Is very cheap car insurance
the answer?
Well,
if you look at the typical buying behaviour of UK consumers - that is,
their fondness for buying very cheap car insurance via price comparison
sites, the answer would, at least based on this criterion, appear to be
'yes'. But, when you look at what you're doing when you buy very cheap
car insurance in this way, it's hard to justify so-doing as the best
approach when a more prudent alternative exists.
So what's wrong with buying very cheap car insurance through a price
comparison site? Well it's obvious, of course, but if you buy very
cheap, you get very cheap. In other words, expect a high excess, very
limited cover, and the likelihood that if you have an accident, you
will face substantial costs yourself which, of course, then render the
cover far from cheap.
It seems that in the pursuit of cost-savings, UK drivers have
increasingly gambled on not needing to claim when they select these
very cheap car insurance policies. In any given year, they may well get
away with it but add these years together and, sooner or later, a claim
may well be needed. It seems somewhat unwise to wait for this outcome
before reviewing your approach to buying cover and determining that
very cheap car insurance is better avoided.
That you may not have to face the consequences of a bad choice of car
insurance does not render it a good choice. It just means that you were
lucky on this occassion. It's only sensible to anticipate that your
luck could run out this very year and therefore the only safe choice is
the kind of policy that will work well for you in an accident. Almost
invariably, a very cheap car insurance policy will not do this.
The above is not a reason to avoid price comparison sites altogether,
but they need to be used with caution and, when necessary, in
conjunction with information derived directly from the car insurance
company websites, so that you can make an informed choice based not
just on price but also on the associated cover.
Actually, the UK has become over-focused on price comparison systems as
the best route to cover. Going direct to a leading car insurer is seen
as old-fashioned, unsophisticated and not making use of powerful modern
technology that will find you the best value cover. The trouble is that
comparison systems don't build in quality, you have to do that yourself
and, a good way to do this, in fact, is to go direct to a leading car
insurance provider. Fears that you will pay too much are unfounded.
Large companies watch pricing closely and beat or match competitors
offering like policies.
The message from all of this? By all means compare
car
insurance if you so wish
but do
not dismiss the direct route to cover and always know what you're
getting. More..
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