vehicle more unpredictable. An increase in insurance premiums should be expected with car modifications, as these represent an increased risk to the insurer.

2. Driver History • Years of driving experience • Historical claims • If you have points on your licence • Annual mileage

The number of years a person has been driving suggests their understanding of the rules of the road, shows the driver has built up experience of driving under varied driving conditions and has attained a certain level of confidence while behind the wheel. Certain assumptions and associated levels of risk are made according to the number of claims made in the previous five years. Driving convictions such as speeding, dangerous driving or drink diving will affect the premium. This does not include parking violations.

Your annual mileage is a factor too. The more a vehicle is on the road, the higher the risk for an accident.

3. Vehicle History • Current vehicle value • If you own the vehicle, or is it leased or financed • Vehicle make and model • Size of engine and performance category • Modifications to the vehicle

If the vehicle has a low book value, it may not seem to be cost effective to pay for comprehensive insurance; however this is not necessarily the case. A named driver with several years of insurance cover and no claims against his or her name could find that fully comprehensive car insurance costs almost the same as a lesser level of cover, but with additional benefits such as a free courtesy car etc. Many online insurance buyers find that for just a small premium increase, many additional benefits can be included. Fully comprehensive insurance cover will be required for leased or financed vehicles. This is so that they can be reimbursed for any damage caused to the car by the policyholder. Comprehensive insurance will cover this.

There may be other benefits included in your car insurance policy, which are not always necessary but sometimes advisable:

 • Breakdown insurance • Provision of a courtesy car while yours is in the garage • Breakdown assistance • Specialist legal advice/assistance with legal fees • Cover for your windscreen • No Claims protection • Compulsory or voluntary deductible amount

Choosing the correct insurance and getting the best quote can be daunting as there are so many variables to consider. If a website was built properly its users will find it easy to get a great price quickly and easily. An insurance aggregator website is a good place to get you started. Aggregator websites are easy to use. As the buyer you only need to answer the questions once and they will search the insurance market for you. After the site has collected the quotes, you can then compare different policies, as well as being able to save your quote, amend your requirements if necessary and if you are happy you can then buy online. Before you buy online, call your broker to see if you can get a better deal based on your findings. Remember that you need to compare quotes on a like-for-like basis. It could be more complicated than you at first think. Good luck with finding the best possible car insurance policy.