Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Car Insurance Comparison


10 Things To Consider When Making Car Insurance Comparison Checks
By Charlotte J Wilson


Have you ever pondered over your car insurance renewal notice and questioned whether you could find a better policy at a lower price? If the answer is 'yes' you're not alone as many motorists have the knowledge and the ability to find lower premiums by using price comparison sites on the Internet.

No longer is it only those who have technical knowledge of computers and the Internet who can take advantage of carrying out their own researching with little hassle. However, before you agree to the first quote you're offered there are a number of factors that should be taken into consideration.

1. Remember that not all price comparison sites are the same, nor do they all offer quotes from the same insurance companies. As such it's wise to use two or three different price comparison sites to give you the widest choice of prices and polices.

2. Take your time when searching. Although we live in a fast paced world being too hasty don't necessarily give you accurate or sufficient information to make a like-for-like comparison.

3. Cheap doesn't mean the best, neither does it mean the worse; look at what's being included within the policy and what's being classed as optional extras. This varies considerably between insurance companies - never assume that just because one company includes for example windscreen cover all of the others will as well.

4. Adjusting the amount you pay in voluntary excess can have a marked impact on the premiums price, however, be sure that you can realistically afford to pay the additional money if you're involved in an incident or accident. Studies have proven that altering voluntary excesses isn't as cost effective as many people believe.

5. One of the most important factors when comparing prices and policies is to look at exactly the same features being offered, as mentioned in point 3. It's easy to tweak policies to reduce the premiums when carrying out car insurance comparison searches; so ensure you're giving all the insurance companies a level playing field!

6. Remember that the age of your car, where you live, your age and the engine size of your car will affect the premiums. If you're looking for cheap insurance steer well away from high performance vehicles!

7. You should also consider adding approved security devices to your vehicle to be offered discounts; again the amount of discount will vary between insurers so make sure you read what's being offered carefully before making a decision.

8. Look out for any hidden charges such as cancellation fees if you want to end your policy before the expiry date.

9. If you want to pay for your policy monthly rather than all in one payment look at any differences this will make to the overall cost; many insurance companies charge you for the privilege of paying by installments.

10. Finally, read through each policy carefully before making your decision - check that you're getting the best deal and the same amount of cover for the price when carrying out car insurance comparison checks.

For further information regarding car insurance comparison visit Tiger one of the UK's leading insurance companies.