How green car insurance that can boost

We all want to do our bit for the environment - but could choosing eco-friendly car insurance be an expensive mistake?

Research from a car insurance comparison website shows that eco-friendly car insurance can cost up to 150 per cent more than standard policies suggesting that this may not be the solution for motorists with a green conscience.

It found that annual car insurance for a 2004 Toyota Prius could cost as little as £319.28 through Swiftcover and yet would cost £489.96 through the cheapest 'green' car insurance provider - in this case ibuyeco.co.uk. Indeed the gap between premiums gets even larger with other green insurers - the same driver would pay £522.01 a year with CIS Eco-Insurance and £785.48 a year through The Green Insurance Company.

This isn't a one-off example either. Another green car, the Honda Civic Hybrid, can be insured for as little as £338.27 with Swiftcover, but would cost £770.57 to insure through the Green Insurance Company.

Of course for environmentally conscious drivers, finding the cheapest deal is unlikely to be their chief concern - many would be willing to pay extra to know they are contributing to the environment. Indeed ibuyeco.co.uk and the Green Insurance Company both promise to offset 100 per cent of a vehicle's emissions while CIS Eco-Insurance will offset 20 per cent of a car's emissions by investing in schemes such as reforestation and renewable energy sources.

Nevertheless, with such a staggering difference between the cheapest policies available and the cheapest green insurance providers, eco-friendly drivers may be able to put their money to better use.

For example, these motorists could shop around for the cheapest car insurance deal and then use the money they save to contribute to an eco-friendly charity or environmental project of their own choice.

The key is to use a comparison website to compare car insurance and ensure you're getting not only a cheap car insurance deal but also the level of cover that is right for you. Then you can have peace of mind behind the wheel as well as ensuring you're contributing to a worthwhile cause.

• Read to other articles how volvo can help save money on car

Read more »

20.48  No comments

avoidance of high insurance among drivers

Recent studies have shown that a significant number of Brits are cutting back on vital financial products such as car insurance, a worrying trend which could leave many in a vulnerable position.

The report by American Express suggested that 48% of respondents are cutting back on spending when it comes to important services including health insurance in order to save money. But the situation has not been made any easier as fresh revelations suggested that UK drivers were unknowingly paying an annual sum of £500 million in excess to cover those driving without insurance.

Many motorists are now questioning why they should be forced to pay for those driving illegally although insurance providers have been quick to point out the relationship between additional cost and the risk factor involved with many insurers saying that there is a likelihood of more drivers having to claim off their own insurance if the other party is uninsured.

However, a significant number of motorists in urban areas are reportedly considering cancelling their car insurance while still driving on UK roads mainly because the maximum fine for drivers caught without insurance is £250. In recent months, insurance has been saturated with eco-friendly car insurance deals which many motorists believe to be cheaper, but according to findings by a consumer website, it costs 105% more than regular car insurance.

Green car drivers have been credited for being environmentally friendly because of their decision to go green and according to claims, they could be left with extra cash to spare. Industry sources however, say that going green may not necessarily offer the financial incentives you can enjoy if a motorist chooses to drive a more fuel efficient vehicle. A good example is the quotes for the Honda Civic Hybrid which starts from just £342 with Swiftcover, to £389 with CIS (the cheapest green car insurers in the market) and a whopping £701 from Green Insurance.

But according to the American Express study, 24% will skimp on travel insurance even when they are searching for a holiday while 5% said they would stop paying monthly installments for home or car insurance policies. The current economic turmoil also means that life is increasingly looking expensive but the concern among industry experts is that this style of budgeting will most certainly leave the 48% of Brits who are cutting back on the policies very vulnerable.

At the same time, statistics show that drivers are not spared higher premiums in high crime areas and according to figures, motorists in Wales are ranked sixth out of ten worst areas for insurance evasion. Perhaps what is even more alarming is the disclosure by Motor Insurance Bureau (MIB) who claimed that over 350,000 uninsured vehicles have been taken off the road and 40% of them crushed or disposed of.

