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Do you have a garage at home, whether it is attached to your home or as a separate entity? If you do then do you use it? If you have answered yes, and in that I mean use it for your car, then you may have done yourself a huge favour and accessed cheap car insurance as a result of your commitment to protecting your car overnight and when it would otherwise be sat on your drive or the road. However, you would also be one of the minority.

A recent study of car insurance customers with more than one car in their household saw many people admit to keeping stuff in their garages rather than their cars. No matter what their worries concerning the fact that their car could be damaged, stolen or bumped into overnight, not to mention being broken into of course, they still put up to £20,000 worth of car on the drive or road instead of moving the average of £3,429 of stuff from their garage to make room for it. If you think about it, this really does not make sense and can put your car insurance in jeopardy.

It used to be that car insurance providers asked whether you had a garage or an off road unit in which to place your car. Now many are changing the wording to “do you store” your car in a garage. This ensures that discounts are applied only where deserved and where the risk is much lower than it would otherwise be. With this in mind, you may want to consider whether or not your garage is being used for the correct purpose and indeed whether you could save money by clearing it out. You will soon see just how much money you can save in this way if you compare policies at APH.

With Halloween and Guy Fawkes night just around the corner, the most fun days of autumn are soon to hit us. With Christmas just around the corner and the dark nights drawing in, it is really starting to get to the exciting finale of the year. It really is a shame that car insurance companies do not think so… but then they have good reason not to really. For starters, stray fireworks have done more damage to cars in the recent past than they did in the decade prior to that, largely because of kids getting a hold of them and setting them off. In addition, the roads are going to get icy shortly and until then drivers have to worry about the amount of slippery leaves on the road.

Unfortunately, autumn and winter are potentially the worst seasons for car insurance because claims tend to rise. However, there are certain problems you can avoid. For example, do not jeopardise your car insurance on Halloween or Bonfire Night by leaving your car open to all. If you have a garage then make sure that your car is locked in it on these nights. If you have no garage but do have a drive then pull onto it so that your car is not on an open road.

As far as saving money on car insurance is concerned, protecting your no claims is definitely a huge step but comparing cover and policies is highly important today. There is no need to get a variety of quotes from numerous websites when you can do it all on one. All you have to do is fill your details in here at APH and you will find quotes on your computer screen in very little time at all. It is the easiest way to see if you can save.

A leading car insurance comparison site has helped to prove just how ridiculous quotes for car insurance are these days by offering quotes of £50,000 and £26,000 respectively for a 20 year old woman and man whose age is not known. Both come from Bradford and have cars that should be relatively cheap to insure. Despite stating that all quotes of above £12,000 are filtered out, this comparison engine actually helped to highlight the problem with car insurance at the present time. It is just too expensive, with some quotes bordering on farcical, for most people to fit it comfortably into their already stretched household budgets.

Of course, it really is no coincidence that both quotes were given for Bradford drivers because the crime rate is quite high in the city, as is the claim rate. As a result of the postcode, residents are more likely to have to pay through the nose for their car insurance than people that live elsewhere. Unfortunately, even if you are a safe driver, have never made a claim and are an example of exactly how to conduct yourself on the road you may still have to pay a fortune to get your car fully insured and legal on the road.

So what can you do? Well, the woman who reported the £50,000 quote also reported that the vast majority of her quotes were between £7,000 and £8,000. Her age is a major factor but the best step she took was indeed comparing car insurance cover. It may be expensive but at least she was able to access polices that she may have not known existed otherwise. Comparing quotes is good for your budget and your peace of mind. It only takes a few minutes but may well alert you to an ideal policy for you so it is certainly worth a little effort.

You may have heard on the news that there are proposals in place to potentially elevate the speed limits on motorways from 70mph to 80mph. This is hotly debated at the moment. There are many groups celebrating the news and embracing it as entering a brand new, and long overdue, era of driving. On the other hand, there are plenty also stating that it will increase the numbers of accidents on the roads for numerous reasons, not least that stopping distances will increase and it will not deter those who speed on a regular basis. So who is right and how will it affect your car insurance premiums?

