According to the Independent newspaper, UK households are spending an average of £1000 annually for car and home insurance. Despite the rising cost of car insurance, many insurance buyers are not researching the market thoroughly. If they do so they will be able to get a bargain auto insurance.

There could be many reasons for not researching the insurance market. It could be less time, lack of information, not asking the right queries and many people simply don’t bother.

Comparison of 3 popular Car Insurance Companies:

Norwich Union, More Than, Tesco Personal Finance.

More Than: Car Insurance

A financial brand of Royal Sun Alliance Insurance Group, More Than was launched in 2001. Its services include not only car insurance but also insurance in home, pet, travel and life.

Tesco Personal Finance: Car Insurance

Tesco Personal Finance provides services in finance and insurance. Insurance product range includes car, health, home, pet and life.

Norwich Union: Car Insurance

It is a subsidiary of AVIVA, worlds fifth largest and UK’s biggest insurance groups. Norwich Union’s insurance activities are monitored by Financial Services Authority.

Features of these Car Insurance Companies

- Online Discount Offers:
Of the three car insurance firms, More Than offers maximum online discount of 15%. Both Norwich Union and Tesco Personal Finance offer 10% online discount.

- Breakdown Cover:
More Than: 50% off breakdown is added to car insurance quote, specifically for prospective customers.
Norwich Union: Does not offer a flat rate for breakdown cover. It is calculated based on the insured’s situation and £5 off is given for online breakdown cover.

- No Claims Bonus

More Than- Offers maximum no claims bonus for the life of your car insurance policy. This is offered to drivers with a good record, as a part of fully comprehensive car insurance policy. Driving conviction will make you ineligible for it.

- No Frills policy
No Frills policy is offered by Norwich Union and Tesco personal finance. This does away with replacement car and personal injury cover and consequently reduces the cost of premium considerably.

- Pay as you go
Pay as you go is the latest technology installed by Norwich Union and More Than in order to track down motorists’ usage. An optional offer, this will help car owners to cut down on their insurance cost.

More Than- Targets young drivers between the ages of 17-25 and offers a bonus at the end of the year if they don’t drive between the 11pm and 6 am.

Norwich Union- If motorists keep their car in the garage for six months, they will be charged less premium.

- Pay your premium in one go
If you do not wish to pay a monthly premium, then Norwich Union gives you the option of paying your premium in one go.

All these offers are subject to availability so do check before hand with the company, when purchasing a car insurance policy.

Sara Sentor
Webmaster
http://www.insurancesoso.co.uk

Having your car stolen can be a scary thing. Many who have had their cars taken typically feel both angry and vulnerable, even to the point of feeling somewhat “violated”. If you don’t have insurance that covers the theft of a car when it happens, it can be equally as scary from a financial point of view. When you have comprehensive coverage on your car, your insurance company will help to replace your stolen car. While having this coverage is important, there are some ways that you can help prevent your car from being stolen as well, which may save you money on your car insurance rates in the long run. As they say, an ounce of prevention is always worth a pound of cure.

Tip 1: Use Common Sense - One of the best ways that you can prevent your car from being stolen is to use common sense and make sure that you lock your car doors whenever you leave your vehicle, regardless if it’s in a dark alley, a public place, or parked in your garage. Plain and simple, if you leave your doors unlocked all the time, you elevate the risk of your car being stolen. You should also be sure that you take your keys with you and never leave them in your car or anywhere else in public. Often just using these common sense precautions is enough to save you from car theft.

Tip 2: Get an Alarm - You can also help prevent car theft by installing some kind of warning device or alarm device in your car. Whether it is a visible device or an audible one, both can be good deterrents to anyone thinking about stealing your car. Usually alarms are fairly affordable, and it is definitely cheaper than trying to find a new car.

Tip 3: Use an Immobilizing Device - Another way to prevent your car from being stolen is to purchase some kind of immobilizing device to use in your car. There are a variety of different devices available, such as smart keys, kill switches, the Club, and fuel cut-offs. Many of these devices are relatively inexpensive and they are highly effective as well.

Tip 4: Install a Tracking Device - One of the newer ways to deter car thieves is to have a tracking device installed in your car. These devices are quite high tech, and they will alert you when someone is moving your car without authorization. Some of these tracking devices actually will notify the police when unauthorized movement is made as well. While these tend to be a bit more expensive than other methods, they can definitely be a great help if your car actually gets stolen.

