10 Tips On Reducing Renters Insurance Costs

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Renting a home or office necessitates insurance protection. The insurance protects renters against fire, theft, vandalism, natural disasters or a liability suit. Leading insurance companies offer renter’s insurance policies with varied coverage. Most renters insurance policies cover perils like: fire, storms, explosions, riots, aircraft collisions, vehicle accidents, smoke, mischief, theft, natural disasters, falling objects, floods, electrical or plumbing mishaps, earthquakes, and more.

Be an educated purchaser of renters insurance and make the effort to find out whether the renters policy offers ACV, actual cash value or RCC, replacement cost coverage.

The premium for renters insurance depends on many factors like where you live, the age of the building and so on. There are many ways by which you can aim to reduce renters insurance costs:

1. Buy a policy after making comparisons online and offline. Choose a policy that offers the most at the lowest premium.

2. When choosing a rental home or office think of how the location and age of the building will affect your insurance premiums. Choose a location that is affordable but does not cause a huge increase in insurance costs.

3. Reduce costs by increasing your deductibles. Create a financial plan and make sure you can actually afford the deductible payments.

4. Keep a check list of what will increase renter’s insurance costs. For example do not buy or adopt a dog on an impulse. Many companies are wary about covering owners of certain breeds of dogs and other pets.

5. Maximize safety features in your rental space. Insurance companies offer great discounts when protective devices like fire detectors, smoke alarms, burglar alarms, and fire extinguishers are installed in a rental space.

6. Think about buying a renters insurance policy from the same insurance company that has covered your health and vehicle. When companies know that you are a reliable and responsible citizen they offer what is known as “multi-line discounts.”

7. Read articles and tips on insurance online and determine how you can benefit most.

8. Follow in the rental space the safety regulations recommended by authorities. Take good care of storing inflammables, left over pain thinners, and other hazards.

9. Before buying a renters insurance policy create a list of valuables in your possessions and inform the insurance company about them. Items like art, antiques, diamonds, jewelry, and state-of-art electronics may need additional riders/coverage on the renters policy.

10. Always check online, in magazines and news papers for special offers and discounts being offered by insurance companies.

Being a responsible citizens and having a good credit rating and report is also advantageous and insurance companies offer better deals to individuals who are considered to be low risk.

Get greater renters insurance benefits by planning your life well. Insurance costs have many variables and depend on aspects like your age, insurance coverage, financial standing, debt and more.

The World Wide Web is a thriving marketplace for online renters insurance policies. Insurance bought online is often cheaper than offline. Websites devoted to insurance bring online leading insurance companies and the most affordable options. Customers online can also make use of tools like insurance risk computation, and online quote comparison tools.

Car Insurance Tips To Save You Money

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Brits waste thousands of pounds each year on car insurance because they do not understand some of the car insurance tips that could save them money. Car insurance protection is extremely important for the peace of mind of motorists. Car insurance that offers a great combination of coverage benefits at a reasonable price is important.

Car insurance provides a variety of benefits to motorists. Each driver must determine the benefits that are most important to him or her, based on driving habits, needs, and other factors. Some protections are fairly universal, but there are also some specific benefits that may appeal to particular drivers.

Standard car insurance protection includes comprehensive coverage for collisions and liability for situations involving other motorists. These services offer protection to drivers in accidents or situations where the driver is at fault or not at fault. These broad services provide for the typical damage and repair protection a motorist would experience.

There are many other services available for motorists looking for a more customized car insurance protection product. Most car insurance tips include suggestions for certain covers and what benefits they provide. Customized car insurance services include: No claim discounts, courtesy cars, windscreen replacement, emergency roadside assistance, equipment protection, car seat replacement, additional optional benefits to help provide peace of mind to the customer.

No claim discounts are intended to reward motorists with a good history of safe driving. Driving safely is perhaps the most important of the car insurance tips for motorists. Similar to the effect a good credit history has on loan seekers, a good driving history provides less risk to the insurer. Courtesy cars are a great service to allow Brits to meet their driving needs while their car is under repair.

Emergency roadside assistance helps those in need when they are stranded. Roadside assistance costs can be quite expensive, so this protection definitely pays off if needed. Other types of equipment and feature protections are great for motorists wanting to maintain the luxury status with their cars, or looking to protect stereos or equipment. Finally, many optional coves are available to fit the needs of the motorist.