Additionally, the government and insurance industry will soon be announcing the timetable for the introduction of Continuous Insurance Enforcement in the coming months after a study showed that that there are currently around two million uninsured vehicles on the UK's roads.

• read to other articles How green car insurance that can boost

Read more »

19.48  1 comment

Keep Your Pet Healthy With Pet Insurance

Swiftcover insurance -Pets are a very important aspect of our lives, and when something happens to the family dog, it can be scary. Whether it's your cat's first seizure, surgery, or accident, it's going to cost you in veterinary bills just for the trip to the vet alone. A good option to consider is purchasing Pet Insurance when you bring home your new pet.

Pet Insurance is like buying insurance for yourself- you may or may not need it, but you'll still have to pay the fees on the chance that you will need it.

There are many different brands and companies who offer Pet Insurance, so it can be hard to make the decision as to which brand to buy insurance from and which plan you want to purchase. No matter the brand, you will find that there are different plans that cover different aspects of vet bills that your pet will have at some point in time, whether it be regular vaccinations, a spay/neuter surgery, blood work, cancer treatment, hit by a car, medications, and more.

Typically, the more the plan covers, the more you will pay, but each Pet Insurance company will offer something different.

Direct Line Insurance offers a free quote so that you can pick and play with the different plans and riders. They will even give you a discount if you add multiple pets to the plan.

Tesco Insurance also offers a free online quote, but they also offer an online discount, which is great if you plan on adding as many riders and plans that you can. Some people have had sickly pets in the past, and want to make sure they're covered for their next pet.

Petplan, ASPCA, Swiftcover, and Pet Assure all offer some sort of cheap Pet Insurance plan that will help you on yearly vaccinations, reimbursement on surgeries, medications, and different treatments, all depending on what plans and riders you choose.

Pet Insurance can be very important for you budget, and it can potentially save your pet's life. If you couldn't normally afford treatment after your rabbits got loose and hit by a car, vip pet insurance policies can help reimburse you the costs, saving your rabbit's life. It's important to at least consider buying an insurance plan for your pet just in-case of that unexpected accident.

• Read to other articles avoidance of high insurance among drivers

Read more »

13.52  No comments

Mobile Car Insurance Service Launched

How quickly do you need to grab a car insurance quote? Well now you don't even have to wait for your laptop or PC to load up, thanks to the launch of a new mobile car insurance service.

Swiftcover, which has already been declared the cheapest car insurer provider in the UK according to a comparison website, has launched a service that allows drivers to pick up quotes through their mobile internet connection. By sending a text message to the provider's number, and entering straightforward details including your name, postcode, date of birth, car registration and claims history, you will receive a quote within 60 seconds.

The advantage of this service is that it can save time, particularly when you need a quote in a hurry - such as if you're at a dealership negotiating a tie-in car insurance product with a dealer.

At the moment, Swiftcover has the distinction of being the only 100 percent online car insurance provider in the UK, which means it can save money on call centres and paper billing and pass these savings on to consumers through cheaper quotes.

However, Swiftcover is not alone in providing cheap car insurance policies. For example, Kwik-Fit car insurance tied with Swiftcover as the cheapest provider overall in a recent survey by a comparison website. The level of cover offered may also be basic, so it's important to search the market thoroughly to ensure you're getting a policy for your needs - for example, does it offer a courtesy car, breakdown cover, or repairs at a garage of your choice?

Though the service by Swiftcover is to be welcomed as an innovation, customers are better off shopping around.

• Read to other articles keep your pet healthy with pet

Read more »

10.17  No comments

Britain's first motor insurance

For the first time in the UK, well certainly the first time I've heard this, there is a motor insurance company offering new customers the chance to cap their motor insurance premium for the next year so it's the same as they pay the first year.

Funny enough my car insurance is up for renewal in March and I've been sent an email from my current insurer. I've got 5 years no claims discount and I'm 31, I drive a 7 year old , 1.9 Diesel car and my renewal price Is £281.00, not bad I thought...