Even though you may have coverage on your car that will pay if it is stolen, taking preventive measures is much simpler and will help keep your car insurance rates down as well. Just taking the time to use common sense and employ the help of cheap devices can help keep your car from being stolen. While incorporating one of these tips is great, using all of them together can give you the best results when trying to protect your car from theft.

To learn more about how you can save money and greatly reduce your car insurance rates, please visit car-insurance-rates-info.com. We offer unbiased information on the best ways to get insurance discounts, find out what average car insurance rates are, do company comparisons, and keep you safe and saving money all year long.

New Jersey car insurance options are finally getting better for people who live in the Garden State, according to a national insurance organization. That’s good news and if you are a New Jersey driver, here’s why now is a good time to see if you can save.

According to the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America, these are some of the changes that have made New Jersey car insurance better for consumers as a result of the 2003 New Jersey Automobile Insurance Competition and Choice Act. In a nutshell, this act was created to improve the auto insurance market in New Jersey by attracting more competition. Since then:

1) More car insurance companies have entered the New Jersey marketplace. This provides greater competition and thus an advantage for the car insurance buyer. A lot of these are major companies.

2) The reforms have provided more options to people living in urban areas for products and services. Again, this makes things more competitive and gives drivers the advantage when shopping for New Jersey car insurance quotes.

3) Car insurance rates in New Jersey have lowered and become more stable. What’s more, there are more coverages available and more choices.

One of the best ways to save on car insurance is to comparison shop and now people in New Jersey can benefit even more from comparison shopping because rates can vary from one company to the next.

One of the easiest and fastest ways to do this is to go online. You can request quotes directly from each New Jersey car insurance company Web site. Just make sure to provide the same information about coverages and deductibles each time to get the most accurate comparison. You can also visit a comparison site that allows you to enter your information once and get several different quotes back.

Get several free comparison href="http://www.loweryourinsurance.com/car-insurance.html">New Jersey car insurance quotes and learn more about New Jersey car insurance at LowerYourInsurance.com. The site also includes a handy worksheet to help you when shopping for car insurance. Scott Lunt is a freelance insurance writer.

Driving in the 21st century has changed dramatically compared to years before. Every year the amount of cars and trucks on the road increases by leaps and bounds. With the increase in new drivers come more accidents, more traffic, and finally more road rage.

It is almost a certainty that these things will continue to increase in the future, although we cannot stop it, we can however take certain measures to be well prepared. Traffic in the highways and streets have caused many to become violet and aggressive as they drive, otherwise known as road rage. Road rage can be seen in many different forms, here are some you should watch out for:

• Cutting your car off
• Rude hand gestures
• Profanity
• Bumping your car
• Hitting your window
• Pursuing you home
• Physical abuse

If you are an everyday driver it is not uncommon to witness any of these actions. In the event that you find yourself in the situation where someone is harassing you, either with their car or verbally, you should try your best to stay as far away as possible. Do not try to challenge them or fight back because you never know if they may have a weapon or might try to cause you harm. It is smart to take down their license plate number as well as the make and model of their vehicle and report it to the police. If they try to follow you do not drive home! Instead, drive to the nearest police station of fire station.

For more information on safety or searching for auto insurance visit http://www.autoinsurancequotes4free.com today.

Insurance information provided by auto insurance quotes 4 free

Insurance is required in almost all 50 states, prior to licensing your vehicles. Insurance quotes online often mislead you as to the actual cost of insurance, and yet, online insurance offers the best quotes. There are ways of getting correct quotes, on your vehicles, online.

1) Know your vehicle

This may seem unnecessary, but know how to spell your vehicle model and make. Misspellings on vehicle insurance quotes attribute to many errors.

2) What year was that?

You can find the year your vehicle was built inside the driver’s door just below the latch. Be sure you check. Most titles are correct, but some are not, and it does make a difference.

3) Check that VIN

A VIN Number is a Vehicle Identification Number located just under the edge of the windshield, visible from outside the driver’s side, just in front of the door hinge. Write it down, check it two or three times, and verify it with the title.

4) Location is important

If you live on the outskirts of a major city, but rarely drive downtown, say so. Know if your vehicle will be garaged or not. Verify your zip code in the area where your vehicle is most often parked.

5) Mileage driven each year

How many miles do you drive every year? Where do you drive those miles? Those questions may be on the application, but if they aren’t you’ll want the information when you speak with the insurance agent.

