Driving a car is extremely expensive, due to road tax, excise duty on fuel, and car insurance. We can do little about these car taxes, but there are many ways to save on car insurance.
I have been studying car insurance since 2008 and know exactly how to save. Also, you should check out Cheapest SR22 Insurance to learn more about SR22 certificates and how it relates to car insurance.
Below I give 12 good saving tips. If you want to pay less premium, you really have to go through it.
1. Buy a light car
This is the first saving tip.
The premium of car insurance is largely determined by the weight of your car.
For a heavier car, you pay more premium. Heavier cars cause more damage in the event of a collision so insurers have to pay out more.
If you want to save on your car insurance, buy a lighter car. Lighter cars are also cheaper in terms of road tax
2. Make a comprehensive comparison
The single most important step for saving on car insurance is to make a good, complete comparison.
When you buy a car, you are not the first to buy the best car you see on Marktplaats.
You look between all cars for a car with a low mileage, a good state of maintenance, and of course a nice price.
The same goes for car insurance.
You do not just take out car insurance, but first want to see the complete range.
You want to know which car insurance policies there are, which car insurance policies have good policy conditions and which car insurance policies are cheap.
Compare car insurance policies from traditional insurers, banks, and direct writers
That is why it is important to make a complete comparison.
In the Netherlands, there are perhaps 50 different car insurance policies. These car insurance policies are offered by traditional insurers, banks, and direct writers.
Think of traditional insurers such as ASR, Reaal, and Aegon. Think of banks at ABN AMRO and at direct writers at Ditzo, FBTO, and OHRA.
These insurers all have different car insurance policies, different services, and different premiums.
For example, direct writers are real price fighters, who often work online.
If you want to make a complete comparison, you should make a comparison of the car insurance policies of traditional insurers, banks, and direct writers.
Via the tax-free comparator, you can make a complete comparison.
3. No unnecessarily high coverage
It is mandatory in the Netherlands to take out third-party car insurance, but more extensive car insurance – which provides coverage for damage to your own car – is not mandatory.
The Dutch are used to insure a lot. Many car owners have too much coverage because they estimate the current value of the car too high.
If you really want to save, you could choose to only take out third-party car insurance.
You bear the risk of damage to your own car yourself.
Part of the premium that you save every month, you could put aside for example if you have window damage once.
If you want to reduce the coverage of your car insurance, you should definitely read this:
Is it possible to change the coverage of a car insurance policy in the meantime?
4. Avoid double coverages
With car insurance, additional car insurance can be taken out.
These provide extra security and convenience but can have similar coverage to other insurance policies.
For example, many people have legal expenses insurance for traffic. This offers help in recovering from car damage.
It is then a waste of money to take out recourse assistance if it offers the same coverage.
Because story assistance costs between 2 and 4 euros per month, this still yields a nice saving of about 24 to 48 euros.
Furthermore, it may be unnecessary to add a no-claim protector to a car insurance policy, for example, if you have built up 25 damage-free years.
5. Increase the deductible in exchange for a lower premium
It may sound nice, car insurance without excess.
However, if you want to save, you could opt for car insurance with an extra high deductible.
Some insurers offer the option to increase the deductible, in exchange for a lower premium.
This is simply a way to save on car insurance, but you have to take a larger part for your own account in the event of damage.
6. Pay attention to policy costs, termination costs, and change costs.
In 2016, I published a post about the hidden costs of insurers.
Many insurers charge policy costs after taking out car insurance, but some insurers also charge change costs and termination costs.
This means that you have to pay, for example, for changing a car or terminating car insurance.
ALSO READ: Selling A House: Learn How To Handle Money Better
7. Bundling car insurance
If you and your partner both have a car, you could bundle the car insurance policies for a lower premium.
Many insurers offer a second family car scheme, which provides an attractive discount.
Thanks to this second-family car scheme, you can insure your second car with the same no-claim discount as the first car.
For example, if your partner has many damage-free years and you do not have damage-free years, you can piggyback on your partner’s high discount.
This can lead to enormous savings.
If you have a household with two cars and you want to save money, then you really need to read more about it:
Read all about the second family car scheme
8. Pay the premium in one go
Some insurers offer a discount if you pay the premium in one go. This discount can amount to 6% of the premium.
With an annual premium of 600 euros, you can save a maximum of 36 euros.
This is more than half of the monthly premium. Of course, you must be able to pay the premium in one go.
9. Avoid payment reminders and collection costs
If you forget to pay the premium of a car insurance policy, you will receive a payment reminder.
If you do not pay after that, you will receive a new payment reminder with collection costs.
This is a total waste of money.
The insurer can also suspend the coverage, which means that you are no longer insured.
As a result, you can receive a fine from the RDW. In 2019, the amount of this fine is 400 euros!
It is therefore advisable to pay the premium on time.
10. Try to prevent car damage
Car damage costs a lot of money.
If you cause damage to others or claim on your own car insurance, you can lose damage-free years. This can increase the premium.
If you have damage to your own car, you must take this damage for your own account or claim it on the car insurance. When you can claim the car damage, you often pay a deductible.
You can save a lot of money by not causing any damage. By driving safely and responsibly, you can reduce the chance of car damage.
If you are curious about how you can drive safely and responsibly, then you should definitely take a look at these tips:
How can you drive safely and responsibly?
11. Take advantage of tough competition
Car insurers are in fierce competition with each other. In order to attract new customers, “they occasionally stunt with the premiums”.
You can only benefit from these premium reductions as a new customer.
If you stay with the same insurer for years, there is a good chance that you will pay too much premium.
Therefore, regularly compare the premiums of car insurance, to see if they have decreased.
It is not the case that cheap car insurance is worse than more expensive car insurance.
12. Keep driving
Damage-free years largely determine how expensive car insurance is.
You will receive a new damage-free year if you have car insurance for a year and do not cause or claim damage.
Claim-free years result in a higher no-claim discount and a lower premium. Therefore, keep driving to build up damage-free years.
When you drive damage-free, car insurance becomes slightly cheaper every year.
