Ten top tips saving on car insurance

​Car insurance can take up quite a large chunk of our annual budget, so making sure we get the best deal is really important.

The difference between car insurance deals can sometimes be hundreds of pounds, so we can save ourselves some serious money by doing a little research. Here is our ten top tips for saving on car insurance costs:

1) Shop around
We may not be getting the best deal by simply renewing with our existing insurer. Comparison websites make it easy to see if we’re paying too much, but we should bear in mind that some companies are not registered with these sites so we shouldn't let our  search end there.
If we are happy with the customer service of existing insurer and would like to remain with them, however we find a cheaper quote somewhere else, we should contact them to see if they will match it. If we don’t ask, we don’t get!

2) Build  up a no claim discount
If oneself is a named driver on another person’s policy then we may not be able to build our own no claim discount, which could cost us money in the long run (compare on average of five years).

3) Don’t pay for what we don’t need
It’s tempting to sign up for additional services and offers, but this could all add to the price of our car insurance, so we should make sure anything we pay for is something that really will be useful to us.

4) Consider voluntary excess
Opting for a higher voluntary excess on our policy could save considerable amounts in the long term - and we might never need to pay it. But please make sure it will be affordable just in case we do have to make a claim.

5) Park our vehicle off the road
Parking our vehicle on a private driveway or, even better, in a garage will reduce the risk of our car becoming damaged and will therefore save us money on our car insurance. This is particularly effective for areas with a high car crime rate check.

6) Add an older driver
We can save considerably when insuring teenagers and younger drivers by adding an older person to the policy as a named driver. If our insurance covers us for driving other vehicles we might not think of insuring ourselves separately on our kids’ cars, but it could result in a saving as the risk is reduced if the young driver is not the only person driving the car.

7) Opt for a smaller engine
A smaller engine will reduce the risk of a high-speed accident and therefore the cost of our insurance, so we should bear that in mind when choosing our next car. 

 8) Don’t modify the car
"Modding" our car can increase our premium (depending on the nature of the modification, of course), so check how it will affect the
 cost of insurance before making any changes.

9) Keep speed down as per limit
Speeding convictions will result in a premium hike as we will be considered a less responsible driver by our insurer.

10) Pay policy in full
Once we have decided on the most suitable deal, we should opt to pay for policy in full if we can afford to. Many insurance companies charge interest, so the cost of insurance can be higher if we pay in monthly instalments.