Insurance companies look at an array of factors when working out the premiums they charge for motor insurance, such as the type of vehicle, national statistics and individual driver demographic profiles. So if you’re over 50, you would expect to pay a lower premium than younger driver as a recognition of your years of experience, wouldn’t you ?… but that might not always be the case !
In this guide, we share our top tips on how to get low-cost car insurance for over 50s driver.
Improve your car’s security
Expect to pay a lower premium when you can ensure your car’s security. Be sure to keep your vehicle off main roads if possible. Instead, park it in a garage at night, as this can result in you getting a better price on your insurance. Having it parked in a garage adjacent to your home would be seen by most insurance companies as a more secure lockup arrangement, and more secure from the chance of theft. Also remember do the obvious things, like installing security devices, such as a car alarm, steering wheel lock or immobiliser.
Get a small car
The type of car you drive will play a big part in the premium you pay. Newer, more powerful cars tend to attract higher premiums as they are more likely (according to insurance statistics) to be involved in accidents and the chances of theft are much high obviously.
Opt for a lower mileage policy
If you don’t expect to clock up too many miles in your car each year, consider opting for lower annual mileage car insurance clause. With this type of policy, you agree to limit the distance you drive during the year, which brings down the risk of accidents, resulting in a lower premium price for you.
Limit the amount of drivers covered to drive your vehicle
On some insurance policies, it is cheaper to limit driving to just you and your spouse. Again, you are reducing the risk of accidents when you limit the number of drivers using the car. In fact, in some cases you can actually claim a better discount on your policy when you do ‘add’ your spouse to the policy, so keep this in mind also and check with your insurance company if there is a discount for having your spouse added to the policy.
Avoid instalments
Remember when you pay for your insurance policy in instalments, you will not only be paying the full cost of the actual insurance policy but also the interest on the amount being paid over the year. This can considerably increase your overall cost.
So, if you can afford it, be sure to pay your premium upfront. Although it might be a large sum to pay out in one go, you will avoid the drawback of incurring interest charges, thereby reducing your overall cost.
Only get the cover that ‘you need’
Be sure to buy only the level of cover you need. If the car you’re insuring isn’t of much value, consider opting for a different level of cover. You might already have some level of breakdown protection or injury cover and all you need is the mandatory third-party cover.
Look at increasing the excess
By agreeing to pay a larger excess on claims, you can lower your car insurance cost considerably. Insurance companies deem that car owners are unlikely to make small claims when they have to pay from their own pocket and hence, they offer a lower premium on policies with a higher excess. It is worth considering, in some cases.
Shop around
Be sure to take your time to shop around and compare quotes from multiple insurers. This way, you can be sure of getting the best coverage at the best price. And that’s exactly what we do here at Britton Insurance.
We compare car insurance quotes from several insurers and help you choose the one that best suits your requirements and budget. We have helped thousands of over 50s drivers find the right car insurance in Ireland and we would love to help you!
We can organise your car insurance policy in no time whilst saving you the hassle, time and money. When you work with our team of insurance specialists, you can be sure of getting the best deal available to us on a given day.