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Choose Powerseeker for Cheap Car Insurance, Motorbike, Van and Taxi Insurance
Archive for the ‘Cheap Car Insurance’ Category
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Sunday, February 5th, 2012
February is starting to feel noticeably wintery with sub-zero overnight temperatures and widespread snowfall throughout the UK which finally hit this weekend.
We all need to take a few extra safety measures when preparing for a journey in the cold climates and ensure we remain safe the way that we drive.
Powerseeker are not just here to help drivers get cheap car insurance quotes as we want them to drive safely too, so we have put together a list of handy tips to keep you protected in the cold weather.
Here are the areas you need to consider to stat safe when driving this winter:
1. It’s advisable at the beginning of winter to give your car a seasonal check. This includes checking the following are working – lights, tyres, windscreen wipers and the fluids are topped up.
2. Make sure you have plenty of de-icer. There was a shortage last year due to the amount of cold weather.
3. Think about if you require any additional equipment for your car; such as a warning triangle, first aid kit, torch; blanket, a warm coat, a pair of winter boots and a tow rope could all be useful in the event of an emergency.
4. It is best to check the weather forecast using a local radio stations / website to ensure the roads are going to remain safe for the duration of your journey.
5. Make sure you have enough fuel in the tank
6. Make sure you drive with care. Watch your speed, keep your distance from the car in front and avoid any sudden braking.
7. If the conditions are foggy then switch your fog lights on, slow down and leave plenty of space between you are the car in front.
8. If you do get stuck in snow then call for breakdown or emergency services if required but be sure to stay with your car; and turn the engine off.
9. Don’t forget the sunshine in the winter can be hazardous so keep your windscreens and windows clear and be sure to slow down.
10. If you have one; keep your mobile charged just in case you need it.
If you are unfortunate enough to have an accident, contact the emergency services immediately if required and stay with your car.
Be sure to contact your car insurance company in the event of any accident and follow the advice they give.
If you do need to make a claim this may affect your insurance premium so we recommend that drivers with any sort of claims history to compare car insurance quotes using a site like Powerseeeker.co.uk
Tags: Affect, Car, Claims, Driving, History, Insurance, Safe, Tips, Winter
Posted in Cheap Car Insurance | Comments Off
Friday, February 3rd, 2012
A report released by MP’s reveals that insurance claims made for whiplash is one of the reasons that car insurance premiums are rising each year.
The Common Transport Committee reached out to ministers asking them to change the British law to make it tougher for people to make unchallenged claims for whiplash injuries; so it could be good news for car insurance costs as they are once again under scrutiny by the UK Government.
Back at the beginning of 2011, the Transport Committee started investigating the reason for the continually rising costs of insurance; in fact the cost of car insurance has risen 50% in the past two years. The Transport Committee particularly examined the reasons for recent increases in insurance premiums and the impact it is having on younger motorists.
The previous report detailing their findings was published back in March 2011. It highlighted the issues of high insurance premiums. Nevertheless, a new report has now been published in 2012 which reveals that car insurance costs had risen by a further 17% in 2011 because of whiplash claims made through insurance companies.
Louise Ellman from the Common Transport Committee has suggested that people trying to claim should be made to provide come sort of evidence of the whiplash and how the whiplash has adversely impacted their lives. This should be undertaken before the possibility of receiving any compensation. Many GP’s have acknowledged some cases of whiplash can be over diagnosed which only add to the problem.
Louise commented on this new report saying: “Many of these claims are for whiplash, an injury where diagnosis is often subjective and therefore very costly for insurers to challenge and the threshold for receiving compensation in whiplash cases should be raised.”
In Britain, around 600,000 whiplash claims are reported each year. This could theoretically add £90 to a typical car insurance policy. Around £2 billion was paid out last year for whiplash claims; so you can recognize the need for the rise in the insurance premiums. Unfortunately, with so many claims being made every year it is causing drivers who don’t claim to have an enlarged premium as prices continue to increase in the insurance industry.
This report has been an optimistic step in altering the way in which insurance claims can be made by drivers who think they may have suffered from whiplash in a crash.
