APH Finance Blog

If you modify your car in any way other from its standard output from the factory, your car insurance could be void. This could be disastrous for you should you be involved in an accident as you maybe personally liable for any damages you have or have not caused (even if it was not your fault!)

Young lads are usually not aware that if they change the appearance of their car then this counts as a modification.

What changes to a car count as a modification?

• Exhaust
• Wheels
• Spoilers
• Splitters
• Engine Modifications
• Custom Paint

Be aware that any of the above modifications could very well deem your car insurance void.

If you make mods to the interior of your car, these are usually fine. The most popular interior modifications are:

• Steering Wheels
• Gear Knobs
• Foot Pedals
• Stereos

It is still worth mentioning these modifications to your car insurer as you may want to pay extra which will cover these modifications should you have a total loss.

Someone ran into you and it’s not your fault? Make sure you note down everything as fast as you can as that other person won’t want to lose their no claims bonus from future car insurance premiums and could quite possibly blame you! Yes, this happens every day and whether or not that person admits liability at the time of the accident will not make any difference unless you have it in writing or on video!

Handy Tips:
Try to stay calm.

Take down the other vehicles registration number. Pass this to your insurance company and they can tell immediately if the vehicle is insured and who it is insured with. This will speed up your claim.

Draw an accurate (as you can) plan of the sequence of events and what was said.

Take pictures of the cars, the damage and positions on your mobile phone for proof and future reference.

Record any conversation using your mobile phone when swapping details with the other driver, especially if they admit liability.

Obtain names and numbers of any witnesses that could vouch for you as these witnesses could be invaluable in the future to your no claims bonus.

Having even a minor car accident can be a stressful time. However sufferiing with high car insurance premiums in the future can be just as stressful when previous accidents were not your fault!

Moneysupermarket.com are the price comparison site that compare car insurance premiums from over 60 leading car insurance companies. Boasting the number 1 spot in Google for the term car insurance Moneysupermarket most definately are head of their game.

The Moneysupermarket.com website is very easy to use and can supply you with a huge list of car insurance quotes within minutes. You simply choose the car insurance company of your choice which will usually be the company at the top of the list who will be the cheapest.

Once you have made your choice you simply click on the company and complete the transaction. Moneysupermarket seem to be the benchmark for other comparison websites as they basically all work in a similar way however Moneysupermarket.com seem to take the top spots on the TV at peak times. The term moneysupermarket.com at this time of the year still boasts well over 1000 searches on Google.co.uk!

Some basic facts about van insurance can really bring down your premiums. Simple things that you may not even think of could be the key to affording a van insurance policy sooner than you think.

Keep it small - The smaller your van is will render it cheaper to insure in most cases.

Over 25 years old? If you are then this will help reduce your van insurance premium.

Company logos / artwork. If your van has no logo or markings it could actually prove more expensive to insure. Try mentioning that your van is fully liveried up while you are obtaining a quote.

Keep it empty overnight. If your van has no tools of your trade kept in it overnight then this will help reduce your premium. Make  sure you have a visible sticker on the rear of the van regarding this clear message to potential thieves.

The above tips may not amount to much in text, but can go a long way in reducing your van insurance premium to something far more palletable.

Thesedays everyone is pushing you to get everything you possibly can online rather than stepping outside your front door. In a lot of cases you will bag yourself a bargain by hunting around online however when it comes to car insurance this is not always the case.

Yes by using a car insurance comparison site you will get an immediate idea of the cheapest quotes you can expect to get however you rarely get to speak to anyone. It’s always that face to face contact that can lead you to ask questions, especially when you are with an independent car insurance broker.

The high street broker wants you through their doorway because once you are there, they can entice you by also presenting their cheapest deals if your cards have been placed firmly on the table. For instance, tell them your cheapest quote so far and they will tell you immediately if they can beat it or even match it.

Personally I like to keep my insurance company local as if there ever is a problem I know their is a person I can turn to rather than a phone number or email address.

To sum up, don’t write off the high street car insurance broker to get you a cheaper deal as they often can - they would rather make less profit than make no profit at all by letting you walk out the door.

In order to keep your car insurance premiums to a minimum we have put together a checklist or guide for you which will tell you the major factors which influence things.

Your Location

Where you live (and park your car overnight) will have a huge affect on your car insurance premium. Built up areas that are rife with crime will destroy your chances of reducing your premium unless you have a secure off-road garage and actually use it on a daily basis. Rural areas will usually see a healthy reduction in policy price.

Your Car

The type of car you drive is a major contributor to your premium. Fast cars will be much more expensive as the insurance companies take a view that you actualy drive the car faster. Also faster cars are usually more expensive to repair which again ushes your policy up.

Your Age

Younger drivers will be hit drastically regarding their car insurance premium due to their inexperience on the roads. The only way you can combat this is to build your no claims bonus which will in turn counter the premium price over time.

Your Gender

Yes lads it’s not good for you. All that pent up aggression and testosterone behind a steering wheel will usually increase your policy by a whopping 20% in comparison to the girls. Just one of those things that have to be accepted even though it seems very unfair to bran every male driver as a horsepower hungry, road raged animal.

There are far more factors to take into consideration regarding your car insurance premium however the above few will have the greatest impact on price overall.

After some extensive research into car insurance for young drivers we have found out that the cheapest car to insure if you have just passed your driving test is:

The VW Beetle (old shape 2600cc model)

Ok these aren’t the best cars in the world but at least it’s cheap to insure right? Wrong!

Young drivers really are still getting stung big time - especially the lads. The average car insurance quote for the ladies was £730 while the lads were quoted a shade over £900 !

With this car being the cheapest to insure it won’t inspire young drivers at all, especially at this price. In fact if I were that young again I think I’d prefer to use me old Grifter instead as it would definately be faster than the old VW Beetle!

Summary

If you still live with mum & dad make some enquiries at your local broker and see if you are entitled to use their no claims bonus due to you sharing the same address. This could really bring your premiums down and help you build up your own no claims bonus AND you could have a more desirable car (unless your name’s Brad and you live by the beach, wear boardies and call everybode dude…)