Car Shop Guide

Making comparisons
When comparing quotes, make sure you compare like with like. A policy that gives you a loan car in the event of an accident, does not require a big excess or includes additional cover on certain items, may be worth paying more for. Glass cover that does not affect no claims bonuses is also worth having, especially when a stone thrown up by another car can mean replacing a windscreen costing several hundred pounds. If you have accrued a no claims bonus, especially a long one, make sure the policy includes protection for it which means you won’t lose a big reduction in annual premiums for making one claim.

Cutting costs
There are many, sometimes surprising ways to keep premiums down:

1 Volunteer to pay a higher ‘excess’, which is the first few hundred pounds of a claim. You may be able to claim this back from another driver’s insurance if you were not to blame.

2 Limit the drivers to named people.

3 If you do unusually low mileage you may be able to get a discount but check what happens if you go over the mileage limit set by the premium.