Car insurance is one of the biggest expenses that we have but there are things that can be done to lower it.

Don’t just take it for granted that the company you have had your insurance with a long time is giving you the best deal. Every company has different guidelines to follow, what may be a risk to one company may not be to another.

Here are some general guidelines that you may want to follow to help you lower your car insurance.

1. Keep your vehicle in a garage overnight, doing this not only adds extra security for your vehicle but it’s a winner with insurance companies. I have known car insurance quotations to be reduced by as much as £150 just because of this.

2.Try and do less mileage if you can, 10,000 miles or less a year can reduce your car insurance considerably.

3. When choosing a car try and buy one with a small engine size. 1.0, 1.2, 1.3 or 1.4 litre size engines tend to be a favourite with insurance companies. I have noticed that this can reduce costs by as much as £600. Try and stay away from sports cars and four-wheel drive vehicles, if you can. Both of these vehicle classifications are substantially higher than others especially if you are under 25 years old!

4. If you are a careful driver you may want to choose a larger excess fee. Excess is the fee that you will need to pay toward any accidents you may have, the larger the fee the less your car insurance quotation. You could for example pay an excess of say £100 to £300, depending on the size, type and value of the vehicle that you are insuring.

5. Drive your car less frequently – for example instead of driving your vehicle to and from work and perhaps for work, try and drive it only when necessary. (Unless of course you need to use your vehicle for work). There is a considerable difference in car insurance quotations between social and domestic use and business use, as drivers who use their vehicle for work are naturally more prone to accidents simply because they are on the road more.

6. Install an approved alarm system, not only will this add extra security for your car but it will help in lowering your car insurance.

7. If your vehicle does not have an anti-theft device have one installed. The cost for installing a system can be as little as £100 and insurance companies give big discounts for anti-theft devices. There are several out there; steering wheel locks, alarm systems, wheel locks, just to name a few.

8. If you park your car in your drive over night state this when you are completing your car quote, insurance companies will bear this in mind when giving you a quote.

9. Don’t make frivolous claims! This may sound like common sense just like keeping a clean driving license but you would be surprised how many people make claims for petty things. If you have an issue that will cost you less than £200 or £300, depending on the value of your vehicle, pay it out of your pocket. Many companies will reward you for staying claim free. I have had a few situations myself, for example when I broke my wing mirror on my car, it cost me £40 to replace it, I did not make a claim for it as it simply was not worth it.

10. Don’t exaggerate the value of your car. The more expensive you say your vehicle is the higher the insurance rate will be. Just give the amount needed to replace it and update this figure annually.

11. Pay your insurance premiums annually instead of monthly or even quarterly if at all possible. This will save you quite a bit in the long run since the companies charge substantial interest rates for carrying the balance.

12. Shop for your car insurance on the internet, using a comparison website, for example, you will be surprised how much you can save by doing this. Car insurance companies offer many incentives to online applicants.