Motor Insurance Quotes

Quotezone’s Guide to Finding Cheap Car Insurance Quotes

Understanding the types of car insurance

Third party: This is the minimum level of car insurance required under UK law, and is essentially intended to protect other drivers when you take to the roads. To that end third party insurance covers the cost of damage to a third party’s vehicle if you’re involved in an accident and you were at fault, but it isn’t always the best car insurance policy (even if it is occasionally the more affordable car insurance option) because it will not cover the cost of repairing or replacing your own vehicle. This cover is not adequate for a vehicle that is leased / on finance.

Third party, fire, and theft (TPFT): This is similar to third party insurance, but will also pay out if your own car is stolen or damaged by fire. This cover is not adequate for a vehicle that is leased / on finance.

Comprehensive cover: As the name suggests, fully-comp is the most comprehensive level of cover a driver can take out in the UK, and as such it’s generally the best car insurance option. This type of policy includes everything that’s covered by TPFT, but will also cover the cost of repairing or replacing the vehicle of an at-fault driver. This type of insurance will also pay out if you’re involved in an accident with an uninsured driver, which isn’t covered by lower levels of cover. This cover is required for anyone leasing a vehicle.

Your Excess

Most policies have two separate excess amounts. One is set by the insurer and is an integral part of the policy. The second is one that the driver may set themselves, and is usually known as a ‘voluntary excess’.

To reduce your premium, then, you could agree to a higher voluntary excess, which could reduce the upfront cost of your policy even if it doesn’t ensure you’ll get the very cheapest car insurance quotes.

However, it’s important to bear in mind that this does mean you’ll have to pay more of the costs yourself if you ever need to make a car insurance claim, or if a third party driver claims on your insurance because you were at fault.

Your Vehicle

Your insurance provider will take a number of factors relating to your vehicle into account when calculating your premium, including:

• The car’s make and model
• Its security features (for example, a car alarm or an engine immobiliser)
• Its engine size (a high performance car will cost more to insure than a smart car, for example)
• Its insurance group
• Its age
• Its mileage
• Whether or not it has been modified
• Whether or not it is an import car
• When it comes to your vehicle’s insurance group, it’s worth bearing in mind that every car is assigned to a group from 1 to 50, with vehicles in lower groups generally cheaper to insure.

A range of factors are used to allocate vehicles to a particular insurance group, including the car’s value and performance level, the cost and availability of spare parts for the vehicle, and the average time required for repairs.

Your Age

Both road traffic accident data and insurance claims data have demonstrated to insurers that young drivers represent a much higher insurance risk than older drivers.

In fact, data from Brake, the road safety charity, has revealed that drivers under the age of 20 are 33% more likely to be killed in a car accident than someone in their 40s or 50s.

Research suggests that this is because some younger drivers are more likely to take dangerous risks when they’re behind the wheel, while their relative inexperience on the road is also a contributing factor.

The increased insurance risk that younger drivers represent usually translates into higher premiums, while older drivers often find that they’re offered very cheap car insurance premiums compared to young motorists – particularly if the older driver has built up a substantial No Claims Discount (NCD) for the past 20 years or more.

It’s worth pointing out, though, that the relationship between older age and cheaper premiums does break down a little when a driver reaches their mid-70s, because data suggests drivers over the age of 75 are more likely to be involved in an accident than someone who is 10 or 20 years younger.

Drivers in their 70s or 80s are also more likely to be seriously hurt when they are involved in accident, which can also prove more costly for insurers, which means these older motorists will be less likely to be offered the very cheapest car insurance policies.

Your Occupation

Your occupation can obviously impact your car insurance premiums if you use your car for work, because it will mean higher mileage, more time on the road and an increased risk of being involved in a road traffic accident at some point.

However, even if you don’t use your car for business your occupation can still influence the cost of your insurance, because some insurance providers use it as a proxy for your risk appetite.

It probably goes without saying that racing car drivers, stunt drivers, acrobats and fire-eaters have higher risk appetites than nurses, teachers or doctors, and some insurers may consider that an appetite for risk could translate into speeding violations or other types of risky driving.

Your Location

Car crime is an important consideration for insurance providers, so your area’s crime rate can have a significant impact on whether you’re offered very cheap car insurance or a much more expensive car insurance premium. Crime rates are generally higher in big cities, which is why car insurance in London, Manchester, Birmingham or Leeds will often cost more than an equivalent policy in a rural area.

Beyond crime, if you live in a heavily built-up area you are also more likely to be involved in a car accident than if you live in the countryside, which is another reason why it’s usually more costly to insure your vehicle if you live in city, even if it’s a relatively small one like Aberdeen or Bristol.

Finally, where you park your vehicle will also be a factor when you’re trying to find the best car insurance quotes – parking the car in a garage or on a driveway reduces the risk of accidents, vandalism and theft, which can in turn result in cheaper insurance.

Your Driving History

Your driving history has two elements – how long you’ve held your full licence, and whether or not you have any points or driving convictions on that licence.

If you’re a provisional licence holder your policy will usually be much more expensive, although it might be possible to reduce your costs by opting for temporary learner insurance instead of taking out an annual policy. Given the fact that many learner drivers pass their test in less than a year this is certainly worth considering.

If you’re a full licence holder you will likely find that your insurance is prohibitively expensive when you first get your licence, but gradually becomes more cost effective after you’ve held your licence for a few years…provided you don’t receive any driving convictions or have points added to your licence, of course.

If you are given penalty points for speeding, running a red light or some other driving offence your insurance will almost certainly be more expensive until the points are removed from your licence.

Your Claims History

The main driver on a car insurance policy can earn a No Claims Discount (also known as a No Claims Bonus) for each consecutive year they hold insurance without making an insurance claim.

In practice this means drivers can often build up a very sizable discount on their annual premiums if they are safe drivers and never have to make a claim on their own insurance.

In fact, some older drivers are able to build up a No Claims Discount of 20 or 30 years, which could amount to a 60% or 70% discount on their premiums.

Your Medical History

There are a number of medical conditions that could impair a person’s ability to drive, and if you were diagnosed with one of them you would need to declare that diagnosis to both the DVLA and your insurer.

The full list of conditions that need to be declared is fairly extensive, ranging from diabetes to alcoholism to Alzheimer’s, but some of the conditions are age-related which means your medical history is likely to be a more important factor as you get older.

Your Optional Extras

Most insurance providers offer policyholders a range of optional extras that can be added to their policy, such as breakdown cover, windscreen cover or legal expenses cover.

While these extras can prove convenient, and in some cases may be cheaper than taking out separate cover, they will usually increase your insurance premiums a little.

Some motorists may also decide to take out a car warranty, which can sometimes be taken out with your existing insurance provider as well although it will usually be a standalone policy rather than a car insurance add-on.