Drivers need to be aware of the great savings opportunities available along with the many standard and customized cover benefits. Along with having a safe driving record, motorists can get better rates by having joint protection. Many motorists fail to take advantage of savings opportunities by combining protection with a live-in mate or spouse.

The Fine Print on Long-Term Care Insurance

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Long-term care is often considered an issue exclusively for elders. Not so. A person who requires continuous care because they are unable to independently perform basic daily living activities such as dressing, bathing, or eating due to an injury, illness or in some cases, cognitive disorders may be a long-term care candidate. Being able to afford long-term care is something that concerns many of us. One way to deal with the unpredictability of long-term care costs may be long-term care insurance (LTCI).

Hopefully you'll live a long and prosperous life and health or money issues won't cloud your golden years. But, if you want to be prepared, consider how to make long-term care insurance work to your advantage. Don't count on Medicaid. It does cover a bit of your long-term care expenses but you've got to be dang near death or flat broke or a combination of the two to qualify. Then there's your friendly neighborhood HMOs, Medicare, and Medigap but guess what. Right. They don't help much either.

Here are three things you can do to get over your anxiety about this whole not-so-fun question of "How long will I live and can I afford it if I do?"

1. Eat your dang vegetables! Your mother was right. They are good for you and they keep you healthy. In other words, get with a fitness plan, clean up your diet, kick the smokes, and see if you can't add a few more healthy years to your life before long-term care insurance becomes a really big issue.

2. Make a ton of money. Yeah, yeah, yeah, your mother told you to start saving early. If you did as mama advised and got yourself some of that thar financial plannin' stuff then yer in dang good shape. If not, it's never too late to start with some basic planning and investing.

3. Buy some long-term care insurance. Nobody likes paying those insurance premiums but the right kind of long-term care insurance could make a huge difference when the going gets tough.

Eat your veggies, make some money, and buy some long-term care insurance. The first two are relatively easy; the last one has a few complexities to be aware of. Get with an agent you trust. Get a referral from someone in the legal or financial fields. Here is some of the even finer print to watch for when it gets down to the nitty gritty of policy comparison:

1. Elimination Complication... Or, in the insurance industry words, Elimination Period: This is the period of time before your insurance policy will actually begin paying out benefits. They typical options range from 20 to 100 days. This is also referred to as a waiting period. Make sure and ask your agent to clarify what your elimination period is and have him explain the cost/benefit considerations of making it longer or shorter.

2. Time Crunch... Or, as the insurance lingo goes, Duration of Benefits: The ceiling or limits placed on the benefits a policy holder will receive. This may be limits such as a set amount of money or a time limit of two years, etc. Again, it's important to compare these benefits to other financial capabilities and resources available to you.

3. Daily Bread... Or, as the insurance industry feeds it to you: Daily Benefit: This is the amount of coverage you choose as your benefit on a daily basis. This usually ranges from about $50 to as much as $350 each day. Also keep in mind the cost of living in your neighborhood. Health care in a small town in Wisconsin may be less costly than downtown San Diego. Your agent should be able to give you some guidance on this.

Think Carefully Before Paying Out For Unemployment Insurance

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Providers can put in other exclusion as well, so the terms and conditions of any policies you are considering must be compared along with quotes.

If you go with a specialist provider for quotes then you will get access to some of the cheapest premiums to be found. Certainly by choosing to buy your cover independently as opposed to taking a policy alongside the borrowing you can save a great deal. Along with making savings you will be able to find the right policy to suit your circumstances. An ethical provider will give you the information needed, cutting out the technical jargon to make payment protection more transparent.

Getting a quote online is quick and easy. First you have to decide which type of protection insurance you need. If you have mortgage repayments to meet each month then consider taking out mortgage payment protection. Loan payment protection will safeguard any loan or credit card repayments, and income protection will cover your monthly income. Once you have chosen the policy you simply supply the amount you wish to cover each month and your age.

All protection policies provide you with unemployment cover in case you should be made redundant sometime in the future. For an extra fee they can also protect against you becoming unable to work if you should have an accident or suffer from an illness. The majority of policies would begin to payout a tax-free income from between day 30 to 90 of being continuously incapacitated. You would then continue to receive a payout for between 12 to 24 months.

