Car insurance can often be one of the biggest expenses when it comes to owning and running a car as over the last few years, car insurance premiums have increased significantly in many parts of the world. However, there are a few ways that you can make sure you aren’t paying too much for your car insurance and a number of ways to lower your premium too. 

Here are a few things you can do:   

1. Shop around  

 Just like with anything else that you are looking to purchase, shopping around is absolutely paramount when it comes to finding cheaper car insurance. Depending on the company that you decide to take out your premium with, you could be paying significantly more or less than usual. There are a number of ways to shop around with the simplest and most popular option being on price comparison websites. There are a huge number of these around and these are a great place to start when you are looking to lower your premium.    If you’re not too good with computers or prefer a more “old-fashioned” method, you can always call a number of car insurance companies and get quotes over the phone.

2. Agree to mileage restrictions 

 A lot of car insurance companies will actually slightly lower your premium if they know you are only going to be using your car a certain amount. Agreeing to a mileage restriction is a good way of lowering your premium if you don’t travel a huge amount.    There are a number of different restrictions you can find; it could be a cut-off point of 5,000 miles, 10,000 miles or even more. Don’t be surprised if this knocks a couple of hundred dollars off your premium.   

3. Add an experienced driver to your premium  

Another thing that you can do to lower the premium a lot of the time is to actually add an experienced driver to your premium. Believe it or not, adding an additional driver will often save money, especially if it is someone older and more experienced than yourself. A lot of the time, it will really save you a lot of money if you do this as it means the use of the car/vehicle is being shared between you and another person. However, you need to be careful and ensure that you are actually the primary driver of the vehicle if the premium is in your name, otherwise you could face insurance fraud problems.   

4. Buy a used car  

Now, not only will purchasing a used car rather than a brand new car save you money for the initial purchase, but it is also likely to save you money when it comes to your insurance premium too. Because a used car will be valued at a lower price by your insurance company, they will often give you a better deal on your premium as the cost will be lower to them should it be damaged or stolen. Buying a used car these days is easier than ever as there are more price comparison websites and websites with used car reviews than ever before, so you can be sure to be able to find a bargain easily.  

 5. Keep your car in a garage  

The safer and less likely your car is to get stolen or damaged, the lower your insurance premium will be. Now, it might seem unfair but if you live in a ‘rough’ area and keep your car on the road, you are likely going to face a slightly higher premium than if you keep your car safe in a garage. It might only be a small saving, but if you do have access to a garage, it can be hugely beneficial to keep your car in there. Of course, it will actually reduce the chance of theft and/or damage too.