Many policyholders assume that because their first years premium was competitive they will continue to get good value for money from the same insurer and policy. In reality, as an existing customer renewing your car insurance policy, you could be paying for premium discounts your insurer promotes to attract new customers.
This is a common way for car insurance companies to get new customers onto their books.
Top Tip: Become a New Customer
The easiest way to ensure you don't pay more than a new customer for exactly the same policy is to become a new customer.
Rather than just accepting your renewal premium, get a quote from your current insurer as a new customer. This will highlight any discount given by your insurer to new customers which you will be paying for if you renew as an existing policyholder.
Then simply call the insurers advertised phone number or get a quote from their website, but don't make the mistake of using the contact details from your renewal pack.
Shop Around
Car insurance rates can change every week so you need to make sure your existing insurer's discounted rates are still competitive.
So, armed with the best quote from your current insurer compare it against at least five other car insurance companies. The internet makes this far less hassle than it used to be and you can now get multiple quotes from major insurers using comparitive car insurance quote sites such as Moneysupermarket and Screentrade.