Some homeowners think that the state would help with such outgoings as monthly mortgage repayments, but many could find themselves at risk of losing their home by relying on this state support. In order to qualify for state help you have to meet certain terms and conditions. For example, if you have savings of over £8,000 or have a partner in full-time work you would not be eligible to claim any help. Those who are fortunate enough to qualify would only get help with the interest part of their mortgage. Even then, if you have taken your mortgage after October 1995 you would have to wait nine months for any benefit to begin.

Getting behind on your mortgage repayments could in the worst case lead to you losing your home and would cause a great deal of anxiety during the time you were looking for work. Payment protection products that safeguard against the cost implications of unemployment are worthwhile considering, as long as your circumstances meet those defined by the provider.

Redundancy Insurance Can Give You A Financial Lifeline

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No one likes to think about losing their job, but preparation is the best form of defence in financial matters. This is especially the case if you have monthly mortgage repayments to pay, or have loan repayments or credit card debts. Redundancy insurance could give you a lifeline if you found yourself unemployed.

Jobs are not safe today and sadly you could become a statistic. However, by having a policy to fall back on you could receive a tax-free income that allows you to continue financing your debt repayments. Payment protection can be taken out in the form of mortgage payment protection, loan payment protection or income protection. All these policies cover against being made redundant and for an extra premium you can also include being unable to work due to an accident or illness. You need to consider carefully which type of policy most suits your needs. Once you have read the terms and conditions and have determined the most suitable policy you can compare quotes for the cheapest premiums.

When looking at cover you need to be aware that all policies have exclusions that can stop you from being eligible to claim. The exclusions can differ slightly from provider to provider but there are some present in all policies. People who are in part time employment, are self-employed, or are suffering from a pre-existing medical condition or who are retired would probably not benefit from holding a policy.
For peace of mind when it comes to loan or credit card repayments then loan payment protection can be taken. This would allow you to continue repaying any credit card repayments or loan repayments each month without the worry of getting into debt. Income protection would protect your income in general and provide you with a percentage of your monthly income. This would allow you to continue living your lifestyle without having to make drastic changes or struggle to find the money each month to pay your outgoings.

While you might think you would be able to live on the money received from being made redundant, this would soon dwindle away if you had to take care of your mortgage. Some individuals believe the State would step in and help if you lost your income. But to receive support from the State you have to qualify, and even then you receive very little help and usually have to wait for many months before seeing any benefit.

A specialist provider will always be able to give you the cheapest quotes for redundancy insurance but more

Mortgage Insurance Cover Is More Transparent When Bought Independently

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One of the biggest reasons why mortgage insurance cover and related protection policies are hard to understand is the lack of information given at the time of selling. Mis-selling only occurs through ignorance of the product and not knowing what it can and cannot deliver. As long as the consumer has the information and key facts regarding a policy and has made sure it is suitable, it will protect their mortgage. Getting behind on your mortgage repayments puts you at high risk of being repossessed but with mortgage protection it does not have to be this way.

If you find that mortgage protection insurance is suitable for your circumstances, it can act as a safety net should you find yourself in a situation where you are unable to work. This can be due to an accident, illness or through unemployment caused by no fault of your own, for example redundancy. You pay a premium for your policy, which is decided at the outset and is based on your age and the amount of monthly mortgage repayments.

Mortgage payment protection would begin to provide the policy holder with a tax-free income after 30 to 90 days of being incapacitated or unemployed. Once the policy has begun to provide benefit it will, if necessary, continue to do so for between 12 to 24 months. The exact duration of the payout is stated in the terms and conditions, which hold vital information regarding the policy and therefore are a must-read before signing up.

All policies have certain exclusions, depending on the provider, and some exclusions are in the majority of cover. Those individuals who are retired, self-employed, suffer from an existing illness or who only work on a part-time basis will have to go over terms and conditions very carefully to ensure they will be eligible for a payout. There are clauses in a policy aimed at specific exclusions; for instance, if you have not been bothered by the illness in the two-year period from taking on the cover then you would be eligible to claim. In addition, if you are self-employed and have ceased trading altogether through no fault of your own then you could be eligible for the cover. A specialist provider will make sure that you are able to read the terms and conditions in full, which enables you to make a more informed choice.

