Tips for Getting Cheaper Car Insurance for Young or New Drivers
You’ve been waiting for this moment for years, you’ve watched some of your friends get their first cars and spent hours aimlessly driving around with them singing along to the radio, getting lost and beeping at cute pedestrians thinking you’re great. Now it’s your turn to take the wheel! It’s an exciting new milestone for anyone but getting used to that extra dent in your pocket is never too fun. It’s common knowledge that car insurance in Ireland tends to be more expensive for new or young drivers but there are a few factors you can work on to make sure it’s not eating too much into your funds. So how can you get cheaper car insurance deals?
Obviously, you would want to get your full license as soon as possible, this alone will make a difference to the cost of your car insurance - not to mention, remove the need for a parent or guardian to be parked in the passenger seat cramping your style! - but there are other things you can do to make sure you save yourself some money and get the best deal on your insurance so that all you need to worry about is not getting lost next time you get behind the wheel. Here are 5 of our top tips for getting the most out of your car insurance:
1. Compare car insurance quotes
Make sure you know what your options are. It might take a little research, but it will be well worth it in the end. Compare prices, shop around, and ask for quotes online from a few car insurance brokers. Comparison websites take the effort out of this hurdle, don’t be afraid to look at more than one. There are also plenty of car insurance providers that focus on young drivers, and they really do want to work with you to get you a good deal so check your spec and compare all your prices. Once you have narrowed down your top three, it would be worth calling them to chat in person and ask if there is any way they can sweeten the deal for you!
2. Pick a starter car
Look, we all want to be driving around in a top of the range sport car that will make everyone jealous but let’s start off reasonably. These kinds of cars are expensive to run and will massively hike up the cost of your insurance and road tax, and for a first-time driver, that’s just not something you need to be worrying about. This doesn’t mean you have to get that bright yellow banger of a car that doesn’t go above 20km/h but you do want to focus on safety and reliability here. You can get a better idea from this top of 10 cheapest cars to insure in Ireland.
3. Get a black box
No, we don’t mean the thing in the airplane that records what went wrong on planes that flew over the Bermuda triangle. Telematics is a safety technology that records information on your driving, it basically identifies unsafe behaviours such as harsh breaking, speeding and seatbelt usage to remind you of how you can improve on these areas. Many insurance companies will offer a discounted rate to drivers who have telematics in their cars because they can reduce the risk of road accidents.
4. Build up your no claims
As you build on your driving journey, your insurance will automatically decrease as your no claims increases. Of course, if this is your first car you will be starting from scratch, but there is a way to start this before you even get your own insurance. Ask your parents or your full-licensed friends if they can add you as a named driver on their insurance. Of course, with great power comes great responsibility so use this opportunity to show what a great driver you can really be and don’t let anyone regret adding you to their insurance!
5. Go the extra mile
There are plenty of practical drivers courses available at the moment that you can use to your advantage. We know you might be tired of going to lessons and you want to just get out on the open road but you would be surprised at how many bad habits you can slip into and how easy it is to brush up on your skills. Not to mention, it looks great to insurance providers when you can really prove that you are a safe and reliable driver!
