Best Car Insurance
So you’ve passed your driving test with the help of your driving instructor and mock theory exam sites like Top Tests. It doesn’t matter who helped you pass, what matters is you did and chances are you’ve already got a great little hatchback as your first car. The second step (after making sure it’s got an MOT and is taxed) is to find some insurance. If you’re 17, then chances are you will have to pay a lot of money for your insurance, but that’s the way it goes. It should steadily come down in price as you get older (I have some tips to help that, a bit later), plus I have some tips for right now on how to get the best deal.
Shop Lucky
I just want to get the painfully obvious one out of the way first. The amount of people who literally just go with the first provider they stumble across make me so angry. By taking just 10 more minutes to look around you will probably find a cheaper company, unless you’re very lucky and just happen to find the cheapest one on your first Google search. Here are some good deals for 17 year olds.
Don’t Add People
There seems to be a myth that adding people onto your policy somehow makes it cheaper, and yes, this is occasionally true, but most of the time it’s just more expensive. Only add on the people who will be using the car a lot of the time. Everyone else will just have to insure themselves for a few days if they really need to drive your car.
Boost the Excess
Agree to pay a higher excess on any accidents that occur and your provider will lower your premiums. Just make sure you don’t boost it too much; otherwise if you do get into an accident that was your fault, you might end up having to pay a lot of money.
Telematics
The telematics box is a little device that is put into your car (I still can’t find mine) and monitors the way you drive. If you start driving like Colin McRae then you don’t receive any bonuses, however if you drive like a nice, pleasant member of society, your premiums come down each year. For more information, see here.
Car
The type of car you have will have an effect on your insurance, so make sure you check with your chosen provider how much it will cost to insure your car before you buy it, this way you won’t end up buying a car with a bad reputation that means massive price increases.
See, there are many ways you can reduce the cost of your insurance. Insurance, especially for younger drivers (young males pay more as well) can be extortionate, so by doing all you possibly can, to pay less, you’ll save so much. Just a little case study to back this up: my friend passed his test and ended up paying nearly £200 a month because he didn’t do his research, whereas I did all of the above and managed to find one where I paid £90 a month. It really does work.
