Thursday, September 4, 2008

Green Car Insurance – A Good Idea?

green car insurance
Green car insurance is a subject that is cropping up more regularly than ever in the UK.

As concerns over global warming continue to grow, companies in all sectors of business are looking at how they can reduce the damage they cause the environment.

The car insurance market is no exception; but is green car insurance a good idea?

This type of policy works by providing funds to environmental projects that offset the carbon emissions you produce when driving. At first glance taking out a green motor insurance policy seems to be an interesting proposition and will certainly appeal to the environmentally conscious.

As the wave of environmental anxiety continues to wash over the world a new range of green car insurance companies have sprung up offering motorists the opportunity to play their part in helping remedy the situation. Let’s take a look at some of them.

Green Car Insurance Companies

eGreen Insurance – when you take out a green car insurance policy with egreeninsurance they will take £25 from your premium and buy half an acre of rainforest. This prevents the land from being destroyed and helps combat climate change by offsetting the CO2 emissions produced by your car.

The Green Car Insurance Company – this environmentally friendly insurer runs a programme to offset 100% of your car’s carbon emissions with projects that include planting new forests in Scotland.

ibuyeco – their 100% carbon neutral insurance works with environmentally friendly projects to save 1kg of emissions for every 1kg of CO2 produced by your vehicle. To achieve this they work with renewable energy and landfill projects all over the world.

More Th>n – a slightly different take on green car insurance. The More Th>n Green Wheels policy helps its customers to develop a greener driving style. As a policy holder you are given access to information on your braking and accelerating rates, the number of short journeies made and more to help you become more environmentally aware when driving.

So if you are considering taking out a green car insurance policy there are certainly several options to choose from. However, we still need to answer the question of whether or not it’s a good idea.

The main plus point of green cover is clear, help combat global warming by offsetting your carbon emissions. In isolation this sounds great but there are several other factors to consider.

The most important factor is whether or not your policy offers the level of protection you need and for many people cost is a very close second.

In order for a green car insurance policy to be a viable option it has to meet these two main criteria; provide you with the right level of cover at an affordable price.

If green car insurance appeals to you it is well worth comparing the policies and premiums available against those of the more traditional insurers. While it’s great to help the environment it is still essential to get quality cover at a competitive price.

A final point to remember is that a green car insurance policy isn’t the only way motorists can help the environment. If you find cheaper cover while switching to a new insurance provider you could always consider donating the money saved directly to programmes designed to combat the effects of carbon emissions.

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Lose The Mods For Cheaper Car Insurance

red cartoon car
If you are looking for ways to make savings on the cost of your motor insurance, modifications (or “mods”) can be a great place to start.

Adding these extras to your vehicle can result in your car insurance premium increasing by hundreds of pounds.

While many motoring enthusiasts are willing to accept this added expense in order to indulge their passion it is always worth considering whether or not it is really necessary for you.

Many of the car insurance comparison sites now factor modifications into their quoting process. So if you are considering adding mods to your car why not play about with a few comparisons and see the difference they can make to your quote.

You may find that adding mods will make your car insurance unaffordable or that removing them could result in a nice saving. Either way it only costs ten minutes of your time to find out.

Finally don’t forget to keep your insurance provider informed. If you remove modifications let them know as it could lower your premium. Most importantly, if you add mods after taking out a policy tell your insurer immediately. Failure to do so could result in your policy being invalid in the event of making a claim.

So, rethink those mods and see what savings you could make!

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Car Insurance Comparison Sites Urged To Shape Up


As more and more price comparison sites spring up offering a facility to compare car insurance online the quality of service offered is apparently falling.

According to a recent investigation by the FSA several car insurance comparison providers are not working to best practices in terms of providing accurate and relevant results.

If you are considering using price comparison sites to shop around for your car insurance check out the FSA’s findings before proceeding.

A high quality price comparison site can be an invaluable tool when searching for car insurance, but if a few bad eggs are entering the market being able to trust the service you use has never been more important.

Thursday, May 1, 2008

Car Insurance Comparison Poll – The Results

Thanks to all of you who voted in our recent poll. Well, the results are in and the clear winner is…

…Tescocompare.com

Despite being a relative newcomer to the car insurance comparison market Tescocompare.com received 44% of all votes. Moneysupermarket.com came second with Gocompare.com making up the top three.

It would appear a three horse race to by comparison king may be emerging as Confused.com, Comparethemarket.com and uSwitch.com received only 7% of the vote between them.

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Confused.com Hit Back In Best Comparison Row

confused.com logoFollowing the announcement that Moneysupermarket.com has been named the best price comparison site for car insurance its major competitor has hit back labeling the claims biased.

Clearly not wanting to be out done Confused.com have claimed independent research by Consumer Intelligence found not only they but also Tescocompare.com were in fact cheaper than Moneysupermarket.com when in came to comparing car insurance online.

Confused.com, currently promoting a £1million pound give-away competition, slated the recent Ipsos MORI survey as being own-funded and contradictory to independent research.

So who really is the best?

As this argument rages on we want to know who you think is the top comparison site when shopping around for your car insurance. See the results of our poll.

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Was Moneysupermarket.com The Best For You?

moneysupermarket logoA recent mystery shopper survey by independent research company Ipsos MORI has found price comparison giant Moneysupermarket.com to be the best comparison engine for people searching for cheaper car insurance.

