If there is one thing that can sting you once a year…. its always the car insurance. We’ve all seen the adverts, every insurance company thinks they can save you money and it can be quite a hassle looking round for the best deal. AJB Performance knows that although there are some good insruance companies out there, you may still be paying too much. If an insurance form isn’t filled in correctly then not only could you void your insurance, you may also be making it more expensive for yourself.

The following guide from AJB Performance has been designed to not only save you money but to also make you aware of any bad points about insurance companies.

Insurance Brokers

If you haven’t got time to search for about 10 quotes from different insurance companies then a broker would probably be your best bet. There are positive and negative points about these though and you must be careful which ones you use. By filling in one form a broker will automatically use these details to search through many insurance companies and display the best quotes it can find.

So why would negatives come from this then??? Some brokers act as ‘middle men’. This means they are selling the policy on behalf of the insurance company and will charge you slightly extra for this than if you had bought it directly from that particular insurance company. You may also find that the broker has had to make several ‘assumptions’ about you as one insurance company may require some information that the broker hasn’t asked you for.

AJB Performance Recommends:

Getting The Right Deal

It is quite common for insurance companies to offer a small discount, generally around 10%, if you take out the policy online. Some of you may prefer however to phone them instead. Always remember that an insurance company wants your business and with the right banter on the phone you could earn yourself a nice discount, maybe more than the 10% you could have saved online. Once they have told you your quote then just say to them you could get it slightly cheaper with one of their rivals and if they offered it you slightly cheaper than that then you will take the quote out there and then.

The Extras

Many insurance policies will only cover the basics when you first receive your quote. Courtesy cars, breakdown cover, legal cover, stereo cover and windscreen cover can all cost you extra. Make sure you read the small print and see what you actually get for your money.

Voluntary Excess

Every insurance policy you take out will have an excess. This is the amount you will have to pay if you have an accident that is your fault. Some insurance companies will still charge you this even if the accident isn’t your fault, however you will be able to claim this back later. The voluntary excess on a policy is where you ‘volunteer’ or agree to pay a higher excess for a cheaper insurance premium. Young drivers should be aware of this as most companies will also add on a ‘young driver additional excess’ if you are under 21.

Annual Mileage

Every insurance form you fill in will ask you the mileage you travel each year. Believe it or not this can make a huge difference to you insurance premium so make sure you are accurate when entering this information. The more you travel the higher your premium will be so those of you that only travel 5000 miles a year - make sure that is what you declare!!!

Occupation

For some strange reason if you are a journalist your insruance premium will be higher than if you are a cleaner, why??? We aren’t quite sure. Just make sure that you declare your correct occupation. If you happen to have a job that falls under higher premium category then try and haggle with the insurance company. Remember they want your business at the end of the day so tell them you would be willing to take the policy out with them if they gave you a small discount.