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As with most major expenses, cars will not only have you shelling out on the immediate cost, but will also force you to spend more and more during the time you’re in ownership and so being able to limit expenditure is imperative.

Remember that a car takes a lot of maintenance, as well as the constant need for fuel and the odd top up of oil; but it is the requirements of services and yearly check-ups that can cost into the hundreds and really put a strain on your finances.

There are ways for each stage of car ownership where you can find ways to be able to save money, even when buying the car in the first place, as well as bringing down fuel costs, road tax (if in the UK)and maintenance costs.

• Never ever pay the window price, every car has a target price and you should aim to get a slight percentage off of the price the showroom is suggesting. Look online for the guide price of the car(s).

• Look around to see what you should be getting for your car if part-exchanging. Check ads for cars similar to yours and what they are being valued at, as well as remembering back to what you spent on it when you bought it and whether you have added value over the years with new parts.

• If you’re in the market for a new car, but aren’t worried about the likes of garnishing it with endless optional extras that can rack the price up by a few hundred if not thousand, then ask the dealer whether they have anything new on the forecourt that is a more basic model. This also allows you to get the car earlier, instead of having to wait for it to be built at the factory.

• Try to get a deal that has a few extra benefits thrown in such as free servicing for five years or a years’ worth of free insurance, interest free APR deals are also well worth keeping an eye out for.

• For those after a new fleet car, first of all get looking for a frugal motor that is perhaps diesel-powered as opposed to petrol and then look to get a fuel card to hand from somewhere such as FCSICard.com in order to save on your VAT.

• If you’re a young driver and are considering your options in terms of insurance, try to get your parents or someone with a great deal of driving experience as a named driver which should help bring your premium down.

This is an article from FCSI Card fuel card supplier for fleet drivers in Portugal and around Europe.

The car rental market is saturated with providers, most of them above board and operating an ethical service but as with any industry there are some unethical firms out there looking to rip off their customers. We all hate additional charges, particularly if they are hidden from us and sprung on us at the last minute…so we’re giving you a heads up. Even if you use only the most reputable companies with the highest level of trust you can still be subject – legally – to these charges. View some examples you may not automatically think of below:

Drivers licence

Many providers have limitations with regards to the type of licence you can use with substantial extra charges in place for customers without these specific pre-requisites. The number of points on your licence can be a factor (generally the rental companies want no more than 6), the duration for which you have had the licence is another factor with a year minimum seeming to be the requirement for an number of firms. Age is also a factor with service providers listing a minimum and maximum that they will accept – this is usually around a 21 year old minimum with a 75 year old maximum. Finally, the type of licence you hold is a factor with most providers only accepting full licences before they hand over the keys.

Amendments to booking

It’s common to incur charges for amending your booking at a later date – given that hiring a car is not a small cost though, if through carelessness or ignorance you do fall subject to some of these charges the cost to you can be significant compared with say, losing a restaurant reservation deposit, particularly if the hire is planned for a longer duration. Obviously in some situations things happen last minute which mean that you could not have cancelled the booking any sooner but as soon as you know you’re going to need to cancel, do it! Upon booking too it’s vital to check the time restrictions for cancellations as these can vary from firm to firm.

Out of hours

This is an understandable charge given that an out of hours service will incur significant additional costs to the provider, however it can be beneficial to be aware of any out of hours charges prior to booking. Perhaps it might not be that inconvenient to return the car those few hours earlier after all…

Other Extras

Travelling with children? Opting for a diesel car? Need a sat nav? These can all cost more depending on the provider you go with. Although these are all standard add-ons with many vehicles these days when renting, anything more than the norm (especially with the budget firms) will add on to that final price. In particular booster seats, baby seats and child seats all appear to be optional and require additional payment.

Area charges

As our final point let’s look at location-based charges. The congestion charge applicable to those vehicles driving into London is a good example of these – perhaps you could look at a hotel just outside of the charging zone if you are thinking about visiting and hiring a car in the capital! Also, one way rentals and renting in premium locations can hike up the price too.

Carhiredirect.co.uk searches through budget firms that will hopefully cost you a little less on your rental – even with any additional costs!

Car accidents take place all the time and this is probably the main reason why minimal car insurance is mandatory in the majority of the countries on the planet. This minimum policy type will offer a certain level of coverage in case that something bad happens; so, if you are involved in an accident and your vehicle is damaged, the insurer will pay the repair costs up to a certain amount of money. There is a lot of competition in the insurance market, so there are many companies and many different insurance policies out there. This is one of the main reasons why it is very important to understand what these policies have to offer, so that the decision to sign an additional insurance contract or to reject a bad policy is made wisely.

Sadly, many people end up paying large amounts of money for car insurance. But this should not be your case. First and most important, you need to decide on the amount of money that you are willing to spend on car insurance. There are three main categories you can choose from: policies that cover the third party, third party plus fire and theft, and the full, comprehensive car insurance policy.

The full comprehensive policy surely has a catchy name; it promises to take care of all the risks, but you should not get yourself lured by these promises. You need to ask the insurer as many questions as possible if you are interested in signing this kind of contract. As an example, if you own such a policy and you get involved in a car accident, the insurer will pay for the car repairs or give you the money you deserve, but the company will evaluate your car depending on its market price. The insurer is not going to consider your opinion about how much your car values. This is just an example, so make sure to read all the fine print and ask all the questions that you can think of; if you live in Eastern Europe, you can find out more information about this on the Asigurari RCA Casco car insurance portal.

