I’ve been hearing so many insurance stories from everyone. Prices are going up for everyone, not just new drivers, but especially you all. Honestly, there’s no way to cheat the system to get cheap insurance. It will still be expensive, but you shouldn’t pay more than you have to. I asked across social media for tips, tricks, and hacks—anything that’s worked, big or small, to help get cheaper insurance. I’m going to share all those with you now, and it can even help you get free online auto insurance quotes.
Free Online Auto Insurance Quotes: Method to Get Them
1. Clear your browser history and cache
Clear your search history or cookies each time you search for insurance online, whether it’s on price comparison websites or individual insurance company sites. They can track that you’ve previously searched for insurance, and each time you search again, you’ll get more expensive quotes.
2. Don’t be the main driver
Try listing an experienced driver as the main driver and you as the additional driver. That can lower the price. Having you as a second driver and an experienced driver as the main driver will significantly reduce your insurance premium cost.
But you can’t lie to your insurance company. If you are the main driver of the car, you need to put yourself down as the main driver.
3. Install a dash cam
This should lower your price. If you’re talking to an insurance broker or company over the phone, let them know you have a dash cam fitted, and most times, they’ll give you a cheaper price.
4. Mind the job you TELL the insurance company
Different job roles have different insurance rates. It’s true. Some jobs (like builders) have high insurance rates, while others like priests are likely to attract low rates. They probably do, but try different job roles. Again, you can’t lie to your insurance company.
So, if you work at Tesco, Sainsbury’s, or Asda, and you work on the fruit and veg aisle, you could say you’re a greengrocer, which has one insurance rate, or a customer service advisor, which has a different rate. So try different roles. But you must be truthful. If it’s not true that you do that job, you can’t say it.
5. Add people with good driving history
Add parents, grandparents, or other family members with good insurance and driving history to your policy. You could easily end up with an almost free online auto insurance quotes. It doesn’t even have to be family members. If your flatmate drives the car and has a good insurance history, add them too.
6. Use multiple comparison sites
It’s true. Confused.com, Compare the Market, MoneySuperMarket—all have different deals with different insurance companies.
One might have a better deal for you than another. So shop around on different sites to find the best quote. Even if it just saves you £2 a year, it’s better in your pocket than theirs.
7. Start your policy a month later
Here’s a tip many people don’t know: If you start your insurance policy today or tomorrow, you’ll pay more than someone starting it next week. If you want to drive right away, you’ll pay a lot more.
If you can, start your policy a month later. Of course, you can’t drive until your policy starts, but find the car you want, pay for it at the dealer, leave it there for a month, insure it to start a month later, and you’ll pay much less for the whole year. Promise. Try it.
8. Set an excess insurance
For this tip, I need to explain how insurance works. When you buy an insurance policy, you set an excess. It might be £100, £200, or even £500. If you have an accident, your insurance company will ask you for that excess first before paying the rest of the repair costs. For example, if your excess is £500 and the total repair cost is £2,000, you’ll pay £500, and your insurance company will pay £1,500. Here’s the tip: Increase your excess, which means you’ll pay more before your insurance company pays for any accident. But offset it with excess protection. Typically, raising the excess reduces your insurance more than excess protection increases it. Excess protection means you don’t need to pay out for the excess.
9. Try to get your mileage as low as possible, but be careful
If you have a black box, they may charge you per mile. Stanley’s right, don’t pay more for mileage than necessary. But be honest with your insurance company.
If you commute from London to Scotland daily and tell them you’ll drive 1,000 miles a year, they’ll cancel your insurance. So don’t lie. But your annual mileage is an estimate. If you think you might drive 5,000 or 6,000 miles, say 5,000 to save money.
10. Consider leasing a car
Many people don’t consider this. After passing your test, you might just buy a car. But there are more options. Consider leasing, especially as a young driver. Most leasing companies include insurance in the deal. You pay one price for everything, including insurance and the car, just add fuel. Peugeot had a “Just Add Fuel” deal for young drivers, though you had to be at least 24. So check out leasing as an option. It might be cheaper for you.
11. Create a new email address for your quote
Even if you delete your search history and cookies, when you buy the quote, they’ll see from your email address that you’ve searched before. So create a new email address when you’re ready to buy insurance. Log in with that new email, put in the same details, and you might save money.
12. Look for cars in low insurance groups
If you haven’t bought a car yet, consider the insurance group ranking. Groups start at 1 and go up to higher numbers, with 1 being the lowest and cheapest. If you’re a young new driver, you might need a car in a low insurance group. Here are some examples: Fiat Panda, Ford KA, Hyundai i10, Kia Picanto, Nissan Micra, SEAT Mii, Skoda Fabia, Smart ForFour, VW Polo, VW Up, VW Fox, Citroen C1, and C2. There are more, but these are in low groups.
Should we have some fun? Do you want to see cars in the highest insurance groups? Here we go: Audi A6, Bentley Flying Spur, BMW i8, Corvette Stingray, Jaguar XE, Lotus Evora, Alfa Romeo Stelvio, and Audi R8. Thinking of getting a Ferrari F430? Probably not. So don’t worry about those high groups. But choosing a car in group 1 instead of 5 can save you money.
13. Install a safety device like an immobilizer or alarm
Install it if your car doesn’t come with one. This can help lower your insurance costs. Insurance companies appreciate these devices because they reduce the risk of theft. Look for Thatcham-approved alarms and immobilizers. When you tell your insurance company that you’ve installed one of these devices, you’ll often see a reduction in your premium.
14. Ask about discounts
When you’re getting quotes or talking to insurance companies, always ask if there are any discounts available. There can be discounts for various groups like young drivers, new drivers, Armed Forces, NHS, or emergency services. These discounts might not be offered upfront, but agents might have the ability to apply them if you ask. It doesn’t hurt to inquire and could save you a substantial amount.
15. Join a group or professional association
There are many organizations related to driving and road safety. By joining one of these groups, you can sometimes get a discount on your insurance. These associations often focus on promoting safe driving practices and road safety. Membership can be free or very low-cost, and simply being a member can qualify you for insurance discounts. Look up driving safety groups or associations and see if joining one might help lower your insurance premiums.
16. Pay annually instead of monthly
While it might be more affordable month-to-month to spread your payments out, insurance companies often charge interest or additional fees for monthly payments. By paying your entire premium upfront, you can avoid these extra costs. This approach can save you a few hundred pounds over the course of a year, making it a wise financial move if you can manage the larger one-time payment.
A method that doesn’t work anymore — Pass Plus
The cost of the Pass Plus course (about £500 for 6 hours with an instructor) and getting the certificate won’t save you enough on insurance to make it worth it. You might save £20 on your insurance but spend £200, £300, or even £400 on the course. It’s not worth it. Pass Plus gets signed off by driving instructors, and some sign you off without doing the course, so insurance companies don’t trust it anymore.
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