Car Insurance Question

ClaraPetal

I am a new mature driver, almost 40 and female. I am searching for my first car, nothing flash, just a simple smallish automatic. Passed test less than 1 year ago.

I am aware car insurance can be expensive, but I wanted to ask about shopping online. Are comparison sites a good idea, or better to go through an independent insurance company direct.

Do they do a credit search with every search for insurance, and will this in turn affect my credit rating?

I am also a tad confused over the 'Where do you park at night?' question. I have no garage, drive etc. my car would be parked in a private car park with electronic gates belonging to the housing association I rent from. So how do I answer this question?

I spotted a car I liked for £2995, a 08 Renault and on getting a quote through a comparison site I was rather shocked to see it was close to £3000 for insurance (3rd party, fire and theft) and that was with a black box, which I have no objection to.

Are things like only being able to drive an automatic going to affect the cost. Also my licence is a 3-year one due to medical issues which the DVLA are aware of, so is due to be renewed in 2018.

I would be grateful for any advice.

neilmcl

As a new, albeit mature, driver I'd let a broker try and find the best deal for you.

Rain_Shadow

That is an outrageous price for insurance. My teenage sons pay less than a quarter of that for 1.6 petrol hatchbacks of about that value.


Whereabouts are you?


Tricky one about the parking overnight. the usual alternatives are 'garage', 'driveway', 'road'. In your situation I would put 'road' because it is giving a slightly worse position than the truth. There may be scope for explaining the true position to your chosen insurer at a later date.

mgfvvc

ClaraPetal wrote: »

I am aware car insurance can be expensive, but I wanted to ask about shopping online. Are comparison sites a good idea, or better to go through an independent insurance company direct.

Do they do a credit search with every search for insurance, and will this in turn affect my credit rating?

Comparison sites are a good place to start. They won't always give you the best deal, but you'll see what the likely costs are. The comparison sites won't do credit searches.

A good broker will have contacts in the insurance companies and may be able to get introductory discounts or find other ways of reducing your premium that you won't get from the comparison sites.

Try Googling for brokers specialising in new drivers.

ClaraPetal wrote: »

I spotted a car I liked for £2995, a 08 Renault and on getting a quote through a comparison site I was rather shocked to see it was close to £3000 for insurance (3rd party, fire and theft) and that was with a black box, which I have no objection to.

£3000 is a lot and if the black box rates your driving as poor it won't tell you why, but it will get more expensive. I would be wary of black box insurance.

ClaraPetal wrote: »

Are things like only being able to drive an automatic going to affect the cost. Also my licence is a 3-year one due to medical issues which the DVLA are aware of, so is due to be renewed in 2018.

The medical issues may be relevant. Either try the comparison sites with and without the medical issues declared or talk to a broker. Try Googling for specialist brokers for medical issues.

Dont forget to read the MSE car insurance guide.

dannyrst

http://www.visitcars.co.uk/car-insurance/insurance-post-code-risk.html

This will give you an idea of how your location affects your insurance. If your postcode is low risk, you shouldn't even consider paying £3,000 for insurance.

I would start with comparison sites, but also try the big names like Aviva, Churchill and Direct Line. I find Aviva have been cheaper than anyone else for the last 2 years.

Insurance costs are all about risk management. Although they are very similar, different companies will asses risks with different weightings. For example, Admiral were always good for younger drivers, so their weighting on age was lower than other companies. They probably had increased risk weighting on other things though (perhaps high mileage drivers).

The key is to keep looking and don't rule anyone out because you think they might be too expensive.

forgotmyname

Odd that some postcodes do not work??

Ectophile

Don't assume that 3rd Party Fire & Theft is ant cheaper than Fully Comprehensive. Some insurers treat a request for 3PF&T as saying "my car is a pile of junk and I don't care if I wreck it". Somebody who asks for Fully Comp on an old car is assumed to care about it.