Best Car Insurance Questions and Answers March 2009
Q. Car insurance help.......? New driver - this was written in my car insurance policy, does it mean that I can drive anyone’s car?? The policyholder may also drive, subject to the owner's permission, any motor car which does not belong to him/her, or is not hired to him/her under a hire purchase agreement and has not been seized by, or on behalf of any government or public authority.
A. Car insurance policies have historically only allowed policyholders to drive vehicles that do not belong to them, and are not hired to them under a hire purchase agreement, subject to the vehicle owner’s permission.
The cover is usually Third Party only which covers injury and damage to third parties but not damage to the vehicle you are driving. This cover was designed to be used in emergency situations only.
If in doubt, always check with your insurer who should be able to add a temporary additional vehicle or additional driver to your car insurance policy.
Q. Changing car insurance company? If I cancel my current policy, and take out a cheaper policy with another company that will let my 17 year old son be a named driver for a month, will it take place straight away? Thanks.
A. The new car insurance policy can come into effect immediately but you should make sure you have it lined up before cancelling your old policy. You can request that the new policy starts on a particular future date to coincide with any period of notice you may need to give your current insurers.
You should also check with your current car insurance company to find out how much they will refund you as if it is not very much then it might not be worth making the switch.
Q. Which do you think would be cheaper on car insurance for a 17 year old provisional licence driver in Ireland? 2005 Nissan Almera 1.5L saloon or 2000 Honda Civic 1.3L hatchback? I know the Nissan has a bigger engine and is a saloon but will they think I’m a boy racer because of it being a Honda Civic?
A. The Nissan is a lower insurance group than the Honda, even though it has a larger engine. The Honda will be worth less which should save some money on the premium. Agreeing to a higher excess on the car insurance policy should bring the cost down a bit.
The only way to get a definitive answer to this question is to use some online car insurance comparison sites or follow the links on this page to obtain your own personalised car insurance quote and make your own comparison.
Q. How can I get car insurance quote down? OK so I am 21 and I want to buy a Mazda RX8, so I went on confused.com and the cheapest they came out with was £2,225. Are there any tricks of the trade I can use to get it down cheaper as that’s far too expensive? I’ve been driving for 4 years. Many thanks.
A. There are several ways to reduce the cost of young drivers insurance:
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Add a parent to the car insurance policy as a named driver
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Offer to pay a higher excess in the event of a claim
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Have safety features such as a Thatcham approved alarm or an immobiliser fitted by a professional
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Find somewhere secure to keep your car overnight – preferably in a garage or parked off-road
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Drive safely and build up a No Claim Bonus
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Avoid after-market modifications to your car as these must be declared to the car insurance company and they may charge more
Follow these tips and you should qualify for a discount on your car insurance policy.
You should always use car insurance comparison sites to get several quotes as well as going direct, especially at the moment when so many of them are fighting for customers.
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