EXPERTS have highlighted the importance of choosing your car insurance policy carefully to get the best deal – but not lying so that it becomes null and void.
Online car leasing outfit Moneyshake investigated 140 quotes to see if common tips really did reduce costs, with some surprising findings.
Meanwhile, Swinton Insurance has highlighted the types of false information that could lead to a claim being rejected if you do have a prang.
Contrary to popular belief, Moneyshake’s research showed that third-party, fire and theft policies are 60 per cent more expensive than getting comprehensive cover.
This could be because high-risk drivers try to lower their insurance by opting for third-party cover.
Also, some insurers will cut costs by as much as 30 per cent if you park on the street outside your house rather than in a garage. As cars have got bigger over the years, that’s increased the risks of damaging your pride and joy as you drive it in and out of the building.
A higher voluntary excess is often thought to lower your annual insurance price, providing you don’t claim. But Moneyshake discovered that decreasing it from £500 to £250 can make your policy 25 per cent cheaper.
And, bizarrely, having an additional driving qualification such as Pass Plus that you can take after you successfully complete your driving test may also put up insurance costs.
Swinton Insurance expressed the importance of knowing what your policy covers and realising that providing false information could lead to refusal of a claim and having a policy cancelled.
Top of its list for things for drivers to avoid is lying about their main addresses, as is failing to tell your insurer about any car modifications or minor accidents.
Young first-time drivers using low-risk motorists such as parents to be the main policyholders and adding themselves as named drivers to keep insurance costs down is also a no-no.
Other issues to be aware of include driving with an unsecured pet on board, changing jobs, wearing high heels or flip flops, attaching the likes of fluffy dice to the rear-view mirror and letting other people drive your car.