Nick Starling from the Association of British Insurers responded to the report, “We are pleased that the Transport Select Committee has recognised that spiralling personal injury claims are the real reason car insurance premiums have been increasing and made recommendations for meaningful reform.
“It is absolutely critical that Britain’s whiplash epidemic is tackled once and for all and the Select Committee’s acknowledgment that the bar to receiving compensation for whiplash is too low is a step in the right direction.”
Time will tell if the UK Government decide to take any action against whiplash claims which are resulting in higher vehicle insurance premium costs.
In the meantime Powerseeker’s advice to all drivers; male and female, young and old, is to make sure you shop around with insurance comparison sites when your insurance policy is up for renewal.
Tags: Bogus, Car, Claims, Impact, Industry, Insurance, Motorists, Premiums, Rise, Whiplash
Posted in Cheap Car Insurance, Van Insurance, Womens Car Insurance, Young Drivers | Comments Off
Wednesday, February 1st, 2012
A recent study undertaken by the tyre manufacturer Bridgestone has shown that one in six British families were forced to sell their second car in 2011 due to the ever increasing fuel and insurance costs.
The study found millions of Brits who are being impacted by the economic crisis in the UK have to look at new ways to slash their day to day living costs and it seemed that motor vehicles had to become the main focus of belt tightening.
Andy Dingley from Bridgestone UK, who commissioned research on 2,000 families said, ”Rising fuel prices mean that a large proportion of the family wage is spent purely on things like petrol, gas and electricity.
”But with prices increasing faster than the rate of people’s incomes, families are having to make extremely difficult decisions.
”The balancing act for a family nowadays does not leave much room for manoeuvers financially which can have a knock on effect on people’s peace of mind.
”This affects every part of people’s lives – including how and when they drive.”
The report which became available in January 2012 showed that mothers are feeling the pinch the most in regards to the high fuel and vehicle insurance costs and are forced to take some radical measures in order to decrease the family’s bills. Some of these variations mean they are no longer able to afford to do the school run and are choosing to leave the car at home in favor of walking their children to school. Other mothers who wish to continue to drive their children to school are making alternate savings such as cutting back on named brand supermarket items, turning off the lights in the home, turning down the heating or simply just cutting back on indulgent treats for the family.
Some additional facts which came out of the report were
- Nearly half of the people in the poll said they had considered buying a car that uses alternative fuel in order to reduce petrol costs
- Roughly two thirds said they would consider buying electric cars in the future
- Nine out of ten families who currently own more than one car have considered getting rid of additional vehicles in order to cut costs such as insurance, fuel prices and services
- A staggering 70% of people polled advised they were actively cutting down on use their car now than they were a year ago to reduce monthly costs
- 50% of people informed they can no longer fill their petrol tank full of fuel in one go due to the ever-increasing fuel costs
- 25%r of families have considered sacrificing the heating in their home in order to be able to keep their car on the road
The UK government forecasts we will fall back in to recession during 2012 so it’s only a matter of time before even more cash strapped Brits will look at further ways of cutting their living costs.
Rocketing petrol and vehicle insurance prices will most likely prove motoring to be a popular way to try and save money.
Tags: British, Costs, Crisis, Economic, Family, Fuel, Insurance, Study, UK, Vehicle
Posted in Cheap Car Insurance, Womens Car Insurance | Comments Off
Wednesday, January 18th, 2012
It’s that time of year again where the cold snap encourages people to leave their vehicles un-attended whilst it defrosts and warms up ready for our on-ward journey.
According to previous surveys at least 47% of us in the UK are guilty of this. It’s important to make you aware at this stage that your Insurance Company may refuse to payout if your vehicle is stolen as a result of this negligence.
Be warned as opportunist thieves are on the lookout for an easy target. Around 2000 car thefts occur each year because motorists leave their vehicles to warm up during winter mornings. This equates to vehicle thieves getting away with around £12.7m worth of vehicles every year.
