It’s possible that your car insurance premium is too high and that you’re paying more than you need to. Take a look at this post about why your insurance premium may be too high.
By Sumarie Greybe, co-founder at Naked (this is not a sponsored post, but Naked is on the list of brands I trust!)
If you’re like most people, you probably accept the annual inflation-plus increase your car insurer makes to your monthly premium with a fatalistic shrug of your shoulders. After all, the cost of living is constantly rising and challenging the increase or moving to a new insurer is likely to involve a lot of tedious paperwork and phone calls, and who has time for that?
If you take this approach towards your car insurance premium, there is a good chance you will be overpaying by your third or fourth year with the same provider. Many insurers will offer you a discounted price when you sign up, then apply premium increases for the next two to three years.
The longer you stay with one insurer, the wider the gap will become between what you should and do pay and the bigger the insurer’s profit margin will be. As an experiment, phone your insurer after getting a quote from a competitor – there’s a good chance they will offer to reduce you premium if you look likely to take your business elsewhere.
Customers with similar addresses, financial history, vehicle usage and other risk factors can get widely differing premiums (in some cases, 50% or more) from the same traditional insurance company. Here are some reasons for the gap between what you should be paying and what you are paying:
Your insurer has not adjusted your premiums enough to cater for changes in your risk profile
If you signed up with your insurer several years ago, your risk profile may have changed significantly. For example, you may have had a recent accident on your claims record at the time you joined, or you may have been younger than 25. Rather than taking this into account, your insurer may have applied a steady increase to your premium each year.
Most customers do not know what the fair price is for car insurance, especially when taking changing circumstances into account
Many people will assume that the annual premium increase is inevitable because it is linked to factors such as inflation or the foreign exchange rate. And although some of these arguments are valid, the depreciation in your car’s value offsets some of the effects of inflation.
Insurers know they will always have an opportunity to try and change your mind before you switch
After several years with an insurer, and several rounds of annual premium increases, the price you are getting from your car insurer is almost certainly not the best price they can offer. Not only does the insurer know that most people will delay switching, they also know that there is an opportunity to change your mind when you resolve to move. When you phone in to say you are leaving, you’ll often be offered a ‘special discount’ to stay—which is the price you should have been paying all along.
The factors above are good reasons to get insurance cover from a provider that allows you to get quotes online, sign up online, and cancel instantly. Some next generation insurance providers use smart technology and automated artificial intelligence processes to quote you and then apply a consistent approach when it’s time for the annual increase. If there is no opportunity for negotiation with a broker or a call centre agent, the insurer will be forced to offer you its best price when you join and throughout your relationship with the company. It will know that cancelling is as easy as pressing a button.
Tips to keep your insurance premium low
If you choose to stay with your traditional insurer, here are some ways to ensure that you’re getting a fair deal:
- Double-check that your insurer is taking depreciation into account. Car insurance premiums should not rise at the rate of inflation since the value of vehicles depreciates. Some elements you may claim for, such as replacing a windscreen, may rise in line with inflation, but others will not. As a rule of thumb, the value of a vehicle decreases around 15% a year.
- Your annual premium as a percentage of the value of your car should never show a dramatic increase (unless you have had 2 or more claims in the last year). If it does, shop around for comparative quotes. If you’re not sure what your annual premium is as percentage of your vehicle’s value, ask your insurer for the numbers.
- Remind your insurer when factors affecting your risk profile change. You should not continue to be penalised for an accident that happened years ago. If more than two years have passed since your last motor accident, your insurer should reassess you as a risk and lower your premiums accordingly.
- Get a fresh quote every year or two to make sure your premium is still market-related. Insurers know most people aren’t up for the hassle of challenging their annual increase – so they’ll often increase premiums by more than they should.
If you feel that your car insurance premium is too high then why not try out Naked’s online quote process — it takes less than 90 seconds and gives you the best price with no need to phone a call centre and negotiate.