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   1. Car Insurance
   2. Travel Insurance
   3. Health Insurance
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CAR INSURANCE

Getting car insurance is so stressful, it's probably more fun to spend an evening with the in-laws. Why? Well, the main anxiety over car insurance is the cost. Obviously if you are under 25, that automatically means you drive like a maniac and crash all the time - so your premium is ridiculously high. Of course, everyone under 25 drives like that, so it's only fair… Not.

You have, however, made a start by looking online. Most car insurance companies who operate online save costs by not having offices on the high street - these savings are usually passed through to your premiums - so invariably the online companies are cheaper.

WHY SO HIGH?

It doesn't matter where you look though - car insurance is still blooming expensive. The first reason for rising car insurance premiums is that we as a nation have become more willing to sue other people. Drivers are more likely to make a claim for personal injury, like a serious case of whiplash, and the amounts paid out for injuries are much higher than they used to be. So the premiums get hiked up of course.

The second reason is NHS costs. Accident and emergency departments can now claim for cost of treatment from the insurance company. So the premiums get hiked up of course.

The third reason is uninsured drivers. Official statistics say that one in 20 drivers is uninsured, but it's probably more realistic to say one in ten… Any this means? The insurance premiums get hiked up of course.

CUTTING THE COSTS

As a parent, adding teenage drivers to a policy can significantly increase your car insurance premium. Only do so it if it is absolutely necessary. It's cheaper to consider adding a teenager on a temporary basis, for example, over the university holidays as opposed to the whole year. Or just boot them out of home and tell them their Auntie Jane will take care of things.

The other sure-fire way of holding down your car insurance premiums is to build up a full five-years no-claims bonus - known as a no-claims discount (NCD) - and guard it jealously. This can save you up to 65 per cent on your premiums.

Another thing that lowers your premium is 'excess'. This doesn't refer to how much beer or chocolate you eat - it's a different kind of excess. This term refers to the amount of money you're willing to stump up to pay for any repairs. The more money you're willing to pay out as excess, the lower your premium. The average excess is £200, but it can be higher if you want, depending on how deep your pockets are or how likely you think it is that you'll have an accident.

CHECKLIST

Be prepared! Avoid the frustration of ringing back - or logging on - make sure you have several bits of information to hand ready for your car insurance quote.

• Car make, model, and registration number
• Full postcode
• Number of years of no claims discount
• Where the car is normally kept - street, garage, etc
• Details of any other potential drivers - name, date of birth, licence type, residency in UK and occupation
• What the car will be used for - social domestic and pleasure or business
• Estimated annual mileage
• Type of cover you'll want - comprehensive, third party fire and theft, or third party only
• Full details of claims or convictions in the last three years

Ready to start looking for car insurance? Off you go then...

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 Rise early, work late, strike oil. 

Philip Kotler