Claims director at swiftcover.com, Robin Reames said, “Leaving a car with keys in the ignition provides a perfect opportunity for thieves, and we as motorists are especially likely to do this at this time of year.
“People have an ‘it won’t happen to me’ attitude. However in reality, it can and does happen anywhere in the UK.”
For some, this is not just an occurrence during winter months as many motorists will leave their engine running whilst they just pop in the house to get something they forgot; or just pop in the local newsagent to pick up a paper
It doesn’t matter what reason the vehicle has been left; many insurance companies will in these circumstances nullify an insurance claim where a vehicle has been stolen with its keys left inside.
At present, it is a criminal offence to leave your car engine running when you are not in the vehicle. The offence is called ‘quitting’; t comes from the Road Traffic Act 1986.
The Road Vehicles (Constriction and Use) Regulation 1986 (SI 1986/1078) deals with the actual offence of “quitting”. It states “… that no person shall cause or permit to be on any road any motor vehicle which is not attended by a person duly licensed to drive it unless the engine is stopped and the parking brake is effectively set. Exemptions to the requirements of this Regulation as to the stopping of the engine include a fire brigade vehicle.”
Tags: Insurance, Motorists, Null, Theft, Un-attended, Vehicles, Void, Warning, Winter
Posted in Cheap Car Insurance, Performance Car Insurance, Taxi Insurance, Van Insurance, Womens Car Insurance | Comments Off
Saturday, January 14th, 2012
It is an offence for you or others to use your car without a level of car insurance that satisfies the Road Traffic Act whilst driving on the public highway. However, no such law applies whilst driving on private land.
The UK government introduced the original law back in 1930 which requires every person who uses a vehicle on the road to have at least third party vehicle insurance.
Third party only insurance is the lowest level car insurance cover available and is therefore often the most low cost. Third Party Insurance will only cover you for causing accidental damage to other people’s property and causing injury or death to other people. However, please keep in mind that this level of insurance will not cover the cost of any damage to your vehicle or your personal belongings in the event of any accident.
Some road users refuse to purchase car insurance as they think they can get away without adhering to this law. This is often because they think car insurance is far too expensive, or maybe they think because they are good drivers they don’t need insurance as they are not likely to have an accident or it could simply be because they have forgotten to renew their insurance policy.
Whatever their reason for driving without insurance, unfortunately it means these people are pushing up the cost of insurance premiums for the law abiding motorists amongst us.
According to the AA, uninsured drivers are responsible for around 160 deaths on the road every year and an additional 23,000 injuries.
Knowing these figures, you may be shocked to learn that the average fine for driving without the adequate level of insurance cover is just £200, even though judges in the UK have the power to impose a fine up to £5000.
Mr Douglas from the AA remarked, “We’re failing honest motorists by such lenient fines. In my view, it’s vital to get the message over to this motoring underclass and, importantly, to their friends and families, that driving without insurance is socially unacceptable.
“People need to be stopped before they get behind the wheel of an uninsured car and go on to risk killing or injuring others.”
Apparently the UK motorists are around the worst in Europe for driving without car insurance. Around one in twenty-five people are driving on public roads in the UK without insurance.
This statistic may reduce considerably if these people knew where to look for cheap car insurance.
Tags: Car, Driving, Illegal, Insurance, Mororists, Public Roads, UK
Posted in Cheap Car Insurance, Performance Car Insurance, Womens Car Insurance | Comments Off
Thursday, January 12th, 2012
The storms is the UK may have passed over for this week but insurance provider, the AA has reported a dramatic 200% increase in the last week in the number of calls it has received in its Call Centre’s.
Overall, the calls being made to the AA are considerably up compared to the usual number of calls which have been received at this same time of year in previous years.
The majority of calls regarding insurance, so far, are in regard to claims following the damage caused to property and vehicles as a result of the storms which were battering the UK over previous days.
The most common problems from Car and Home owners being reported to AA insurance included things from damaged roofs caused by fallen tiles through to broken windows to cars caused by loose debris flying through the sky.
