UK Insurance and Finance Articles

Motor insurance in Northern Ireland – preparing the ground

Posted: April 19th, 2010 | Author: George | Filed under: Northern Ireland Insurance | Tags:

While most of us enjoy our cars and don’t mind spending money on them (within reason!) it’s a fair bet that we feel less well disposed towards car insurance. Nobody enjoys paying for it and few people like insurance companies. The good news though is that with a bit of preparation, you could end up paying less for motor insurance in Northern Ireland than you may have done previously.

Risk and insurance

Insurance companies don’t like risk – which is odd given that if it didn’t exist, neither would they!

The reality of insurance life is that the higher the risk then the more you’ll end up paying for your motor insurance. So, the consequence is that if you take steps to reduce your risks then the insurance company may like you just that little bit more and reward you with more competitively-priced premiums than you are used to!

Reducing risk with motor insurance in Northern Ireland

There are a few basic steps you can take that may end up with you keeping more of your money in your pocket as opposed to the insurer’s:

  • park your vehicle off-road at night;
  • keep your mileage (estimated and actual) down;
  • don’t try and insure very young drivers or ‘any driver’ unless you absolutely have to;
  • install approved security devices and alarms;
  • try to avoid customising or modifying your vehicle – particularly the engine;
  • go for standard models rather than sports cars or those with vast power-plants of an engine;
  • join a recognised motoring organisation;
  • take a higher excess on your policy;
  • protect your no-claims bonus by avoiding lots of small claims.

Not all insurance companies offering cover for Northern Ireland will necessarily apply discounts for all of these things. You’ll need to check that on an insurance quotation by quotation basis.

Even so, by keeping these things in mind and being prepared to compromise on the type of vehicle you drive, how it’s driven and by whom, you may be able to keep your costs down.

Motor insurance in Northern Ireland doesn’t have to break the bank!