Posts filed under 'insurance'
The department of transport has officially approved electronic car insurance certificates, which will make life much easier for drivers. Drivers will no longer have to wait for insurance certificates to arrive by post, but can receive them by email just a few minutes after purchasing insurance. The move will also make taxing your car easier as you can do it online using your electronic certificate, avoiding post office queues.
Car insurer swiftcover.com has welcomed the news by saying
We are delighted to see that e-certificates for motor insurance have finally been approved by the Department for Transport as this has been something that swiftcover.com has been pushing for since we began in business.
Our service is based on making car insurance quicker, simpler and more efficient to organise, which not only saves drivers time, by getting rid of things like call-centres, it also helps save costs.
This is a great move to make insuring your car easier and faster which most importantly means more time to spend on yourself!
May 27th, 2010
You would think that a multi-car insurance policy would save you money but in actual fact it could be cheaper to buy individual policies, according to swiftcover.com. They put it to the test and compared the price of two popular cars on a multi policy with the cost of insuring them separately. They found that multi car policy users could be paying up to twice as much for their car insurance!
Over the past 30 years the number of households with more than one car has grown and in 2008, 32% of households had access to two or more cars, so it’s no surprise that multi-car insurance sounds appealing to many. But before you rush into buying your insurance, it’s a good idea to compare the prices of different policies first- you could save yourself a lot of money.
May 1st, 2010
The freezing weather which we experienced at the start of the year has certainly taken its toll on the roads, with the number of potholes increasing by 60 per cent in the past two years. The AA reported that the amount of potholes has resulted in an increasing number of car insurance claims, and people have been left with flat tyres, damage to the wheels, steering and suspension problems.
I came across a useful website last week called fixmystreet.com where you can report potholes and other local issues; they will then forward your report to the local council, who will then look into the problem. There are a number of websites similar to this one which are useful for reporting damaged roads.
If your car has been damaged after hitting a pothole then you may be able to claim from the local highways authority. Here is a useful article about claiming for compensation: http://www.moneywise.co.uk/news-views/2010/02/09/claim-compensation-pothole-damage.
March 19th, 2010
Iggy Pop and the stooges were entered into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame on Monday night. The award took place in New York, where Iggy took to the stage and accepted the honour saying:
It’s a big industry. If it makes the right decisions, it will stay an industry. Music is life, and life is not a business.
Iggy and the stooges then performed ‘I wanna be your dog’ which according to the Mail Online was an energetic performance, which was accompanied by inductor Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day and Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam. Abba and Genesis were among the other groups who were also inducted into the hall of fame.
Iggy and the stooges have made a comeback this year and Iggy Pop also recently fronted swiftcover.com’s ‘Get A Life’ advertising campaign, which helped the insurer increase sales by a third in 2009.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKCmQe9vaNI
March 18th, 2010
With the majority of Britain proven to be image conscious, it’s no surprise that the popularity for today’s hot hatches is increasing. But what car insurance customers are unaware of, is the fact that having one of these sporty cars could increase your motor insurance premiums.
In recent insurance research done by Swiftcover found that sometimes it doesn’t matter how old motorists are, or how much road experience they have, it could still mean forking out a hefty amount for car insurance on a more luxurious hatchback.
The research showed that even a 30 year old man, with over 5 years no claims bonus could end up getting a car insurance quote of over £1000 on a Volkswagen Golf GTI, whereas if he were to opt for VW’s calmer version of the Golf hatchback, he could be saving over £500 on his annual premium.
It is mainly younger drivers who are tempted for the larger engine and sportier car, but car insurance claims figures show that these vehicles are more likely to be involved in an accident, cost more to repair and also appeal more to thieves.
swiftcover.com’s figures reveal the extra cost of opting for a hot hatch.
| ‘Hot Hatch’ |
Standard model |
Extra cost for a ‘hot hatch’ |
Volkswagen Golf GTI
£1,002 |
Volkswagen Golf S
£476 |
£526 |
Honda Civic Type R
£974 |
Honda Civic Type s
£507 |
£467 |
Seat Leon Cupra
£1,031 |
Seat Leon S
£485 |
£546 |
All quotes from swiftcover.com and are for a 30 year old male business professional living in Birmingham with five years no claims bonus and a £250 voluntary excess insuring 2010 models.