Keeping a log of vehicle maintenance, helps during tax season as well as, when you sell your vehicle. Information about vehicle maintenance is necessary in the event mechanical failure causes an accident. You can obtain a maintenance log inside the Real Auto Maintenance for Real People Manual at http://www.lulu.com/content/245780

Claim your FREE Subscription to Auto Maintenance Savvy at http://fordtruck.cn

© 2007 - J Verhoeff

Motorists are being urged to be alert to a growing range of extra charges that could make car insurance policies far from the best deal months after drivers have bought them.

Analysts are predicting big rises in car insurance premiums this year due to a combination of an EU ruling on VAT, spiralling personal injury claims and accidents involving uninsured drivers.

In a bid to boost profits while keeping quotes competitive, insurers are cutting back on previously standard features of policies and cashing in on a range of post-purchase charges.

Moving house, changing your car or wanting to take a car abroad on holiday are often predictable events within the period of a car insurance policy. But few factor in the extra costs of such events at the time of buying.

As these charges vary widely between insurers, adding them to the headline quote can turn the cheapest policy into one that’s not so competitive.

Policy amendment charges

Some insurers will charge up to £25 to make a change to the details on which a policy is based, on top of any additional premium that may be due for a new car or address.

The AA charges this top rate, while Churchill isn’t much better, charging £21. However, Norwich Union stands out for making no admin charge for policy changes.

With 7.5 million used cars changing hands in 2005 and one in ten people moving home every year, charges for policy changes alone net insurers a substantial extra income.

Extra for driving in Europe cover

The number of free days of full cover for taking your car to the continent included in policies also varies widely between insurers.

Some, like Churchill and Elephant.co.uk, include a generous 90 days full cover free of charge. However, Admiral and easyMoney offer no free days at all, hitting customers with a further charge for anything more than basic Third Party cover if wanting to take their cars on holiday.

While others, like eSure and Direct Line, offer three days free - enough for a weekend away - taking a car on a two week break to Europe could cost their customers up to £50 extra.

Up to 4.5 million people will have faced these extra charges for taking their car abroad during 2005.

High cost of paying monthly

Insurers have also been criticised for hitting customers with high interest rates for paying monthly. The AA fares badly here again, charging customers an APR of 24.9% which is very high when compared with interest rates of competitive credit cards at typically around 15%. Kwik Fit is another poor performer, charging customers an APR of 16% for paying in installments.

While some insurers do have competitive APRs for paying monthly, in almost all cases it still makes more sense to pay for car insurance in one go on a special offer 0% interest credit card.

Paying the total off the card monthly, rather than arranging installments through the insurer, can save this big extra cost.

Courtesy car - standard or extra?

It also pays to study policy features such as whether a courtesy car is included free with a policy, and the size of the compulsory excess, to compare what your extra costs would be if the worst should happen.

A free courtesy car is becoming more rare as a standard feature, with insurers instead offering to ‘guarantee’ a courtesy car only in return for an additional fee when buying the policy.

If drivers exercise their right to choose a repairer that isn’t approved by their insurer but which will provide a free courtesy car, insurers often charge a higher excess.

Excessive excess?

Costs like the compulsory excess that motorists are expected to pay towards a claim can vary by at least £140 between different insurers, even given the same personal circumstances.

Choosing an insurer with a high compulsory excess leaves little room to offer to pay an additional voluntary excess to help reduce the quote, without potentially being hit with a large bill in the event of an accident.

Most of us will have a good idea whether we’re likely to move house, change cars, or take a car to Europe on holiday in the year ahead.

Considering likely extra charges when buying and factoring them into the quote will ensure the true annual cost of policies can be compared.

Stuart Coster is editor of motoring advice site KwikGuides.com, which provides free guides and tools to help with buying, selling and running a car.

The site’s newest guide is on Choosing Car Insurance and Cutting the Cost

Auto insurance is not negotiable, every motorist must have it. It is not enforced by law in all countries and states but it remains essential to have you never know when you will be involved in an accident. You can be as careful as you like but there are drivers on the roads who are bad drivers. It is a great loss if your car gets damaged or written off and you have no insurance to compensate you for the loss.

While you are shopping for insurance for your vehicle, check online as well as there are companies that do business online. The quotes and policy can be obtained online. Make sure that you complete the questionnaire correctly so that you will not be paying for coverage that you do not need.

Be very honest with the company you are dealing with when you answer their questions. The age of the main driver and any other family members, who drive the car, especially a teenager is important. They will want to know the type and age of the vehicle and whether or not it has ever been involved in an accident before. The distance you drive everyday and whether or not you have passengers with you are important factors that influence the premium you will be paying on your insurance.

There are certain rewards for safe drivers. Drivers who have not been involved in an accident for a certain period of time will qualify for a no claim bonus from the relevant insurance company. You could get a loyalty discount if you insure your car with the same company where you have insured your home and all its contents.

