With motoring costs rising by the month, saving as much money as possible is the number one goal when it comes to car insurance for learners and newly qualified drivers.
Recent surveys have shown that the vast majority of motorists searching for car insurance online want the cheapest rate. Other areas of insurance, like the standards of service and superior levels of cover, almost fall into insignificance according to the statistics.
Over recent years car insurance comparison sites have made the process of searching out lower premiums much easier. There's no doubt that being able to compare hundreds of policies by submitting your details to a handful of sites will save time and money.
However, young drivers and learners still face eye-watering rates when it comes to covering themselves to drive legally on the roads. So before submitting your details, follow this short but helpful list to lower your costs:
1. Use a vehicle in a low car insurance group to obtain lower quotes
One of the most important aspects that come into consideration when insuring any car is the group that it is given by the insurers. In a nutshell the lower the car insurance group the better. This is because a group 1 car will be thousands of pounds cheaper to insure than a group 20 car.
A typical low insurance group car would be a small super-mini type vehicle with a small engine capacity. A small unmodified car with a 1.0 litre petrol or diesel engine would therefore usually fall into a lower group banding, typically being classed as a 1 to 5 rating.
Recent changes mean that the long-standing system of car insurance groups have consisted of a one to twenty rating, this has now moved to a one to fifty system.
2. Improve on your 'Road Miles' and insurers will reward you
There is no doubt that the more driving experience you have under your belt the better. Figures produced by the authorities show that first time passes to the practical driving test come from individuals with up to 60 hours hand on experience.
The reason that insurers have to inflict weighty premiums on inexperienced drivers, particularly learners, is because of the frightening accident statistics. One of the large motor insurers reported a 300 per cent increase in claims from drivers under the age of 23 in the past five years.
In contrast, claims from drivers over 23 fell by 10 per cent.
3. Use Car Insurance Comparison Sites to drive down costs
Comparison sites are the quickest and most effective way to receive literally hundreds of quotes from just a few sources. Preparation is easy as all you need to provide are a few personal facts and the details of the car you want to insure.
There are however more and more comparison sites popping up all over the Net and you should know that some of comparison sites will suit learners and young drivers better than other.
Some insurance companies won't even produce a quote for someone with a provisional license wanting to insure their own vehicle. This is where specialist providers are more effective than some of the larger site that only want to insure the masses.
A little research will save you time and money in the long run so never take your first few quotes as being the only options.
In summary, by considering the car insurance groups and improving on your driving in general, you will be in a better position to cut your car insurance costs, particularly when you are a learner driver.
A broker is a middle-man that mediates between the buyer and seller. Brokers offer their one stop services to enable you to access the best insurance deals available in the market place.
In return for getting you the best deal from a selection of their own preferred suppliers, they will normally take a commission from the insurer. The broker will refer your details to their preferred insurance companies to try and get a deal that best matches your profile.
Usually the more insurance companies that the broker deals with, the better it should be for you. This is because more of the market will be covered in the least amount of time.
Even though the broker will take a commission, and this could mean you pay slightly more with that particular provider, it could still be a good alternative. It is normal though that this slight trade off is worth it. For you to try and submit requests for car insurance quotes from 20 plus insurers would take far too long.
OK. Let's say you've decided to go the broker route - All you need to do is to select the most competitive brokers but which one do you use?
There are literally hundreds of insurers beating a path to your door to secure your business. There are advertisers both online and in your local business pages.
The quickest route to save the most money could be to start with the online car insurance comparison sites and specialised brokerages. They are very efficient at collating all the quotes and all you need to do is to sign up with them for no obligation quotations.
Once you have located at least five online brokers as potential suppliers for your insurance, you will be in a good position to begin reaping in the most savings. The sign up process is very straight forward and all you need to do is provide them with the basic details of your current circumstances and what car you want to cover.
As a learner or new driver you will almost certainly be a higher risk to the insurers. Statistics show that newly qualified drivers under 23 a far more likely to be involved in a serious accident than any other age group.
The higher the risk to the insurers, the more you will have to pay. However, the higher premiums that you may have to pay will mean that there are more savings to be had.
You should also consider the type of cover you require as you will have three choices. Only take the cover you actually need and don't have any unnecessary add-ons that may add to your costs.
Car insurance brokers have the potential to save all drivers money on their car insurance but particularly learners and newly qualified motorists. As always, your aim should be to save the most amount of money in the least amount of time.
Adrian Kelly has sinced written about articles on various topics from Auto Insurance, Home Based Business and Auto Insurance. Adrian Kelly writes for CILD. Find useful information on and obtain cheaper. Adrian Kelly's top article generates over 4400 views. to your Favourites.