Top tips when looking to get first time motor insurance

Anyone that knows me, will know that I hate getting car insurance, be it new car insurance or even renewing existing policies for current cars I own. It’s a constant dilemma and headache and very frustrating. The prices//quotes that you can receive can vary massively, which is very very frustrating for the consumer. So I thought I’d write here just some consumer advice that I have from recently trying to get learner driver insurance for my twins who have their provisional licenses, have just turned 17, and we’ve bought them a learner car that me and my wife, brave as we are, plan to take them out in for additional driving practice on the local business parks that have very quiet roads. I’m sure if you are reading this you may be in a similar position. 

So, I purchased a Honda Civic From 2004 (below). That was one of 60 cars that I physically looked at to find a respectable car that I thought was safe, clean and respectable. There are a lot of rubbish cars and trades people out there.

It must be said that this article is not a comprehensive review of insurance companies, but more my story of the companies I spoke to and a massive variation in price and my tips for you. Please note, I have been working as a high performing sales person since the 90s, so I know how to put deals together and negotiate, however, you just need to shop around. Depending on how much time you have, I would always suggest that you speak to 3 to 4 companies at least. Always start with the companies that you have your current car insurance with, you would hope (but often it is not the case) that they would work extra hard to get your business/ retain your business.

Top tip: Always play off one quote against another.

My first call was to Collingwood insurance.

I was referred to a company called Collingwood insurance as a friend of ours had their daughter insured with that company and we had a discount code which we were told would get us extra money off (nice). Our friend would get a referral fee and we would get a good price. After going through all of the qualification questions (whioch is a pain) I was given a final price of £240 per child for 12 months. I thought, this was very reasonable, so that would be £480 for two children. However, any parents that would be driving the car would also have to have their own insurance. I guess that would take the total cost to £600 or more.

Just for my peace of mind, to make sure I was paying a fair price and to see what my current insurers could offer. I called two of the three companies that I currently have my cars insured with.

My second call was to Liverpool Victoria insurance.

I wanted to call Liverpool Victoria, as I currently have three of our cars insured with them, and they’ve always been very competitive. I went through the same questions as all insurers ask (boring), and this time around I was given a quote for all three of us (the two kids and me). The quote I got from LV was an eye watering £3117. Wow. I was obviously not going to go ahead with this. I find it absolutely mind bending that difference in price between Liverpool Victoria and Collingwood insurance.

As a matter of interest and intrigue I asked what it would cost if I was insured on the car on my own and Liverpool Victoria told me it was £152.97. I’m not sure why the 97p but that’s what it was.

My third call was to Admiral insurance.

I have one car insured with Admiral, which also happens to be my most expensive car. But with only one car with Admiral, I wasn’t taking advantage of their multicar policy. Historically I always Admiral to be good value until LV gave me lower prices on 3 of our cars with the same cover and excesses. I only moved three of my cars away from Admiral because Liverpool Victoria offered a lower cost, and touchwood, I rarely have had to utilise car insurance, so I resent paying for it and even more so overpaying.

Anyway, back to the quote. I again answered all the questions that Admiral wanted me to answer. This time. I was told the insurance policy would cover both the kids and myself for a total sum of £427.  DEAL DONE, thank you very much.

Top tip: Make sure when you are comparing insurance quotes that you have compare like for like, same excesses, etc.

In conclusion, you can see that by shopping around and speaking to different insurance companies, that prices can vary dramatically. I would also suggest that you ask questions such as:

How can the premium be lowered? You may have to increase your excesses. You may be asked to put a black box in the car. It’s down to you as to what do you want to do?

You can always shop around and around, but for me, with limited time, 3 quotes is enough to get a deal I find.

I hope you have found this article useful. It’s just a real life situation I found myself in, so I thought you may benefits from my experience. If you have any questions, or you would like any help, please do feel free to leave a comment at the bottom of this article and I will come back to you as soon as I can. Furthermore  if you have been through a similar scenario, getting learner insurance or first time driver insurance and would love to hear how you got on, what deal did you get and which insurance company did you go with? Is there a pattern that emerges? Is there a company that’s the best?