It was only last winter that insurance companies in the UK saw a massive rise in the number of claims being made on home and car insurance policies due to the icy and snowy weather conditions. But, this winter the increase in insurance calls are the high winds and storms hitting the headlines. As British
people continue to bear the brunt of this extreme weather it only goes to show just how important it is to have an adequate level of insurance cover for your home and vehicle.
Stormy weather conditions mean that house roofs and cars are coming out as the two areas in which most of the AA insurance calls are being received.
There has been an increase of 12 times the normal ratio to report damage relating to these two problematic areas.
The stormy weather has also had a bad effect on repair work which is needed. The high winds in many Northern regions of the UK have made it far too dangerous for maintenance work to take place on roofs to repair any tile damage.
Home insurance companies are mostly recommending policy holders to get in touch with their provider prior to carrying out any repair work to see if they may be able to arrange temporary repair work. This is just a short term fix to tide the property over until the issue can be resolved properly.
Whilst the effects of the storms vary throughout the country the same warnings can be applied to all. For example, do not drive in severe weather conditions unless you need too and wherever possible keep your
car in the garage to protect it from flying debris, make sure you clear loose objects from around the house and keep up repairs on the house when it becomes safe to do so.
Finally, if something does happen to your car or home then notify your insurer as soon as possible.
Tags: Car, Claims, Damage, Home, Insurance, Storms, UK
Posted in Cheap Car Insurance, Home Insurance | Comments Off
Wednesday, August 10th, 2011
There can be no doubt as to what the big news story of the week is – the rioters that are laying waste to some of the biggest cities in the UK and causing all kinds of mayhem on high streets and in residential areas alike. Regardless of your opinion and the political persuasion you follow (this is not the place for a debate and so I will not be stating my opinions), you have to agree that there has been a lot of damage done to property and vehicles alike. Of course, if rioting was happening down your street or close to you then any damage done to your car is not your fault but that is not to say that your cheaper car insurance is not a thing of the past.
Any claim on cheap car insurance will automatically put your premiums up and insurers are highly unlikely to offer you any break for getting caught up in a tense situation that was definitely not your fault. Although the person you speak to about your claim will most probably have sympathy for you, insurers will not offer any breaks in terms of your renewal premiums or indeed in terms of excesses and other costs that you would have to take on. Instead, you are still locked into a contract that you will have to honour and quotes will be given in regards to your claim even if it is a no fault one. Many insurers, especially those connected to cheap car insurance, will offer you the reason that if you have made one claim then you are more likely to make another as justification. Alternatively, they will state that your local area is now classed as a high crime one and so premiums will go up as a result of that. Either way, making a claim for a vehicle damaged in the riots will have a huge effect.
It is worth noting that there are some tentative cheap car insurance refusals of claims related to the rioting. Although complaints are not confirmed as yet, there are strong rumors that some individuals will be disappointed as a result of the content of the small print in their insurance policy. Such riots may actually be classed as mass incidents that are not necessarily supported by the discounted policies. Check your paperwork before trying to make a claim because you may be better off leaving it well alone!
Posted in Cheap Car Insurance | Comments Off
Saturday, July 30th, 2011
Cheaper car insurance is everyone’s ultimate goal when renewal time rolls around. It is absolutely essential to make sure that your insurance cover fits into your household budget and so it can be difficult making everything fit effectively into a sleek package that you can afford. As such, many people are now using comparison engines but, as I have said before, they are only focusing on the premiums rather than focusing on other important elements, such as the level of cover and the features. Unfortunately, this is leaving many of those looking for cheap car insurance with insufficient cover. Those that know what they are doing and are choosing to reduce their level of cover anyway are seriously jeopardising their family finances should anything go wrong.
Why should a reduction in cover mean financial danger? Well, a reduction of your cheaper car insurance is just that – a reduction in your protection. Imagine that your car insurance is bubble wrap around you. With your old car insurance you had forty layers and could not feel that punch levelled at you. However, your new car insurance only offer five layers. Not only will you feel the punch but it will hurt you. The metaphor may be a little crude but you get the picture. The fewer levels of protection you have, the more any incident or accident will hurt.
