Reducing Premiums - Choice of Vehicle

The vehicle you decide to drive is the basic factor in determining you insurance premium. The value of the car and performance are the two main considerations of an insurance company in calculating the risk of insuring a specific vehicle. Quite simply, A powerful vehicle is considered more likely to be involved in an accident and an expensive vehicle will cost the insurance company more to repair or replace.

Insurance Group
Vehicles are categorised into insurance groups ranging from 1 (the cheapest to insure) to 20 (the most expensive). Before you buy a vehicle, check carefully to find out which group it is in. If you are thinking of buying a new vehicle, check our list of insurance groups. You can compare it to your existing vehicle to get a rough idea of whether your insurance costs will go up or down but the only way to be sure is to get a few quotes before you purchase the vehicle. Note: All insurance companies use different systems for determining insurance groups and will vary from one company to another.

Country of Origin
Be very careful when purchasing a vehicle that you are not buying an imported vehicle by mistake. If the vehicle is not UK specification, you may find it difficult and expensive the get insured.

Country of Manufacturer
Parts for vehicles can vary in cost significantly depending on where the car was manufactured. Equivalent models from different manufacturers will cost different amounts to repair and therefore insurance costs will vary.

Vehicle Performance
A high performance vehicle is likely to be driven by somebody who likes to drive fast. Although this vehicle is safer at speed than a low performance vehicle, they are involved in more serious accidents. High performance cars are also more valuable and are therefore more expensive to insure. If you are young and inexperienced, insuring a performance vehicle will be a difficult and costly affair.

Theft Desirability
If your choice of vehicle is popular amongst thieves and joy riders, it is more likely to be stolen. This will increase the cost of cover. Some insurance companies will not insure certain vehicles unless specific security devices have been installed. Read our guide to car security devices.

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