...and the tips that will help you avoid that extra €1,000
MAKE sure you don’t pay €1,000 over the odds to insure your family cars – as some drivers do – with these tips from Insuremycars.ie:
1. SHOP AROUND!! 2. NAMED DRIVERS CAN BE A BIG FACTOR
Forgetting to take a younger driver off a policy can mean motorists are paying over the odds by €500 or more. In some select instances, actually adding a named driver can make your premium cheaper. Interestingly, some insurers assume that if you add a partner with whom you live, then you are in a stable relationship and will be less likely to claim.
3. A PERSON WITH ONLY 1 YEAR’S NCB
A person with only one year’s NCB may only get quotes from three to four insurers originally, but 12 months on, quite a few more will offer terms, which could result in savings of anywhere between €300 and €400. Most brokers will automatically run you through the system again to see what’s available.
4. PENALTY POINTS
If you have clocked up any of these in the previous 12 months then you can be sure they will add to your insurance costs. All you can do here is take expert advice as to which insurers penalise least/most when it comes to points on your licence.
5. OCCUPATION
If you have changed job or role over the course of the year then you might find that ticking a new box in the occupation dropdown will have a positive
(or negative) effect on premiums. A broker can advise as to which job description best suits your situation.
6. NOTIFY ADDRESS CHANGES
The location where the car is usually kept can be factored in to premium calculations. Also, whether or not your car is stored in a garage may be considered – if it is, some insurers will see this as lowering its security risk and may adjust premium accordingly.
7. DON’T RULE OUT ‘FULLY COMP’
Often young drivers, when starting out, find that comprehensive cover is prohibitively expensive and settle for Third Party Fire and Theft instead. However, Insuremycars.ie finds that in some cases, once an NCB was earned, the difference between Comp and TPFT narrows significantly and many motorists are able to upgrade their cover at an affordable rate.
8. CAR CHANGE
Every insurer has its own rate for different cars. ‘We come across many instances where an insurer that did not offer a motorist a quote at renewal last year, is now the lowest priced due to the change in vehicle,’ says Jonathan Hehir of Insuremycars.ie.