So, although having a hot hatch looks great, it could end costing more in the long run.
March 14th, 2010
Buying a second hand car is often cheaper than going to a dealer, but if you don’t know what to look for then it may cost you in the long run. Here is some advice for buying a used car:
If you dont know much about cars then take along someone who does. You could ask a friend or get an independent car check from a provider such as the AA.
Get a credit check, which will tell you if a car has any outstanding finance on it, if it does you may find that you don’t actually own it.
Go for a test drive- this will give you a good feel of the car and will help you pick up any potential issues, but make sure you have adequate car insurance cover to drive it.
Check the V5 registration document and make sure the name and address match the sellers. If the car doesn’t have a V5 document then best not to buy it.
Look at the vehicle identification number; make sure it matches the number on the V5 registration document, if it doesn’t then give it a miss.
For more advice click here: http://www.youtube.com/swiftcover
March 9th, 2010
Car insurance fronting is becoming a common problem with UK motorists, especially with parents wanting a cheaper motor insurance quote, but what many drivers are unaware of, is that they are actually breaking the law in doing so.
According to swiftcover.com one in four policy holders claim to accidently putting their son or daughter as a spouse or partner, instead of a named driver. In fact car insurance fronting has almost doubled in the last two years.
What is fronting?
Fronting is where an experienced motorist adds a young or new driver as a named driver to their policy. The main driver should be the one using the car most of the time and any additional drivers should be only driving occasionally. If the young or new driver uses the car more than the main driver, it is called fronting and is illegal as false information has been given to the car insurance company.
In some cases policy holders have often added a younger driver, normally a son or daughter, to their policy under the relation of ‘spouse’ or ‘partner’ therefore saving even more money on car insurance illegally.
Swiftcover says insurance companies share information between themselves and other agencies to help spot the tell-tale signs of attempted fraud.
Robin Reames, claims director for swiftcover.com, states that car insurance companies are “cracking down” on insurance fronting, as it eventually ends up costing other motorists more money.
Furthermore, anybody caught fronting – both the younger driver and the older driving committing the fraud – will face much higher insurance premiums in the future and may even be turned down by many insurers.
March 3rd, 2010
With half term coming up many families will jet off to ski resorts for fun packed holidays, and with the excellent snow conditions it’s bound to be a popular activity for the mid term break.
The Telegraph reported that half a metre of fresh snow is expected to fall in many resorts, across France, Austria, Switzerland and almost a metre in some US resorts which will make room for great skiing.
If you are more of a thrill seeker looking for a winter sport other than skiing then you may like to have a go at ice karting, similar to go-karting but with studded tyres. Alternatively you could try snowboarding or how about snowlerblading? Click here to have a look at some more adventurous activities, but make sure your travel insurance is in order before setting off on your trip.
February 12th, 2010
Toyota’s recent recall of vehicles has raised concerns amongst Toyota drivers about whether it is safe to drive their cars, and some are uncertain if their car insurance would cover them in the event of an accident.
Toyota recalled six models of vehicles because of problems with the accelerator pedals. The models affected are the IQ, Aygo, Yaris, Auris, Corolla, Avensis and Verso. The Times Online reported that the recall has cost Toyota $2billion which includes cars in Europe, China and the US. They also reported that drivers will have to wait another week before the new parts arrive in the UK, and repairs are only due to start on the 10th February.
More than 10 000 people in the UK have phoned Toyota with concerns, and to find out whether they should continue driving their cars. If you are concerned about your car and whether you will be covered if you have an accident, then it’s probably best to contact your insurance company to check.
If you are a UK Toyota customer and unsure whether your car is affected, then click here for more information.
February 5th, 2010
Readers of lovemoney.com recently voted swiftcover.com as the best ‘Value for Money’ car insurer for 2010. The awards were voted for by actual insurance buyers, which gives a real-life reflection of what customers think about the insurer.
Marketing Director of swiftcover.com, Tina Shortle says:
To be named the best, ‘Value for Money’ car insurer shows that our commitment to low cost car insurance backed by a service customers expect, is working
So if you are looking for value for money then it might be worth getting a quote from swiftcover.com.
February 3rd, 2010
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