We reveal hacks for how to pay less for car insurance that will help improve your driving and your budget!
Did you know that if you are under the age of 25, you pay an average of 30% or more for your car insurance? (According to an article in Business Tech.) But before you start to think this is incredibly unfair, you have to realise that, as a younger driver, you have less experience driving and therefore have a higher chance of being involved in an accident.
This is not to say that all insurers will automatically charge you more for motor insurance because you are younger than 25. Your driving history, the kind of car you and drive, how often you drive your car, and several other factors are also taken into account when determining how much you pay for your premium.
Discover: The 5 Most Common Causes of Car Accidents in South Africa (#5 Might Surprise You!)
Here’s the thing – we get that as a younger driver you might be a student, intern, underpaid, overworked, and because of this, don’t really have the extra cash to pay more for car insurance. And if you are one of the smart ones with car insurance, then we salute you.
If you don’t have car insurance and are currently driving around without the vital cover you need, then keep reading…
Why you need car insurance as a younger driver
There are so many reasons as to why car insurance is so important. So many drivers on our roads don’t have any form of vehicle insurance, and if you are involved in a bumper bashing or accident that isn’t your fault, then you might be fighting a long and exhausting battle to try and get someone who isn’t insured to cover the damage costs.
Car insurance saves you from debt, it has great emergency assist benefits, and lets you rest assured and drive easy on the roads knowing you are covered for the things that might go wrong.
Don’t change your cover to save on costs, change your driving
If you have started getting some quotes on car insurance, then you might start to realise that comprehensive car insurance is often more expensive compared to just third-party cover, for example. Well, Oneplan Car and Household Insurance is ALWAYS comprehensive, meaning you are covered for it all – theft, third party and more.
And the best part? It’s affordable!
How this works is that you get to choose how much cover you want, based on a percentage slider and this determines how much you pay. It’s that simple.
7 Tips on How to Pay Less for Car Insurance
As soon as you have decided what insurer you want to go with (or even if you already have insurance), then there are some things you can do to help save on your car insurance.
1. Be a better driver and complete a driving course
Seriously. If you have taken an advanced driving course or some form of defensive driving course then you might be able to negotiate a better premium with your insurer. Do some research and find out what driving skills courses are in your area and tell your insurer about it when you have done one.
Not only will this help you pay less in insurance (in most cases), but it will also decrease your chances of being in an accident on the road as you will know how to handle tricky situations like a professional.
Related: What is distracted driving?
2. Think again about modifying your car
The more powerful your engine and any other high performance (sound system included) modifications you make to your car, the more you will pay for your car insurance. Trust us, we wrote an article on how pimping your ride affects your premium.
3. Drive carefully
When you have a good history of driving, meaning you haven’t claimed in the last few years, then you pay less. Your claims history and driving are actually two of the biggest determining factors when it comes to assessing your risk profile – this is kind of like the profile an insurer will create for you based on certain factors.
BUT! Don’t lie about your driving history. When it does come time to claim and your insurer finds out you have lied about past claims, then they might even refuse your current claim based on misinformation and dishonesty.
4. Drive less
The less time you spend on the road, the less likely you are to get in an accident, meaning you pay less. Of course, this is not always an option, but if you can carpool to work every day or take an Uber when you go out – which is always a good idea! Then do that rather.
5. Increase your excess
The excess is the amount of money you pay in (according to your policy) when it comes time to claim. The higher your excess, meaning the more you agree to pay in for a claim, the less your monthly premium will be. Obviously, you need to keep in mind that when it does come time to claim, you will have to pay in more.
6. Improve your security
Your address and where you keep your car parked at night will be a big factor in determining your premium. The safer your area and if you park your car in a locked garage at night, the lower your premium will be.
Read this: 11 factors that affect your car insurance monthly premium
7. Shop around for quotes (but don’t always go for the cheapest one!)
We cannot stress the importance of this point enough. So many people (not just young adults) go for the cheapest quote they get and don’t read the fine print!
Often the cheapest quotes have major terms and conditions in what you are covered for and what you are not covered for, leaving you to pay in huge amounts when claiming and what’s more, not being covered for the things that matter most.
We hope these tips help you save a bit of money on your monthly car insurance premium, and if you’re still in the process of finding an insurer that works for you (plus lets you change your premium amount whenever you want) then why not get a quote from Oneplan Car and Household Insurance?
Your Insurance Family,
Oneplan