This author writes informative articles on auto insurance.
http://www.autoinsuranceswebsites.com

Have you ever received your automobile insurance bill and found yourself wondering if you are paying for a lot of coverages that you do not need? There are so many different options, how does one know what is worthwhile and what is not? Some options that are offered are really duplications of other coverage that you may already have. My purpose in writing this is to help you sort through the options and help you to build a policy that covers your needs, without covering things that you do not need.

As a disclaimer I must state that I can only talk in terms of general concepts, and that you should query your insurance agent if you do not fully understand parts of what I am describing. Remember that your insurance agent makes more money if he sells you more policy, so he/she may not be completely objective.

OK let’s get started. The first thing to do if you can is to look into discounts for multiple policies. If you are a homeowner, insuring your home and cars with the same carrier can provide significant discounts. If you have multiple cars then insuring them all with the same carrier is usually cheaper, but not always.

First set of numbers to think about is liability, which is the portion of the insurance typically required by state law. This is the part of the insurance that pays others, not you. To figure out how much liability to need to cover, determine your net worth exclusive of residence and exclusive of things that you already own. Generally your liability should cover twice that amount up to $300,000.00, and if you need more than that then ask for a 1 million dollar umbrella policy which will cover your home and cars as well. On the lower side try to cover $50,000.00 if you can, and make note of minimums in state law. Typically there are three numbers, like 50/100/50. The first is how much would be paid to a single person, the second how much could be paid in total for one event, and the third is how much property damage (typically other people’s vehicles) that can be covered. It is safest to have that last number at $50,000.00, but you may be able to get away with $25,000.00. There are a lot of $50,000.00 and higher vehicles on the road, but most people who drive cars like that will have under-insured coverage.

Next numbers are collision and comprehensive. Collision pay for damage to your vehicle resulting from any collision and comprehensive pays for any damage to your vehicle not as the result of a collision (like a broken windshield). First thing to understand is that the maximum payout on either of these is the blue book value of your car, so as you car decreases in value there comes a point where the coverage no longer makes sense. If your car is worth less than $2000.00 then the payout you would potentially receive from the insurance company may not be worth the premiums. You would think that the premiums for these coverages tend downward because they are covering less value every year (for the same vehicle), but somehow it does not seem to work out that way. There are also deductibles, and generally the higher the deductible, the lower the premium. Check all the rates though, as we have found that sometimes a $250.00 deductible is only a few dollars more expensive than a $500.00 deductible. Many times auto body shops will cut you break on a little of your collision deductible, so we have never needed to go below $500.00 on that. We keep our comprehensive at $250.00 because typically no one helps with it.

Once you have liability, collision and comprehensive, you have the basics for an automobile policy that is just what you need. There are a lot of other coverages available, and there are several of them that you may not need, and some may not need any of them.

1. Uninsured/Under-insured motorists coverage. This is the worst coverage of all, having us pay for all the deadbeats who will not pay for themselves. You only need this coverage really if you are driving a vehicle that is worth a lot more than about $25,000.00. Generally if you are hit by an uninsured motorist, then your collision coverage would kick in and take care of it. If the accident is their fault and they will not cover your deductible, then you can take them to small claims court for that part. Please verify this part with your agent, but if collision will pay, then buying additional coverage that pays again is a duplication, and your insurance company will not pay you twice no matter how many duplicate coverages that you purchase. Try to ditch this coverage if you possibly can. If you have a more expensive vehicle then you do kind of need the coverage in the case of the under-insured motorist, since if they have insurance then their insurance will pay, but if there coverage is not enough then your collision will not come in to play to cover, and you would need under-insured coverage then. See if you can purchase it just for that one vehicle. Some states make you cover all if you cover one.

2. Towing coverage. The agents like to scare you with this one. “What will happen if you need towing?” they ask. Well what will happen is you *might* have to pay for it. In our experience we find that towing is often an included service of the body shop that will fix your car. We have never had towing coverage, and in all that time we have been towed about seven times, we only had to pay once, and it was about $60.00. Save you money on that premium.

3. Rental Car Coverage. Just say no. If you really have to have a rental car then go to a body shop that offers the $10.00 a day rental car. Sometimes they will give you the rental for free as part of the service. We see this one as a waste of premium dollars.

4. Medical insurance. If others are injured in an accident that is your fault then your liability coverage will cover that. The extra medical premium is typically to cover you if you get hurt in an auto accident. This is likely a duplicate coverage if you have health insurance, and remember this one only covers you when in a car, where health insurance always covers you (make sure your health insurance does not exclude accidents). For most this is a duplicate coverage and should be avoided.

