Author : Jennifer Scott
With the average wedding now costing nearly £16,000*, tying the knot can lead to a big hole in your finances. However, getting married or entering into a civil partnership can actually save you money on your motor insurance!
According to online insurer swiftcover.com, adding your spouse to your car insurance policy can save you up to 20% compared to your singleton counterparts.
For example:
- A man adding his female spouse to his insurance policy could see his premium cut from over £388 to under £345 - if both drivers are male and in a civil partnership, the new premium would be around £348 because male drivers are considered a higher risk
- However, if a woman driver put her male spouse on her policy, the premium would fall from just over £341 to little more than £303 - the cost for two women in a civil partnership would also be around £303
Swiftcover says insurance premiums are cheaper because claims statistics show that married people are safer drivers. However, couples that aren't officially 'hitched' will also benefit from insurance savings, whether they are heterosexual or same-sex partners, although the savings won't be as high as drivers in a legally recognised partnership.
Tina Shortle, marketing director of swiftcover.com, says: "We're not suggesting that people say "I do" just to push down the cost of their car insurance, but many married couples may not realise that they can make significant savings by adding their spouses to their car insurance. It's also important to note that same sex couples in a civil partnership will also get lower insurance premiums and swiftcover.com's online quote system has been designed to enable drivers to add a spouse of either sex.
"The amount of savings will vary depending on individual circumstances such as the type of car, where you live, your job and your previous claims and motoring history. As long as your spouse is not particularly high risk you will see a saving - and although it may not help with the cost of the 'big day', over many years of wedded bliss it could amount to a substantial saving."
Shortle pointed out that insurance policies should always be in the name of the main driver - the person that drives the vehicle most often - with the spouse or partner as the named driver. Naming your spouse or partner, or indeed anyone else, as the main driver to bring the cost of premiums down further could invalidate your policy in the event of a claim if it is found that they are not actually the person that drives the vehicle most often. Likewise, incorrectly claiming that a named driver is your spouse could make your policy invalid if you need to claim.
As Swiftcover shows, adding your spouse as a named driver to your car insurance policy, whatever your gender or orientation can begin to save you money, with the following examples reducing annual premiums by an average of £38, which could add up to £380 over ten years.
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