Well, there is no way of telling whether it will affect car insurance premiums via increased levels of accidents. With the enhanced safety levels of the cars on the roads today, many people believe that a rise of the speed limit would not increase death rates but would instead bring the roads in line with the modern era. However, if it does increase accidents then you can bet that it would increase car insurance premiums too, as a blanket effect rather than in terms of individual premium rates too. The logic would probably be that most motorists use a motorway at some stage or another and so would really be subject to the changes.

Of course, this is all speculation and so there will be no impact upon car insurance premiums at this point in time, at least for this reason. However, no matter what the changes are, you always have the right to switch providers. If you choose, you could actually compare car insurance quotes from some of the top providers out there at APH. Our comparison engine allows you to compare policies as well as premiums so take full advantage and get yourself the best deal possible today.

A recent report highlighted one of the main problems behind the increasing premiums for car insurance as being the referral fees that some car insurance providers are paid to let no win no fee companies know who has had an accident in the recent past and may want to claim for personal injury sustained during that accident. There was a huge outcry when it was revealed that car insurance companies made money this way, especially when some were simultaneously moaning about the amount of money personal injury claims were costing them, which they were having to pass on to consumers in the form of premium hikes. The problem is though, that those companies, despite the fact they will not be getting referral fees for much longer should the government have its way, have made a rod for their own back that does not look like it is about to break any time soon.

A recent blog by a car insurance expert came to the conclusion that banning referral fees will not halt the tide of personal injury claims because the UK has now adopted a suing culture that is similar to the one that has long been around in the USA. Regardless of whether insurers accept money or not for referrals, claims will continue to roll in because the likelihood is that the providers will offer a payout to avoid paying court costs. There are many instances of false claims or exaggerated claims that have generated payouts. I had personal experience of it. Having been hit from behind, the man who drove into me claimed for whiplash and won (even though I was fine and I’m not sure how you can get it when driving into the back of someone). As such, you are still likely to be paying for it in the coming years. The only way to reduce your costs, as a result, is comparing car insurance. Why not do it now right here at APH?

Uninsured drivers are a major problem today, with some areas reporting major problems with the numbers of people that do not have car insurance using the road on a regular basis. They would say that it is not a problem unless they get into an accident but that is not the point, and it definitely is not the only problem for those on the road that do comply with the law and pay for car insurance. There is a part of that premium that you have to pay in order to cover damage to your car if you are hit y an uninsured driver. However, there is some good news for the drivers in many areas of the UK. Uninsured driver numbers are going down. According to new statistics from the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB), there are 25% less uninsured drivers than there were five years ago, meaning that there are fewer on the road to hit you!

However, it should be noted that this survey was a UK wide one so some areas having more drivers without car insurance than others. This, of course, hampers the figures and makes it appear that there are far more uninsured drivers in many areas than there actually is. In fact, 17 of the top 20 postcodes for uninsured drivers are in the West Midlands and West Yorkshire. These regions have dragged the figures down in a big way so, unless you live in either of those areas, you may benefit from a slight lowering of premiums as a result.

There is no excuse for not having car insurance. Even though it is expensive in the majority of cases today, a basic policy on a small car is affordable and nobody should choose to drive a car they cannot afford to insure. Always compare car insurance and you will get the best deal for you with no need to break the law.

Are you one of the many people in the UK who was left holding a car insurance renewal quote with a hanging jaw and eyes as wide as saucers in the last year? If you are then you may not be surprised to find out that the average policy went up by 40% last year. Given the range of excuses that many car insurance companies offer now – crime has increased, weather causes more accidents, someone else who lives in the same road as you has made a claim etc – you may also feel like such increases are unfair. Well, so do many others out there and this is why the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) are now looking into policy premiums.

Of course, car insurance companies have explained that they are now losing money as a result of personal injury claims. This may be the truth given how much they have gone up and how many vultures are out there touting for business. However, the question is why should you pay for the greed of others, especially if you avoid claiming at all costs and are careful on the road all year round?

