Lowering motor insurance costs by degrees.
Students who want lower motoring costs should start driving early and get proper, qualified tuition from the outset, says Adrian Flux Insurance Services. Bad habits picked up early in your driving life will increase your driving costs and be harder to shake off later.
As a young driver you’ll find that once you’ve passed your test, the biggest running cost is insurance. A first car is often much cheaper to buy than to insure for a year. And don’t be tempted by a cheap, high-powered car. A car with a performance engine that looks a bargain could cost two or three times as much to insure as a low-performance version of the same model.
But whatever car you end up with, the quickest way of slashing your insurance premium is to take an extra driving course or qualification. Adrian Flux has a scheme offering a discount of up to 30% for drivers who’ve done the ‘Pass Plus‘ test (www.passplus.org.uk). You can take Pass Plus once you’ve passed your standard driving test and it’s available all around the country – check with your local council for information. Some councils even offer discounts to encourage students to take Pass Plus.
"Unfortunately, about 20% of people have an accident in their first year of driving," says Gerry Bucke of Adrian Flux. "We all want to encourage students to drive more carefully but our discount isn’t just generosity – it makes good business sense, since those who take Pass Plus are statistically much less likely to make a claim."
Adrian Flux specialises in ‘hard to insure’ risks, such as hot hatches, modified motors, performance cars. And amongst those ‘difficult’ risks are young drivers.
"The stats mean that the young are clearly at greater risk of making a claim, and this inevitably translates to a much higher premium than an older person – even if it’s in one of the lower insurance brackets," adds Gerry Bucke. "And men, statistically, are greater risks than women."
Sample quotes for a student living near Peterborough (PE6), driving a 2000 Vauxhall Corsa 1.2 GLS, third party, fire and theft, with a £200 excess, no current no-claims bonus, and before any deduction for advanced driving or Pass Plus:
|
Full licence held for: |
Male |
Female |
|
1 month |
£ 900 |
£ 650 |
|
1 year |
£ 700 |
£ 450 |
|
2 years |
£ 630 |
£ 400 |
Joining a car club is another way to get a discount on your insurance. Adrian Flux will offer discounts (typically up to 10%) to members of many car clubs. The logic here is that being in a club makes it more likely that you will talk with other members about how you drive and look after your car.
Students who modify their cars might try to cut costs by not declaring the modifications to insurers, fearing higher premium. But if you make a mod and don’t declare it, it could well invalidate your insurance. This can be doubly stupid, because quite often a modification won’t have any effect on the policy – but the insurance company needs to know in advance. If you are unsure, declare it.
If your car parking is in a private drive or in a garage, you can often be entitled to a reduction in premium.
Finally, a simple way of saving more on your insurance is to ask for a low-mileage policy. For example, if you only used the car during term time and agreed not to exceed, say, 5,000 miles a year, Adrian Flux will often agree to shave something off the premium.
"The critical thing in all these money-saving aspects is talk to us in advance," says Gerry Bucke. "Ask us how to cut down on premiums – and phone around for the best deal."
Adrian Flux aims to offer cheaper car insurance and has a huge range of policies for the motoring enthusiast. For details contact the Adrian Flux quote line on 0800 505 3000, email the company at quotes@adrianflux.co.uk, or see the Flux homepage on www.adrianflux.co.uk