General News

Lessons, a full licence and one year driving experience can reduce the cost of young drivers' car insurance Young drivers have faced significant challenges when it comes to motor insurance in recent years. But at Coverinaclick.ie, we say that while their first year on the road can be expensive, an analysis of premiums between year one and year two demonstrate a sharp fall in costs. We want to let young motorists know that more affordable premiums are in sight and that if they can see out the first year and take the necessary steps to help themselves, young drivers could see [...]

Motor insurance premiums have finally begun to fall after consumers have been subjected to 3 years of relentless rises. However the majority of motorists have yet to see the benefit and it is worth noting that switching insurers or shopping around may be the best way to cut the cost of your cover. This time last year motor insurance premiums had reached somewhat of a peak, having risen sharply by somewhere in the region of 70% over the course of 3 years. Around this time last year a major government report was undertaken into the cost of motor insurance premiums and it [...]

Transport is the second highest expenditure for households across the country. The latest household figures available from the Central Statistics Office show that transport now accounts for the second largest chunk of an Irish family's expenditure coming in at an average of €124 per week. Earlier this month, it was found that the cost of keeping a car is even more expensive, with the average price of running a car being €10,671 a year or €205 per week. A number of factors were taken into consideration including fuel, insurance and maintenance, however there are a number of ways you can [...]

Car insurance not affected by Storm Ophelia. Ireland is currently recovering from it's worst storm in 50 years. Not since Hurricane Debbie in 1961 has a storm with the wind speeds and destructive force of Ophelia, made its way to this side of the Atlantic. The entire country was subjected to severe 'red' weather warning, an occurrence which very rarely happens and demonstrated just how serious Met Eireann were taking this extra-tropical storm. Motorists across the island have been worried about how the severe weather would impact insurance cover. A number of rumours were circulated on social media that during extreme weather [...]

Coverinaclick.ie Managing Director Jonathan Hehir says that todays insurance premiums for young drivers are "grossly unfair". Car insurance premiums have been increasing recently and according to leading motor insurance broker www.coverinaclick.ie motor insurance underwriters have suffered significant losses.  Theses losses incurred from offering premiums that are too low and with no steps being taken to address imbalanced pricing in the market, young drivers are the ones suffering. Coverinaclick.ie say that insurers should now take time to consider experience over the years which suggests that young drivers are a significantly lower risk than they were 10 years ago, and that their premiums should reflect [...]

Car insurance premiums are finally about to stop rising says Coverinaclick.ie's Managing Director Jonathan Hehir. Some of the largest car insurers operating in Ireland have been reporting substantial 6 month profits for the first half of 2017. This has prompted questions as to why insurance premiums across all sectors have continued to rise with insurers seemingly in fine fiscal health? Coverinaclick.ie's Managing Director Jonathan Hehir has stated that this is in fact the first year that the majority of insurers have posted profits and this is largely due to the Setanta high court ruling; "Large sums of money were being held in reserve [...]

Ever wondered whether or not your overseas driving experience will count towards lowering your insurance claim in Ireland? Question: I have recently moved back home to Ireland after 10 years in the States. When I was living there I drove periodically – by which I mean I moved around a lot, so while I drove for the last two years when I was living outside Boston, I hadn’t been driving for the previous three years while living in New York. I’m unsure what impact this will have on getting insurance in Ireland. Do the two countries share no claims bonus and other [...]

On his weekly radio show/podcast Matt Cooper discusses high motor insurance premiums with Jonathan Hehir. www.Coverinaclick.ie's Managing Director Jonathan Hehir discusses the impact high motor insurance premiums are having on Irish consumers with Today FM's Matt Cooper on his new show 'Stretched'. Car and van insurance premiums have sky rocketed over the last number of years. While they have begun to level off over the last 12 months or so, many drivers are still feeling the pinch with stories emerging of drivers being forced off the road or worse again driving uninsured. But what has been the cause of these [...]

The cost of car insurance is prohibitive to young drivers and may incur an increase of uninsured drivers on the roads. The Government has published a plan to tackle this issue. They will look at a more realistic approach by the courts to compensation and more rigorous enforcement by gardaí. The figures tell their own story. Data from the Department of Transport shows that the number of 17- to 20-year-olds holding a learner’s permit declined by a third from 90,413 in 2006 to 57,821 in 2016. The number of young people in the same age group holding a full licence declined [...]

Coverinaclick.ie MD Jonathan Hehir predicts which price hikes and cuts could be on the way. 2016 was a controversial year for the sector, with the Joint Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and the Taoiseach, setting out to deliver a more affordable deal for motorists, considering the rising costs of motor insurance. In that regard, I would say there is a currently a major “blame game” at play within the industry, leaving you, the consumer picking up the tab. Regulatory change is important as it has a wider impact on premiums, and as a result of the Committee’s recent findings, I [...]

Notwithstanding the fraught state of the Irish car insurance market, the current treatment of young drivers by insurance companies is arbitrary and unfair. 2 days ago, the Garda Twitter account reported that they stopped 7 uninsured drivers at a checkpoint in one day. Our own Jonathan Hehir, MD of Coverinaclick.ie while speaking with various newspapers, said that the premium prices are grossly unfair and potentially lead to undesirable trends in driver behaviour. Due to young drivers being priced out of the market and in some cases refused quotes entirely, an increased number of uninsured drivers has been recorded on the roads. Other [...]

Insurers have been called on to reassess their pricing approach to younger drivers. According to Insurance Broker www.coverinaclick.ie, motor insurance underwriters have failed to take steps to address an imbalanced pricing market in which young drivers are suffering. Coverinaclick.ie claims the insurance companies had experienced significant losses by offering premiums that were too low and that premiums should reflect the fact younger drivers are a significantly lower risk than they were 10 years ago. Managing Director of Coverinaclick.ie, Jonathan Hehir, said the situation faced by younger drivers in the current insurance market is “grossly unfair”. “It seems to be generally accepted now that [...]