Why Compare Car Insurance Every Year?

If you are looking to try to save money on the running costs of your car, then of course insurance is one thing that you’re going to want to consider. Prices for your car cover can vary massively from company to company, and when you compare car insurance prices it’s quite shocking how much you could save simply by looking for a different provider. Many insurers bank on the idea that you’re not going to look for another company to get your policy from – they hope that the convenience of a direct debit is going to be enough to keep you with them. This is only natural, and it’s something that is human nature – but those who are willing to put a little effort into shopping around could save a fortune. You only need to do it once a year too, so it doesn’t have to be an insurmountable task.

Why Compare Car Insurance?

Many Irish insurers offer really good deals on policies for the first year, to tempt people to switch to them. They raise the premiums each year after that, or will keep them fixed, but what people don’t think about is that price increases aren’t the natural order of things, and if you haven’t had to make a claim then you are amassing a no-claims bonus, so in theory you should be seen as lower risk and be paying less. If you’re a busy person then yes, you will not want to waste time shopping around. If your policy auto-renews then it’s tempting to just leave it at that because it’s one less thing to think about. You could be, quite literally, throwing hundreds away each week if you do that though. Simply by putting your details into a comparison tool and getting some quotes, you could open your eyes to a whole world of special offers, cashback deals, and cheap cover. You may be able to insure your car and your phone or get a travel policy or a home policy from one company and cut your bills by a fortune by doing that.

Tips to Compare Car Insurance and Get a Good Deal

When you start to compare car insurance, it can be tempting to give the price comparison tools different bits of information to see what will make things cheapest. This isn’t a good idea. If you’re looking at things like “is it cheaper to say I park off-street or in a garage”, that’s one thing (and yes, it could help you to decide whether it’s worth moving to the house with a two car garage or not), but lying about your occupation or your personal circumstances could get you into a lot of trouble with the insurer and potentially void your cover. There are some strange things that affect the price of a policy. For example, the wording of your job title can make a difference in how much you pay. It’s not fraud to debate whether to put “Personal Assistant” or “Personal Secretary”. If you’re a “Gym Based Personal Trainer” then yes, you may want to avoid putting “Personal Trainer” if the provider considers most personal trainers to be people who do a lot of driving to visit clients – so picking a job title that commonly does less driving is a good idea. If you’re a “Taxi Driver” then completely lying about your job title is fraud,  and if you are involved in an incident and get caught out then you will end up not able to make a claim. The same goes for health conditions. Failing to disclose a pre-existing health condition that impacts on your ability to drive is not a good idea.

Take Your No Claims With You

One thing that many people forget is that it is usually possible to carry over a no claims bonus from one company to another. Do note, however, that the bonus is “no claims” not “no-fault”. This means that if you need to make a claim because someone else crashed into you, then that claim could still affect how much insurance you personally pay. Usually, if the company providing your policy is able to claim back the cost from the other driver’s provider then it won’t impact on your policy. If it turns out that the other driver had no cover, though, then you are out of luck.

Excess

Consider the excess that you are paying too. There is usually a mandatory excess that is something you will have to pay before you make any claim. You can then optionally set an additional excess. The higher you set your elective, the lower your premium will be. You are less likely to want to claim for minor bumps and incidents because it simply wouldn’t be cost-effective to do so. The companies know this, and that’s why they offer the option. If you keep a small amount in a savings account ready to cover times when you get a wing mirror kicked in or something similar, then you won’t have to worry about fixing your car if stuff like that happens. It is a legal requirement to have a policy if you want to take your car on the road. If you are not covered and are involved in an accident then the penalties can be incredibly serious. Do not try to skimp or cut corners and be sure to price up all types of cover, not a just third party. Some companies think that people who opt for better cover are more responsible and lower risk and are therefore able to offer them better deals. This makes it worth doing a price comparison on all of the different options so that you can find out whether there are some policies that could be a good deal for you. Don’t limit yourself to just the one company or the stable of companies that you usually get your policies from – you may be amazed at where the good deals can come from.