Finding car insurance for new drivers can sometimes be demoralising as it can be very expensive.
As of February 2012, the average car insurance policy cost around £3,100 for young males and £1,800 for young females, while motorists in all other age groups paid around £500 for their cover.
However, although buying the cheapest car insurance you can find could be tempting, sometimes such deals might not necessarily be right for you.
To help you find your perfect car insurance, insurethebox has put together a short guide on what to look out for when choosing motor cover.
Key things to know about your car insurance
When shopping for car insurance, the cheapest deal may not be everything you need or want. Here is a list of some important items to check before you buy.
Level of excess
The level of excess is the amount the driver is responsible for when they make a claim.
For example, if the motorist’s excess stands at £100 and they make a claim which costs £150 to fix, the insurer will cover £50 of the cost and the insured driver will be responsible for the other £100.
Typically, the excess is usually higher for drivers under the age of 25, but this differs depending on insurers and in some cases drivers can choose their own level of excess as this will affect the price of cover. For example, if a driver chooses a very low level of excess, their car insurance is likely to be more expensive. Many young drivers choose a high level of excess to help bring down the price of their policy.
Driving abroad
When deciding to go on holiday, a motorist may wish to drive their car to another country. However, their policy may only cover them in the UK and, sometimes, the European Union. Always check the small print.
No-claims discount
For every consecutive year a driver has car insurance without making a claim they will earn one year’s worth of no-claims discount (NCD). NCD is used to calculate the amount of discount an insurer will give for a good claims history.
After driving safely for several years, a motorist may build up a substantial NCD. Some insurers allow drivers to protect their NCD with the payment of a small extra premium. insurethebox allows new drivers to protect their NCD immediately which means they will not lose discount in the event of one claim in any period of insurance, up to a maximum of two claims in any consecutive five year period.
Extras
Some insurers include extra products such as breakdown cover, legal protection insurance or free windscreen replacement in the price of their policies. Always check the small print and make sure you are getting value for money. If no breakdown cover, for instance, is included you may be able to purchase it as an add-on.
Compare insurance with insurethebox
Although buying the cheapest car insurance can be very tempting, shopping around to get the best deal is always a great idea. However, now you’ve found insurethebox, we might have the exact cover you are looking for.
Finding affordable car insurance for new drivers can sometimes be really difficult, but insurethebox could be right for you. For more information, please click here.