MOTORISTS may have paid over the odds for car insurance that doesn't cover their needs, a consumer group has warned. Which? found "inconsistencies and a lack of real choice" when it comes to the policies listed on four major comparison websites - Compare The Market, Confused, GoCompare, and MoneySuperMarket. It said this could leave consumers at risk of purchasing policies that simply don't meet their needs. When it comes to price, for example, a Motor Quote Direct policy on GoCompare was £71 more expensive in a scenario featuring a London based driver, than the cheapest offer on Compare The Market (via broker Autonet) for what appeared to be the same policy. Meanwhile, apparently identical Aviva policies appeared several times offered by different brokers but with clear differences in price. In another scenario, the top 30 results were being sold by as few as 12 providers. How to save on car insuranceCAUGHT driving without insurance will see you slapped with a huge fine - … [Read more...] about Comparison websites’ car insurance errors put customers at risk of being overcharged for wrong type of cover
Best car insurance quote
This is the best time to get a car insurance quote
Don't be too keen, and don't leave it to late. We're of course talking about car insurance quotes. Financial journalist Martin Lewis and his website Money Saving Expert have found the sweet spot you need to get that all-important car insurance quote. The website has carried out a major investigation to find the right time to buy. The site has analysed more than 18 million quotes from January to May after requesting the data from three of the biggest price comparison websites – Confused.com , Compare The Market and MoneySupermarket . They found that the cheapest time to buy a policy is 21 days before the start date. They found it was an average of £589 to £531 cheaper compared to buying it 30 days in advance, the earliest you can usually get a quote on comparison sites. And leaving it late could cost you too - buying on the day the cover starts is £567 more expensive on average that three weeks early. MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis said: "Car insurance … [Read more...] about This is the best time to get a car insurance quote
Car insurance firms hiking prices based on email addresses and people’s names
Car insurance companies are hiking premiums based on surprising details including customers’ email providers, an investigation reveals. The probe discovered that hundreds of pounds can be added to bills because seemingly irrelevant information such as names, birthplaces, marital status and number of children. In one shocking case, two inquiries about cover which were identical in all but surname resulted in a massive £1,300 difference in quotes. And even using a gmail address to make an application rather than hotmail led to a huge gap of £391. Investigators say firms use all kinds of random data from claims made by previous customers to decide premiums for new ones. If their past experience is that people with certain names, domestic set-ups, email providers and nationalities have more accidents than others, it bumps up the cost for later applicants. The investigation by Channel 4 consumer show Supershoppers ran hundreds of car insurance quotes. They answered every … [Read more...] about Car insurance firms hiking prices based on email addresses and people’s names
Here’s our top five tips for ensuring you get the best car insurance deal — plus win £15,000 in our raffle
CHECKING just one price comparison site is not enough to keep your car cover costs down. Michael Foote, founder of comparison site Quote Goat, says each has its own deals with insurers, meaning price differences. Some comparison sites are partly owned by insurance companies themselves. Research from Channel 4’s Supershoppers found the same policy from one insurer was £300 cheaper on the comparison site it owned compared with another. Here are Michael’s tips to improve your chances of getting the best car insurance deal. GET A DASH CAM AND TELL YOUR INSURER. Tech can help lower costs. Many of the comparison sites do not have an option to quote with a dash cam, so ask if your quote would be cheaper with one fitted. Good dash cams are available for around £49.99 but you could save up to 20 per cent of the cost of your cover. GET A BLACK BOX POLICY. These can often help lower insurance costs by rewarding good driving. Many of the policies are not as intrusive as you … [Read more...] about Here’s our top five tips for ensuring you get the best car insurance deal — plus win £15,000 in our raffle
Car insurance falls in a win for drivers but ‘it’s still at an all time high’
The average price paid for motor insurance has recorded its first quarterly fall in two years, according to insurers. Despite the drop, average costs during the first quarter of 2018 were the highest that the Association of British Insurers (ABI) has ever seen at this time of year. The ABI's latest Motor Insurance Premium Tracker found the average price paid for private comprehensive motor insurance was £478, down £13 on the final quarter of 2017, as well as being the first quarterly fall in premiums in two years. The index, which started in 2012, measures prices consumers pay for their motor insurance, rather than quotes. The ABI said £478 is the highest average premium it has recorded for the first quarter of any year. It marks a £14 increase on the same quarter last year. Read More The tricks to cheaper car insurance How are prices falling exactly? The ABI said the price of motor insurance is subject to seasonal trends and average motor insurance premiums can … [Read more...] about Car insurance falls in a win for drivers but ‘it’s still at an all time high’