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Car Insurance - Can
You Get An Affordable Car Insurance Rate? by: Peter Phillips There are a number of things which can influence the level of your Motor insurance policy premium and get a low car insurance rate. Your insurance company will need to ask you a great many questions in order to produce your quote - some of them will have a great effect on the amount you will have to pay and some will not. Let's discuss the major factors which you can control as a policyholder. Consolidating policies If you can insure a number of vehicles with the same insurance company, or take out home and life insurance with the same car insurer, you may be able to secure a bundled discount rate. Location A big factor in determining the cost of your car insurance is the area where you live. The chances of your car being broken into or even stolen is a major concern for car insurance companies. Urban areas traditionally face a greater risk of theft and vandalism and therefore will be more expensive than locations in the country. Excess By agreeing to pay a greater excess ( that is the level of expense before you are allowed to put in a claim) you can reduce your car insurance premiums. This is because you are reducing the overall liability of your insurer, and therefore in return they are able to offer you a much lower premium. Remember the cost of any auto repair is likely to be substantial, so you can afford to have a reasonably high excess on your policy. Your Vehicle If you have a cheaper vehicle, obviously the premiums will be much lower than those on a more expensive or modern model. If you really want to buy a new vehicle make sure you fully factor in the cost of insurance – you may be able to afford the car but can you afford to insure it? Mileage You can control your insurance premiums by restricting your annual mileage. The downside of this is that if you exceed the restricted number of miles you'll then become uninsured! Overall, I would say that this would not be a good option. Parking Where you park your vehicle overnight is also very important to the insurers. If it is kept safe in a lockup garage, you should get a lower premium than if you leave it outside in the street (depending on the neighbourhood). Security Security devices that deter or hinder theft may also reduce your premium. Common examples include alarms and immobilisers. However, be aware that a determined and expert thief can break into the most sophisticated alarm system. Still, alarms will probably be enough to deter the opportunist thief, who will just move on to the next vehicle which is not alarmed No Claims Discount Save up your no claims discount by avoiding making small claims upon your policy. If you have a big enough excess (see above) this will occur automatically. After a defined number of years, typically 4 or 5, you'll often be able to pay an additional small premium to protect your no claims bonus. This can prove very helpful if you subsequently end up having an expensive accident. Advanced driving skills By taking and passing an advanced driving course you may also be able to reduce your premiums. Search on the web for driving schools which can offer discounts for both the cost of the driving course and for your car insurance premiums. There are two key variables over which you have no control. Your Sex. Believe it or not, women are statistically less likely to have an accident than men and, even if they do, it's less likely to be a serious one. Because of these statistics women can benefit from cheaper car insurance for a woman driver. It is also worth noting that if you are a couple you should consider having the female as the primary driver with the male as the second driver. Your Age Statistics also show the the younger you are, the more likely you are to make a claim. As a result car auto insurance for the young driver is considerably more expensive than that for the older driver. Unfortunately, if you are under 25 you are in a high risk area for insurance companies, and you have to bear the associated cost, even if you are an exemplary driver. One final word. A large percentage of car insurance is now sold on the Internet. That's because it's convenient and cheap. Many insurers now give a further 10%-15% discount if you buy online. Below you will find a link to a cheap car insurance company, which I have no hesitation in recommending.
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