The cost of mortgage payment protection insurance varies drastically depending on where you choose to take it. At the time of borrowing the high street lender will usually offer protection and in some cases it can be added on without the consumer being aware. The quotes the majority of high street lenders give can cost as much as five times more than a quote from an independent provider. Some high street lenders have been known to work out how much protection for the mortgage would cost and then add it onto the amount of the loan, then add interest on top. A specialist, in contrast, will give you a monthly quote for just the insurance.

Would You Benefit From Taking Out Mortgage Insurance?

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While the high street lender may get the best deal for the mortgage this does not mean they can do the same for the protection for the mortgage. In fact, buying mortgage cover alongside the borrowing is often the most expensive way of doing so and the most risky. Often very little information is given regarding the terms and exclusions that come with a policy. This means the consumer is unaware of the exclusions and could be buying a very high-priced policy that they cannot claim against if they find themselves out of work.

Some lenders might ask that you do take out some form of protection for the money you are borrowing but it does not have to be taken at the same time. Consumers do have the right to shop around for a policy and your mortgage should not depend on taking the cover offered by the lender. By choosing to shop around for the cover you can make huge savings on the total amount you pay. A specialist lender will give an instant quote for mortgage protection based on the amount you wish to cover and age of the policy holder. Along with this, they provide all the information needed for the consumer to be able to choose whether a policy would be suitable.

While providers of mortgage protection can add in their own exclusions there are some that are common to most policies. Individuals who are self-employed, retired, have a pre-existing medical condition or who are not working in a full-time position could find cover would be useless. This is not black and white; for example, self-employed individuals who had to ceased trading altogether through involuntary unemployment could still benefit from a policy. And those who have an illness that has not reared its head during the last two years could also benefit. It is essential to carefully check the policy details to make sure an exclusion would not apply to you.

After taking out suitable cover the policy holder would have peace of mind if they lost their income through sickness, accident or unemployment. Their policy would provide a tax-free income once they had been incapable of working for between 30 to 90 days. The money received would cover the monthly repayments for the mortgage and related outgoings such as insurance.

House Boat Insurance

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Purchasing a houseboat is guaranteed to give you years of unlimited pleasure. Provided, however that you’ve insured your houseboat properly. Otherwise, you could lose your life’s savings and in the worse case scenario, and be forced to file for bankruptcy.

In the marine insurance industry, houseboats are categorized together with jet boats, ski boats, sailboats, cabin cruisers and party boats as a pleasure boat. For this reason, this kind of coverage is not generally handled by regular insurance companies. You should carefully shop for underwriters who specifically handle these policies.

The first houseboat insurance tenet you must follow is to find a reliable insurer who’ll service your needs. Conduct the search both ways.

· Word of mouth Ask boating friends for insurance recommendations.

· Conduct research on the recommended insurance carriers, the company in-charge of providing you coverage.

The following facts (as provided by the Insurance Information Institute) about your houseboat, such as horsepower, size and age of your boat, the type of craft and where it is used (i.e. moored in a river or hurricane prone area), determines coverage and premium you will pay for your houseboat.

Once that’s done, you can now carefully consider which of these policy clauses can help maximize your coverage and accurately answer your particular needs.

Hull and Machinery Clause

Because your houseboat is placed in the same pleasure boat category as a cabin cruiser, certain rates, coverage, restrictions, and terms will be similar.

Still, there are differences. The function of a houseboat is different from a cabin cruiser. The construction of a houseboat reflects this. They are normally flat-bottomed and designed to navigate slowly through the waters.

Many houseboats are bulkier, since they come equipped with bigger sleeping & living areas, full galley, and enclosed head. A race boat or cabin cruiser is smaller, more seaworthy, and easy to maneuver and built for speed.

Liability and Medical Payments to Others

Pays for bodily injury or property damage you are liable for.

Physical Damage Coverage

Pays for the damage your boat, motor, and trailer sustain.

Uninsured Watercraft Coverage

Pays for personal injury damages you are entitled to recover from the owner or operator who have not insured their vessel.

Medical Payments For The Insured

Covers you and your family’s medical fees, if you sustain accidental boating injuries.

