Insurence Quotes

How to use car insurance firms' own tricks against them to lower your car insurance premium and get a cheaper quote - 6 secrets revealed

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Get cheaper car insurance without changing your car

Sometimes car insurance premiums make sense. People living in places with more car crime or who have more expensive cars pay more, for example. But they're far from the only thing insurers up your premium for.

Insurers have gone as far as working out surgeons normally have more accidents where they were to blame than any other profession and building society clerks the fewest. They know Virgos were worst for accidents last year, but Pisceans had more convictions.

That means they will up your premium based on age, sex, job, post code and where you park park as well as what you drive.

But car insurance providers don't have to have to have it all their own way – we’ve found six ways to get cheaper car insurance that they’d really rather you didn’t know.

1. Use the right job title

Phil Harris / Daily Mirror

If you describe yourself as a “chef” when filling in your car insurance application your average quote is £98 higher than if you write “kitchen staff” comparison site GoCompare.com found – and it’s not just cooks that have this problem.

“Music teachers” pay £86 more than “teachers”, “office managers” pay more than “office administrators”, and “construction workers” pay more than “builders” who – in turn – pay more than “bricklayers”.

Basically, if your job fits in more than one category, check car insurance quotes are for all of them before applying. For more on how your job affects your car insurance,check out GoCompare’s guide . And if you’re a full time parent or retired make absolutely sure you check that box and not “unemployed” – it could save you almost £300.

2. Add another more experienced driver to the policy

Caters

Not all drivers get you a discount

It’s a crime to say someone who isn’t the main driver of a car is, but adding a secondary driver is perfectly legal - and more than that, it can save you money.

Get their permission first, then add an experienced driver with a clean driving license and decent no-claims history to your insurance.

3. Never leave it till the last minute

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Searching around and switching car insurance three weeks before your renewal date, rather than on the day, saves you an average of £280, comparison site Comparethemarket found – with even bigger savings available for younger drivers.

Oh, and make absolutely sure you do compare and switch – figures fromMoneysupermarket.com show almost 6 million drivers just accept their auto-renewal quote – costing them £113 a year.

4. Get some cash back

PA

Comparison sites make money because when you switch products with them they get a referral fee from the insurer. But if you’re clever, you can get that money yourself.

Topcashback is offering up to £110.25 cashback when you switch through them. Once you’ve compared prices and found which deal is cheapest, head over to one of them and see if you can get an even better deal by switching through the cashback site.

5. Pay up front

Sometimes spreading isn't clever

Did you know that many insurers charge interest on your payments if you spread the cost over the year? Well, they do. an average of £62 more Moneysupermarket worked out. So if at all possible, pay up front.

6. Cut your extras and boost your excess

SWNS

What’s included in your car insurance quote? Breakdown cover? Windscreen cover? Theft from the car? Driving abroad? Personal accident cover? A courtesy car? Every extra adds to the premium. More than that, a lot of them might already be covered by things like your travel insurance, AA membership, home insurance or even your bank account.

Double check you’re not double paying and then look to see if you really need these extras. Oh, and you need to check how much excess there is on your policy. This is how much you have to pay yourself when making a claim. The lower the excess the higher the car insurance, so work out how what you can afford to pay in the case of an accident and set your excess to that – even £50 can make a difference.

And of course....

These will all lower your quote, but to pay less make sure you've compared car insurance providers too.

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