5. PIP, Personal injury protection or “No Fault”. This one is a failed idea and is usually a duplicate coverage of something else. Take the state law required minimum or refuse this coverage outright. My agent does not even attempt to dissuade me when I outright refuse this one.

6. The most recent insurance invention. You may find a coverage offered that is not described here. Chances are 99% against that you would ever need some coverage that has been recently invented. You do not need identity theft coverage on you auto policy.

Reorganize your auto insurance according to what you have read, and you can go forward sure in the knowledge that you are spending your insurance dollars effectively.

Joseph

Joseph Wood is the webmaster and chief researcher for JOW Research. Come see us and learn The Secrets of The Secret.

Looking for affordable New Jersey car insurance but don’t want to waste a lot of time shopping for quotes? Here’s a brief explanation of insurance coverages, how to save money on them, and how to get affordable insurance quickly and easily.

Minimum New Jersey Car Insurance

New Jersey requires you to have three types of car insurance coverage: liability , personal injury protection, and uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage. Comprehensive and collision coverage are not required.

Liability Coverage

Liability coverage pays for the other party’s bodily injury and property damage expenses when you cause an accident. It also covers your legal bills if you’re sued.

If you don’t have a lot of assets and you don’t drive a lot, you may want to stick with the minimum liability coverage which is: $15,000 bodily injury liability coverage for one person, $30,000 bodily injury coverage for all injuries, and $5,000 property damage liability coverage. However, if you do have a lot of assets you’ll want to get enough liability insurance to cover them in case you’re sued.

Personal Injury Protection

Personal injury protection coverage pays for you and your passengers’ medical bills if you have an accident in your car, someone else’s car, or if you’re walking. If you already have medical insurance then you only need to get the minimum amount of coverage.

Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Coverage

Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage pays for your medical bills if you’re injured by an uninsured driver, an underinsured driver, or a hit-and-run driver.

Comprehensive and Collision Coverage

Comprehensive coverage pays for damage to your car caused by theft, natural disasters, fire, or vandalism. You can save money on this coverage by raising your deductible (the amount you’re required to pay on a claim before your insurance kicks in).

Collision coverage pays for repairs to your car if you cause an accident. You can save money on this coverage by raising your deductible. Raising it from $200 to $500 will save you up to 30% on your premium.

Compare Rates the Easy Way

The only way to know if you’re getting the best insurance rate for your situation is to compare rates from different companies, and the easiest way to do that is to go to an insurance comparison website. It only takes a few minutes, it’s easy, and it’s free.

Visit http://www.LowerRateQuotes.com or click on the following link to get affordable New Jersey car insurance quotes from top-rated companies and see how much you can save. You can get more insurance tips in their Articles section, and get answers to your insurance questions from an insurance expert by using their online chat service.

The author, Brian Stevens, is a former insurance agent and financial consultant who has written extensively on affordable New Jersey car insurance.

Do you have a point on your driving record? Have you been fighting to keep your record clean since you got your license? There are many things you can do to keep your driving record free of points. Most states offer some kind of traffic school program which you can only take every so often to rid your record of an infraction or traffic violation. Each state has a different time allowance between every traffic school opportunity. In California, you must wait a minimum of 18 months between each traffic school completion to delete those points off your driving record.

Traffic accidents, misdemeanors and other circumstances also tack unwanted points onto your record as well. Not only is your DMV record affected by these points, but your car insurance company also raises your monthly premiums for every point you acquire. Needless to say, nobody desires a bad driving record. In fact, some insurance companies reward good drivers with an insurance discount called Accident Forgiveness. When this discount comes into play, drivers who have not been in a traffic accident in over 5 years are allowed a little slack.

This means that if you’ve been insured with a specific insurance company for 5 years without a lapse in coverage and without involvement in any traffic accidents and you happen to get into one after this 5 year period, your insurance rates will not be affected by this crash. Not every auto insurance company will offer this discount so make sure your insurance provider is a supporter of this specific discount if you’re shopping for a new plan.

You can use a list of discounts to help your search for a new car insurance company. Having a list of pre-qualified discounts for yourself is a very useful tool in saving cash on your monthly premiums if you’re in the market for a new plan.

You can print out a list of these various insurance plan discounts that have been compiled at www.autoinsurancequotes4free.com. And make sure you ask about the Accident Forgiveness discount as well. It may save you thousands in the long run.