So is a reduction of cover a problem in all cases? No is the short and sweet answer to that question. If you had comprehensive insurance previously with loads of features that you did not need then a reduction of cover may not only save you money but will leave you with a policy that suits you. For example, if you have baby seat cover but are a single male with no children then this is obviously a feature that you do not need and one that will cost you more if you do take it up. There are enough cheap car insurance policies out there for you to be able to have the features you want and need and ONLY those you want and need, which will save you money.
The problem comes when you reduce cheap car insurance cover to save money without checking your policy features. It is always worth making sure that you have the peace of mind you are looking for. It will certainly save you a few headaches later on.
Posted in Cheap Car Insurance | Comments Off
Tuesday, July 26th, 2011
There is an awful lot of concern about the British economy right now. Today it was announced that it had grown less than expected in the last quarter, meaning that although there was improvement it was only very slight improvement and thus there is still significant cause for concern. However, what may also be of concern to you is the fact that there seem to be a lot of closures of financial institutions or transfers of customers from one brand to another lately. For example, Egg is reportedly transferring all of its savings and mortgages to the Yorkshire Bank and the Co-op recently stopped doing life insurance. So how would this affect your search for the best value cheapest car insurance and would the cheap car insurance you get be transferred at any point?
Well, the answer to that is that nobody knows. Many cheap car insurance specialists are vulnerable to going out of business at the moment as a result of the scandal regarding referral fees. Some bodies have even estimated that one in ten insurers are open to bankruptcy should it be decided that they can no longer take on any referral business following the conclusion of the ongoing investigation into it. However, that is not to say that you would have to change your provider if you with one of them. This is because many policies are underwritten by a major insurer so you may simply switch to them if the worst comes to the worst. However, if your cheapest car insurance is switched to another provider then you would be notified in writing and have the right to cancel the policy and switch to another insurer if you so wished.
Cheap car insurance is available from numerous providers today so there are plenty to choose from if you do find your policy is to be switched. You will be notified in plenty of time so it is definitely worth taking the time to look around to see what your options are at the moment. After all, there may be new deals available to you or even cheaper offers that suit your household finances. Making sure that you have the best cover is a must so use the opportunity to your advantage. Of course, it has not happened to anyone yet but if it does just remember this – every single cloud has a silver lining so take full advantage.
Posted in Cheap Car Insurance | Comments Off
Wednesday, July 20th, 2011
The car insurance industry is suffering from a major problem at the minute. Trying to obtain the cheapest car insurance possible often means that you end up with inferior quality if you do not pay enough attention to the small print in the terms and conditions. In the last 12 months or so this has proven to be a fact, especially as more and more people look to compare cheap car insurance policies and instead end up simply comparing the price of premiums. We all know how important it is to compare policies but getting value for money is the name of the game and people need to get used to that idea rather than taking the cheapest car insurance if it is the poorest policy by a mile. This issue will resolve itself as people become more responsive to policy comparison as well as premium comparison on sites like Powerseeker. However, a similar issue with cheap car insurance for trips abroad may not.
Many drivers are well aware of the problems with insurance that hire car companies take out. Thanks to the charges structure, you can pay far more than your original hire fee if you get into an accident abroad, which is why many people look to take their car on holiday with them. However, you may be no better off if you take out cheap car insurance that does not cover you to the extent you want when somewhere other than in the UK.
The cheapest car insurance policies that are devoid of features that are valuable usually offer third party insurance only when you head out of the country, meaning that they will cover other peoples’ vehicles but not for your own. If you baulk at the idea of paying more in hire car fees than you anticipated if you have an accident then you could face serious issues in terms of money if you have an accident in your own car with this policy. The key is to read your current policy to see what cover you have and make sure that it is adequate. If it is not and you have counted on taking your car abroad then just call your insurer and ask if you can upgrade your insurance either on a permanent or a temporary basis.
Just beware of the pitfalls of taking the cheapest car insurance out when comparing premiums. You should never neglect the policy, no matter how little time you have to compare.
Posted in Cheap Car Insurance | Comments Off
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