When compared (pardon the pun) against its major rivals moneysupermarket.com was almost twice as likely to find the cheapest quote, battering its closest competitors including:
  • Confused.com
  • Gocompare.com
  • Comparethemarket.com
  • Uswitch.com
  • Tescocompare.com
Moneysupermarket.com are certainly the dominant force in the UK price comparison industry with a total market share of more than 50% and their car insurance comparison tool retrieves quotes from more than 60 insurance companies.

But were they best for you? We’d wanted to know which comparison site you think is the best when it comes to buying car insurance. See the results of our poll.

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

45 Great Car Insurance Resources

red toolboxThe world of car insurance can be a complicated one. So I thought I’d share the best resources I’ve found to help you navigate the car insurance maze.

Whether you want to find a cheaper/better policy or simply want to better understand how your car insurance works these sites and tools can help.

Price Comparison Websites

Extremely useful for searching hundreds of car insurance quotes quickly and easily:

1. confused.com - Searches 97% of car insurance companies to find you quotes

2. moneysupermarket.com - Compares motor insurance quotes from 50 insurance providers

3. uswitch.com - Finds quotes from more than 40 insurers

4. tescocompare.com - Provides quotes from a pane of over 30 insurance companies

5. gocompare.com - Access quotes from over 50 leading insurance providers

6. comparethemarket.com - Searches over 400 policies from big name insurance companies

Female Drivers

These sites specialise in tailoring policies to meet the needs of female drivers:

7. sheilaswheels.com - Find cheap online insurance for female drivers, including handbag cover

8. diamond.co.uk - A girl's best friend with cheaper insurance for women drivers

9. girlmotor.com - Cheaper car insurance for women in three simple steps

Young Drivers

Quotes for young drivers are usually much higher than average, these sites understand that:

10. 4youngdrivers.co.uk - Excellent for drivers over 19 with one years no claims discount

11. 17to40.co.uk - Focuses on individual circumstances to help young drivers get cheaper cover

12. hootcarinsurance.co.uk - Provides young driver quotes from more than 30 insurance companies

Classic Cars

If ever a specialist motor insurance policy was required it is for a classic car and these insurers are experts in this particular field:

13. lancasterinsurance.co.uk - Get classic car insurance quotes from a panel of leading UK insurers

14. footmanjames.co.uk - Quotes for classic and vitange vehicles at competitive prices

15. peterbestinsurance.co.uk - Offers policies specifically designed for classic car owners

Performance Cars

For those who enjoy sports cars and modifications check out these sites that can help you lower your premium:

16. adrianflux.co.uk - Searches 40 insurance companies to find great quotes for modified cars

17. performancedirect.co.uk - Helping to bring down sports car insurance for more than 35 years

18. peart.co.uk - Specialise in offering competitive quotes on performance vehicles

Tips & Guides

Knowledge is power and these helpful sources offer some great ideas for lowering the cost of your insurance:

19. carinsuranceguide.org.uk - Detailed and impartial car insurance guides

20. moneysupermarket.com - Indepth 12 page guide covering a range of car insurance topics

21. uswitch.com - Four page car insurance guide from quote to claim

22. carinsurancemanual.co.uk - A useful list of car insurance providers and articles

23. msn.com - Covers the basics of car insurance

24. theaa.com - A guide to car insurance groups

25. moneysavingexpert.com - Great car insurance money saving guide

26. motorinsurance.co.uk - Useful guide to choosing the right type of policy

27. yahoo.com - Car insurance Q&A with Yahoo.com

28. find.co.uk - All-round car insurance guides with insightful tips

29. gocompare.com - A buyers guide to cheaper car insurance

Forums

Where better to discuss insurance providers and claims experiences, the information picked up can be of great use in selecting an insurer or making a claim:

30. moneysavingexpert.com - One of the busiest car insurance forums around

31. moneysupermarket.com - Hundreds of threads discussing quotes, claims and companies

32. usedcarmart.co.uk - Discussions including cheap quotes, young drivers and making claims

33. ukinsuranceforum.co.uk - A forum dedicated to discussing UK insurance

34. rac.co.uk - Nice forum from the RAC offering advice on accidents and claims

Reviews

Find out how other customers rate their insurance provider and share your opinion with others:

35. reviewcentre.com - Read hundreds of reviews on UK car insurance providers

36. ciao.co.uk - Detailed reviews of car insurance companies complete with ratings

37. uk-insurance-index.co.uk- Read dozens of online reviews and write your own

Glossaries

Confused by terminology? Check out these great A-Z car insurance glossaries:

38. abi.org.uk - Detailed car insurance glossary from The Association of British Insurers

39. gocompare.com - Useful jargon buster to help understand car insurance terminology

40. 17to40.co.uk - A great A-Z designed to help younger drivers

News

Keep up to date with all the latest car insurance developments with these great news services:

41. google.co.uk - Search Google for up-to-date car insurance news

42. yahoo.com - Read car insurance news articles on Yahoo

43. bbc.co.uk - Keep up to date with motor insurance news on the BBC

Last But Not Least

Two other free online tools that everyone should be using:

44. abi.org.uk - Find out the insurance group of any vehicle

45. mileagecalculator.co.uk - Calculate your mileage online

So there you go, 45 free online resources to help in your quest for cheaper and better car insurance, happy surfing!