The very place where you live may influence the car insurance costs; your career and age are also important factors that can raise or lower the premiums. If two or more drivers will be using the car, this will make the insurance policy pricier; this means that you shouldn’t add more drivers than needed to the policy.

Another good idea that will help you reduce the insurance payments is to take safety driving lessons. Any insurer will value this and will reward you by cutting the price of the policy. If you have completed a safety driving course, do not forget to take the needed documents with you, so that they can be examined by the insurer’s representative.

Many people choose to increase the deductibles, thus paying less money on a regular basis. Nevertheless, before paying the deductible, you should verify the solidity and the stability of the insurance company that you intend to work with; you are going to pay them your hard earned cash, so make sure that your money are in good hands.

You can always ask the legal authorities about the history of a certain insurer. And if all of this sounds way too complicated, it might be wise to use the assistance offered by an insurance broker. An insurance broker is a specialist that was authorized by legal and state institutions to offer you competent advice on insurance matters.

Before signing a contract with an insurance broker, you should make sure that you are choosing a reliable, competent person. Extended family and close friends can definitely give you some names of good insurance brokers that they have worked with in the past. When you have found a knowledgeable broker, he will give you all the advice that you need. Another option is to do your research on the internet; there are many website where these insurance brokers are evaluated and people write about their experiences after working with them.

When it comes to getting a good deal on your car insurance quote, there are a few neat tricks that you can use to ensure that the price stays low. A lot of people will stay with the same company when it comes to car insurance for years, and while this is often a great option, there are also many other great deals out there. Here are a few of the best tips to ensure that your car insurance premium doesn’t break the bank.

#1 – Try not to claim for small amounts

Let’s say that you have an accident; the first thing that you will probably do is call your insurance company and let them take care of everything. Now, this isn’t always the best thing to do and in fact, we recommend that in a lot of cases you don’t do this if at all possible. Making claims on small amounts when it comes to car insurance can often pump up your quote for the following year. In fact, we’d say that anything up to a cost of £500, you should ideally fix without claiming through your car insurance company.

The reason for this is that you will just be charged a higher premium when it comes to renewing your insurance the following year. You can also make sure to keep your excess high when you apply for the insurance to get a lower quote.

#2 – Be specific when it comes to your occupation

When you are filling in the forms on the comparison websites or even the insurance websites themselves, you will often be asked for your occupation. You might not have realised, but there are a handful of occupations that insurance companies don’t favour at all. If you have one of these occupations, your insurance premium might skyrocket. For example. many insurance companies don’t like sales reps or estate agents. This is usually because they will be traveling quite a lot.

By being more specific, you can lower your insurance premium. For example, let’s say that you do work for an estate agent but you only usually work at the office and do the admin work, you might put “administrative assistant” instead to lower your premium. Little things like this can add up to a big difference in your costs.

#3 – Don’t modify your car

A lot of people like to add extras to their cars these days, especially those that are young. However, adding a state-of-the-art surround sound system or colour neon lights to your car is only going to increase your insurance premium even more; and this is far from what you want, especially if you are young and have a high premium already.
By ensuring that you don’t modify your car too much with accessories, you can ensure that your premium stays as low as possible.

#4 – Add an extra driver to your policy

This might seem like a bit of a strange tip but in a lot of cases, this actually lowers your insurance costs. By adding another driver to your policy, you might see a reduction in your costs and it also means that a friend or family member can drive your car (should you allow it of course).

This is something to be careful with as it really does depend on a variety of factors. Age, relation and many other factors are taken into account by the insurance companies so make sure you explore this option before you go ahead with it.

#5 – Buy a used car

Again, this is a neat little trick to ensure that your premium is as low as possible. By purchasing a used car, you will be able to make sure that the value of the car your are insuring is much lower than if you purchased a brand new car. This means that should you opt for fully comprehensive insurance and the insurance company has to pay out should your car be stolen, they won’t have to pay out as much.

In effect, the cost of your car will be part of the algorithm used by insurance companies when it comes to calculating your premium. Used cars can be reliable and cheap too so this is actually a plus point for a lot of people.

Joshua is an extremely enthusiastic writer and has many money saving tips. If you’re looking for a used car at a great price, you can find used cars on finance here.

Recent data from Swinton Car Insurance reveals the makes and models of cars which have recorded the lowest number of speeding convictions in the UK. The research compiled from Swinton Car Insurance covers 545 from over 60 manufacturers. Input your car make and model into the app and discover whether you are a speed demon or a road angel.

Research suggests that the safest road users include drivers of the Volvo 360, Hyundai I40 and the Datsun Cherry. On the opposite end of the spectrum we have the speed demons including the Chrysler Ypsilon, Daewoo Lacetti and TVR Griffith 500 Convertible. What type of driver could you be? The Swinton Speedometer is linked to Facebook and Twitter allowing you to share your result with your friends and followers.

When looking at new car insurance policy it is vital to ensure that all eventualities are covered so that you are protected. Car insurance policies vary dependent on your needs. Classic car insurance for example may have extra emphasis on maintaining the bodywork of your vintage car in pristine condition. Car insurance for young drivers also varies; it can be a long process to find a great deal if you have only recently passed your test.

If you are looking for a great deal on your car insurance why not contact the specialist team at Swinton Car insurance who search the UKs top car insurance companies on your behalf to ensure that you get the best cover for your needs.