Car insurance tends to always come with premium expenses attached. This is why most insurance buyers seek ways to get cheaper car insurance. Also, buying car insurance seems like a tedious process because of the number of documentation and steps involved. The process of searching for auto insurance online can be intimidating and confusing for people, especially seniors. A step-by-step guide can help simplify things. Additionally, it also enables seniors to get cheaper car insurance.

Car insurance for seniors – Average costs and saving tips
As per market research, the average comprehensive car insurance policy premium costs ranged from about £326 for 70-74-year-olds to around £338 for 75-79-year-olds annually. As expected, a steady increase in premium rates was seen, with car owners aged between 80 and 84 paying around £416, while people aged between 85 and 89 paying £519 on average. The trend clearly shows that the annual premium for car insurance for people over 70 is lower than that for people over 80.

If these numbers seem overwhelming, then certain tips can be useful to get cheaper car insurance policies for buyers.

• Comparing different car insurance quotes
  Unlike a few decades ago, there are a plethora of car insurance providers in the market today. Car insurance seekers need to check out and compare the prices of the three main kinds of car insurance: Comprehensive, third-party and third-party, fire and theft (TPFT). Third-party providers offer a basic level of coverage and are not even the cheapest insurance policies. Comparing multiple insurance providers and their premium rates enables buyers to get the most reasonable prices possible.
• Reducing one’s annual mileage
  A vehicle’s annual fuel economy is linked to how accident-prone it can be. The fewer miles a car clocks up in a year, the lesser the risk of the vehicle having an accident. This is why many car insurance providers factor in annual mileage before giving buyers a quote on premium rates. Reducing the usage of cars is a solid way to ensure that car insurance premium rates will be low.
• Choosing a cheaper vehicle to insure
  Coverage providers tend to group different vehicles in different groups. Smaller cars like hatchbacks occupy lower insurance groups, while SUVs are among the costliest vehicles to insure. This is one of the strong and prominent reasons for people to opt for smaller vehicles.

Car insurance for seniors step-by-step procedure
Buying coverage for one’s car is a fairly straightforward process with specific steps.

Knowing the different kinds of coverage
Learning about the three main kinds of car insurance helps people make more informed choices while purchasing policies for their vehicles.

• Third-party policies offer the minimum legal coverage for damage caused to someone else’s vehicle or property or personal injury to someone involved in an accident with the policyholder. The coverage also includes accidents caused by the passenger (when the driver/owner of the vehicle is the policyholder). Third-party coverage does not cover repairs made to one’s own vehicle.
• Third-party, fire and theft policies cover and financially protect car owners from vehicle damage caused by fire, theft, as well as attempted theft. These policies also cover claims made by a third party in case the policyholder is involved in an accident with them.
• Comprehensive cover offers financial coverage for third-party, fire and theft-related issues and the cost of repairing or replacing one’s car in case the vehicle is involved in an accident or vandalised.

Submitting key documentation to the insurance provider
Before giving quotes to clients, insurance providers ask for two specific sets of information from policy seekers. To begin with, the vehicle details are needed. These include the registration number, the estimated annual mileage and the make/model type of the vehicle to be insured. Then, the policy seeker’s details are needed. These include the vehicle owner’s name, residential address (including postcode), occupation, date of birth, any driving conviction details over the previous five years, any past motor claims made over the previous five years, and the type of license held and the number of years the vehicle owner has held it.

Receiving quotes and comparing key details for each insurance provider
Based on the personal details provided, the insurance provider will offer quotes to policy seekers. One should compare the details of the quotes offered by various insurance providers to make an informed decision.

• Any discounts offered
• Any policy restrictions (for example, certain providers only offer coverage for named drivers in the policy)
• The no-claims bonus – essentially, the benefits and discounts worth each year for users who do not make claims on their policies
• The monetary coverage, exclusions, and the amount of any excess

Providing necessary information to the insurance provider
Insurance companies ask their clients about past driving convictions, accidents and health conditions affecting their driving. Clients must provide accurate information to insurance providers, or policy claims and coverage will likely be rejected.

Buying the policy after checking the non-covered elements
Once all the information is verified, clients can purchase the car insurance policy. They need to check the things that the insurance provider does not cover. For example, certain providers do not offer coverage for unroadworthy vehicles for situations in which someone not covered by the policy was driving or where the driver did not have a valid driver’s license.

Popular car insurance providers
Some of the best over-50s car insurance providers are:

• NFU Mutual
  
• LV= Insurance
• AXA
• Aviva
  
• Churchill
  
• Co-op Insurance
• Direct Line
  
• Saga
  
• RAC