Towing and Assistance

This coverage pays for the expenses you incur when you request a towing service to deliver the fuels and replacements parts, or fix your engine.

New Insurance Smell

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Lots of other new things come with new cars as well. New $5,788 floor mats, new $3,927 stereo upgrade, and optional new engine and brakes, all of these things combined make for sweet transportation bliss. If you drive faster, you can forget the stress of making the payments.

Yes, the world of automotive financing is an unfortunate side effect of entering the world of car ownership. Before, I just kind of drove cars. I didn’t stop to think about how much gas cost or whether my insurance plan should include medical. I didn’t even stop for most stop signs. Once I learned what a roll stop was, that is.

After signing a bunch of papers in a haze I could be liable for just about anything. Really, all that needed to happen was the handing over of keys and me driving off. The car dealer insisted on “contracts” and endless spiels on “extended warranties” and speaking to “the manager.” Hopefully my soul is still intact.

Lost in the getting my first car haze was some information that might be important. I know how much I owe per month and when. No one bothered to tell me what my payment options were though. Is there a car dealer conspiracy to withhold vital payment information so they can charge more hidden fees later? Is there really no need to pay for cars at all? You be the judge.

Even though I became the first person in the history of the known universe to turn down the extended warranty, I bought some sweet LED lights to spice up the interior of my ride. They’re on back order, or not coming until I call three or four times. I also became the fourth person in automotive history to not sign up for pre-paid maintenance. I’ll be taking full advantage of the complementary oil changes in the back of my owner’s manual though. They probably thought I wouldn’t make it to the back of the owner’s manual.

Reading through the owner’s manual kind of makes you want to give up driving. It contains warnings and yellow caution sections for every possible contingency involving something going wrong in a car. They could just sum this up by saying, “Please don’t sue us,” but even that could lead to a lawsuit from some ambitious lawyer.

So far, the clock is set, the steering wheel has been moved so the airbag doesn’t destroy my neck, and the mirrors are in the right place. Proper head restraint settings, radio buttons, and removing the dumb bar in the middle of the trunk will be accomplished at a to be determined time. For the amount of money I’m paying them, couldn’t someone at the car dealer do all this for me?

As if writing one big check wasn’t enough to send my system into shock, the insurance still had to be dealt with. This didn’t prevent me from driving my car around in a semi-legal, uninsured state. I do need the deductible. Big checks don’t leave much room in the bank account for paying car mechanics.

In my meeting with the insurance representative, I learned that having more insurance makes insurance less expensive. Unless you’re under 25, then there really isn’t anything you can do. Except! If you fill out this book about safe driving we’ll knock $60 off your premium. This tells me that insurance is at least $60 overpriced.

Something fishy is going on in the insurance business. They go out of their way to give you discounts, which no other business does. Yet, they still rake in the cash. Could it be you really don’t have to pay to fix the car? Perhaps. Or, there could be more demand for piece of mind than there is supply. Only so many people are allowed to feel secure. The rest of us have cut rate car insurance.

Another supply and demand issue linked to cars is, you guessed it, custom shift knobs. That’s another bought and paid for extra I don’t have yet. I’m expecting my fun extras to pay for themselves because I bought a “high gas mileage car,” defined as containing half of the gas-saving technology there is, because the rest of it is “too expensive.”

Right now, I’m on pace for a 400 mile tank of gas, city driving. That is as ridiculous as it sounds, so I’m guessing someone at the car dealer rigged my gas gauge. “Look how excellent of a purchase this was! It gets 400 miles to the tank!” I’ll probably run out of gas by the weekend, while the gauge still read half.

What You Should Know About Auto Insurance and Leasing

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1. Keeping up with the latest trends. Lots of people want to drive the latest models every two to three years.

2. Leasing offers buying flexibility. It allows you to postpone the buying decision while using the car. At the end of your lease, you can buy the car or simply walk away.

3. Leasing reduces your preliminary cash expense because you do not have to pay the large down payment required for car ownership.

4. Just about every aspect of leasing is negotiable. If you know all the fees involved, you can lower your monthly payments.

When leasing a car, it is easier to choose the same company for your auto insurance. However, you may end up paying too much for your coverage and it is better to look elsewhere for lower rates.