The OFT is not only going to investigate car insurance premiums but also the role that external factors are playing, such as comparison websites. Some have been accused of not helping the customer to get a better deal but actually helping insurers to raise their prices in conjunction with each other. This may actually explain the blanket increases. However, APH does not have a policy like this in place. Instead, our comparison engine is designed specifically to help you to shop around for the best deal, meaning premium level and policy combined. With this in mind, you can have peace of mind that we will be on your side no matter what.

If you have paid attention to the money sections of many of the newspapers out there in recent weeks then you will be aware that a postcode lottery exists in car insurance circles today. Of course, this term has been most frequently associated with medical care, facilities available and social issues like that, but it has come to the point where car insurance companies are actually using the same principle to calculate premiums offered to customers, new and existing alike. Geography is not new to the quote calculation process because high crime areas have been penalised for quite some time but where you live actually makes a huge difference to how much you have to pay for cover today to a far greater extent.

Don’t believe it? Well, I know of a real life example that proves it. A friend of mine recently moved 3 miles from one village to the next. Both villages are quiet with low crime rates, a lot off road parking availability and very few accidents in the surrounding area. She told her insurer, and stuck with the same car insurance provider because she was mid-way through the year and nowhere near renewal time, who then informed her that she’d save a bit of money as a result of her move – £15 PER MONTH to be precise. Yes, three miles makes that much of a difference. The premiums are lower because the crime rate is slightly lower, but it is amazing what such a short distance can cost you. Of course, you should not let this influence you because if you spot your dream home and can afford it, why should a bit of extra cash on your car insurance premiums make a difference? Just make sure that you can keep your car secure, be sure to take advantage of your no claims bonus and save money where you can, especially if you take the time to compare quotes.

It doesn’t seem a moment since car insurance experts were warning of the hazards of summer driving but soon those low suns, greasy roads after a downpour and dust will be a distant memory. Instead you will have to look out for the hazards of autumn, and there are plenty of them to consider when you are on the road.

The first and most obvious autumn hazard that could potentially jeopardise your car insurance premiums by forcing a claim is leaves on the road. The leaves are already starting to fall this year as the temperatures begin to dip and the air becomes damper. At the moment they are settling on the pavements and verges of the road but it will not be long until they begin to fall on the road. When they do, you will find that the roads become slippery, especially as the leaves get wet and begin to break down. It is quite easy to lose your grip on the road if you drive over a patch of them so being aware is a must.

So what else could jeopardise your car insurance? Well, water on the road is another hazard. Britain obviously gets wetter when autumn arrives but puddles of water are more hazardous this year as a result of the potholes left over from last winter. Some councils have failed to maintain their roads and so puddles of water may mask cracks, potholes and hazardous road surfaces that could damage your car.

All of the above issues can cause seriously problems for drivers in the autumn, especially  if they have to claim on their car insurance as a result of it all. However, by being aware, you can cut the risk factor in half and keep that no claims bonus in tact for another year.

With it being late August and all, you have probably not put much thought into your car and how it is going to cope with the coming winter months. Why would you? After all, the snows last year were a one off, right? Wrong! Given the fact that Auckland in New Zealand has had the first snow in 80 years there during the winter months, it is a fair bet that we will be suffering from cold temperatures and more snow storms this year. So are you thinking about your car and your car insurance now?

Car insurance is a major point of interest in the winter months because many providers do not offer certain extras like roadside recovery and some of the cheaper providers charge an excess for vehicle recovery after an accident. Furthermore, many do not offer cover for simple things like keys breaking off in locks when they have frozen. This can be very expensive to fix so now may be the time that you check your policy to see what your car insurance offers, especially if it is coming up renewal time for you.

When you do renew your car insurance, make sure that it can offer you the winter provisions and features that you need, such as lock and key cover, breakdown cover and accident recovery just in case. You can make sure that it is within your budget and has the features you need. The trick is to use a comparison engine like APH to make sure that you get the best possible deal for your money. It can take a while if you go around and get individual quotes but eliminating that by using a comparison engine could save you time as well as money. It takes a few moments in the comfort of your own home so prepare for winter now!