A (Very) Belated Happy New Year To All

We’re a little late getting started this year but don’t worry, we’re back now and raring to go. So, what’s in store for the blog in 2008?

Well, plenty of money saving tips and guides for a start! Add to that reviews of providers and comparison sites and any other news from the car insurance arena.

All together a healthy mix of news, reviews and advice to make sure we all get the best deal possible from the car insurance premiums we so loath to pay.

Pretty soon we’re going to kick off the year with a look at what 2008 holds for the world of car insurance. So as the saying goes, WATCH THIS SPACE!!

Safety Or Savings? - Striking The Right Balance

Looking back on a previous TCIB post urging people to bin their renewal to save money on car insurance it seems consumer lethargy is still a huge problem for UK motor insurance customers.

Research from Tesco Finance has found that just under one in three motorists moved their car insurance to a new provider in the last 12 months.

Even more worrying was the statistic announcing that 10% of drivers had either never switched their car insurance premium or had stayed loyal to the same insurer for over 10 years.

Those who have switched put price as one of the most important factors when choosing a car insurance quote while those who had stayed with the same provider said price was less important compared to the features and level of cover offered by their policy.

These figures create a split market, those who are concerned with saving money and those who feel prepared to pay more for the safety of ‘knowing’ they have the right policy.

Both sides make very good points. After all a motor insurance policy is there to provide protection so obtaining the right cover is hugely important.

However with the huge range of insurers now offering policies the opportunity to make a saving on your premium should not be overlooked; especially in the current climate of rising mortgage repayments and utility bills.

In my opinion a mix of the two is the ideal mentality when shopping for car insurance.

Make sure your policy has all the features you need but don’t restrict yourself to one insurer and one quote.

Loyalty is rarely rewarded in today’s market and with comparison sites such as confused.com you can easily find motor insurance policies that match your needs on both policy features and price.

So, if you currently care more about price double check that your policy offers the protection you need; the consequences of not doing so could be potentially disastrous. AND, if you haven’t switched your car insurance for a while be sure to have a look at the options available, you can easily lower your premium without compromising on quality.

Limit Your Mileage For Cheaper Car Insurance

Just a very quick post to highlight a very quick money saving tip:

If you’ve applied for car insurance before you’ll know the insurer/broker/comparison site always ask you’re expected annual mileage.

The answer you give has a direct impact on the cost of your car insurance premium.

However, you can use this to your advantage. Before you next apply for a car insurance policy work out how many miles you expect to drive in the next 12 months and if it’s lower than you normally say make sure you let your insurer know.

Driving fewer miles means less chance of having an accident, less chance of making a claim and, in the eyes of insurers, makes you less of a risk.

The result can be a nice little reduction in your car insurance quote. I’ve just tested this myself on moneysupermarket.com and I was able to cut my potential quote from £411 to £390, a saving of just over 5%

This is a great little saving that’s so easy to do, give it a try!