When you lease, the car that you will drive belongs to the leasing company. They want to be sure that their investment is covered in the event the car gets damaged, totaled or stolen.

They usually want to get covered for the difference between what your auto-insurer pays and your unpaid leasing obligations at the time of the accident or damage. This is called GAP, short for Guaranteed Auto Protection, and is typically included in the leasing contract.

If your leasing company is a finance division of an automaker, then your GAP insurance will be offered by the same lease company.

You are under no obligation to accept GAP insurance included as part of your lease agreement. Why pay an insurance premium if you can find the same coverage for a lower price?

Spend some time shopping by comparing quotes from different insurance companies. Demand discounts that you already qualify for and modify your coverage in view of that.

17 Handy Tips to follow when choosing your Car Insurance

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1. Do some research – Try to find insurance company's that specialize in policies for your age, gender, car and occupation. Ask around, people who have the same occupation or car as you could give you valuable information on what insurance will suit you best, and whether the policy they are using is good or bad. Shopping around is probably the best tip you will find and is very important if you want to find the best quote.

2. NEVER take the first quote – The first quote you get on your car is most likely to be quite high. Insurance companies known that until you have received a few quotes you will not know a realistic one that will suit you. So never take the first quote you receive no matter how good the deal seems.

3. Phone around – When you have a few companies that have caught your attention phone up the companies or car insurance brokers (3rd parties who are simply giving you a quote and not actually 'underwriting' your policy) see what quotes they are giving and if they can give any better.

4. Have awareness – Those companies who have all this money to spend on advertising probably are not giving the cheapest policies to customers, but the large amount of money could mean a lot more coverage is available.

5. Play companies off against each other – Do some research and make detailed notes about all the aspects of each quote you receive, then play the companies off against each other. There isn't much point in lying as most the insurance companies are very aware of the real cost of a car insurance quote. The phone operatives have the ability to negotiate on the price of their quotes and all of them would rather drop the cost than lose good business to a competitor.

6. Mileage – Consider how much mileage you are roughly going to do, less mileage means less time on the road which reduces the chances of accidents. A limited mileage policy is a very good way to get better car insurance quotes.

7. No Lying – LYING! will invalidate your policy, and most companies record telephone calls to cover themselves against litigation. State all modifications on your car and if someone else is likely to use your auto-mobile and whether you will use it for business.

8. Drive more carefully – Not having accidents is very hard to escape but by joining the Pass Plus scheme or by taking an advanced drivers' course, discount offers can reach up to 35% from some of the major insurers.

9. Protect your no-claims bonus - This may increase the premium by a few pounds, but this fades into insignificance against the potential loss of a 60% discount on a premium of several hundred pounds. But the definition of a protected no-claims bonus can vary widely between insurers. Though accidents caused by another driver will normally have no impact on such a bonus, those caused by the insured could.

10. Garage – If you store your car in a garage, then your car is a lot less likely to get stolen or damaged, so a good way to bring down the cost is to store your car in a garage but remember lying is a criminal offence and would cause you a lot of trouble.

11. Buy online – A lot of insurance companies offer discounts for people who buy online.

12. Voluntary Excess - If you agree to accept a voluntary excess (the amount you agree to pay in the event of an accident), you can reduce your premium.

13. Don’t automatically buy comprehensive - If your car has a low value you can save a third off your premium by insuring your car for Third Party Fire and Theft.

14. Named drivers - Adding a named older driver to your car insurance policy, i.e. your parents, can save you 10% on your premium. Likewise, avoid having younger named drivers on your policy.

15. Pay your premium in one go - It is often cheaper to pay your years car insurance in one lump sum rather than in monthly installments. Most insurers charge interest of around 15% APR (some up to 30%) to allow you to pay your premium in monthly installments.

16. Pass Plus - The pass plus examination is for new and young car drivers who have passed their practical test. It is an intensive training course that helps improve new and young drivers abilities on the road. The pass plus allows you to get up to a discount of up 35% on your car insurance. Taking the Pass Plus will cost around ?100 but given the high cost of new driver car insurance you should save more than this on your car insurance premium. Ask your driving instructor for details.

17. Work traveling – If you do not use your car to travel to work then you might be getting coverage you do not need.