I decided to try a comparison web site and after completing my details I found a few quotes around £200, so I could in theory save around £80. The problem is can I really be bothered to go through the hassle of changing everything to a new insurer just to save myself less than £8 per month?! I suppose this is what insurers rely on; customer apathy...The thing for me is that I've got enough to do without having the hassle, and to be honest complete boredom, of changing car insurance!

With my current insurer everything renews automatically, I don't have to do anything, apart from read the emails they send me. On the other hand a friend has just said that he'd never deal with them again because they were awful when his car was written off...I guess we all just hoping that we never have to deal with that situation.

I think I'll get a few different quotes from other comparison sites, maybe a few insurance specialist sites. If I can't save a decent amount then I'll just leave my policy with Swiftcover insurance, after all insurance can only get so cheap they're not going to give it away!

• read to other articles mobile car insurance service launched

Read more »

06.07  1 comment

Winter Months Are Worst For Car Insurance Claims

As the nights get darker and the clocks go back, swiftcover insurance more people are claiming on their car insurance. It seems that September, October and November are the worst months for any crime-related car insurance claims.

Apparently, a whopping 10.4% of all car insurance claims occur in October as drivers get used to driving in the dark. It seems that the last few months in the year prove to be the most expensive for car insurance companies and are proving stressful for drivers - 30 % of all claims are made during this time.

Grant Bather, spokesman at Virgin Money, echoes this point ""With the seasons changing, nights drawing in and driving conditions becoming hazardous, motorists should pay extra attention when driving and should make sure that they are equipped should they have an accident or breakdown."

And if coping with driving in the dark isn't enough, drivers need to be aware of more stolen vehicles, theft of possessions within the car and even vandalism of your motor. It looks like these longer nights have increased opportunity for criminal activity under the cover of darkness.

Of a poll of 1000 customers conducted by car insurance company Swinton, 28% said they are more worried about their cars during the autumn months but only 7% said they take extra precautions during this time.

For those who do wish to take further precautions here is the following advice:

Never leave valuables on display in a car when left unattended Store your car in a secure garage where possible Fit a certified alarm and immobilizer to your car Try to park in a well lit area and always lock the door Steve Chelton, insurer development manager at Swinton car insurance said: "Motorists must take extra precautions during the long nights of the autumn months. Being a victim of car crime can be very distressing and by following simple precautions it may deter thieves from identifying your car as their next target."

Julia R Smith is a freelance writer for Swiftcover.com - the UK's only 100% online insurance company. We offer motor insurance, travel insurance, and home insurance and pet insurance quotes in less than 60 seconds.

• read to other articles Britain's first motor insurance

Read more »

02.03  No comments

Who Offers the Cheapest Car Insurance?

The car insurance market is arguably at its most competitive point in history with the emergence of a cluster of comparison websites driving premiums down and forcing direct competition between insurers.

Some comparison tools compare quotes from more than 60 car insurance providers with one search. However, with so many to choose from, which provider comes out the cheapest?

According to new statistics from a comparison website, Swiftcover and Kwik-Fit are the most consistently competitive insurers with average premiums of just under £277. This marks a huge leap up the table for Kwik-Fit which finished twelfth last year in the analysis of quotes - Swiftcover meanwhile has maintained its position at the top of the rankings.

This increased competition offers a rare piece of good news for motorists reeling from ever-rising petrol prices. The fact that Kwik-Fit and Swiftcover lead the way is reflective of the importance of online shopping. Smaller online insurers can be more competitive with their pricing thanks largely to their lower overheads.

However, if you're not happy putting your faith in a lesser known insurer you should still shop around - the likes of the RAC and Admiral also feature in the top five, while Endsleigh is this year's highest mover leaping from 47th place to sixth with an average quote of £297.58.

Motorists should look beyond who offers the cheapest policy however, and consider what they're getting for their money. For example, will your policy cover multiple drivers and does it offer breakdown cover as part of the deal? You should also play close attention to the excess to ensure it's at an affordable level.

By using a comparison 2.0 website you can find cheap car insurance while also getting an assessment of the standard of car insurance cover available - so use these tools to shop around.

• read to other articles winter months are worst for car

Read more »

21.38  1 comment