Car insurance companies calculate the cost of your policy based on the risk of you having an accident and putting in a claim. It is therefore obvious that they look at the number of miles that you drive. This is why you are asked about your annual mileage.
If you left your car parked for the 12 months of the policy you will be much less likely to have an accident. That means every mile that you drive increases your risk.
It is for this reason that annual mileage is an important factor for you to consider when buying car insurance. The problem is that most people say they drive 10,000 to 15,000 miles per year because that is the perceived average for drivers in Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK (the actual average is more like 8,500 to 9,500).
If you looked at your miles properly and added up what you expect to drive, you may be surprised that the total comes out less than you think. Of course there are ways of getting this information accurately by looking at the miles you have actually driven in the past 12 months. But who is that organised?
So, sit down for five minutes and add the trips you make most weeks. You will then be able to use this to get a yearly average, although you should add on a bit more for unexpected journeys or long trips. This is the annual mileage figure that you should use when getting car insurance quotes.
Where you drive and when you drive is also important to car insurance companies. If you drive when roads are busy (during weekdays) and use your car for business or to get to and from work, you will be considered a higher risk than a driver who drives casually and at weekends. If you fall into the latter category, make sure you make potential insurers aware as they might be able to apply a discount.
Always remember that the most important thing about car insurance annual mileage estimates is to be as accurate as possible and always be honest. If you are not honest you might invalidate your insurance and put in jeopardy any claim you might need to make.
Annual Mileage Top Tips
So here are Car Insurance NI’s top annual mileage tips:
If you left your car parked for the 12 months of the policy you will be much less likely to have an accident. That means every mile that you drive increases your risk.
It is for this reason that annual mileage is an important factor for you to consider when buying car insurance. The problem is that most people say they drive 10,000 to 15,000 miles per year because that is the perceived average for drivers in Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK (the actual average is more like 8,500 to 9,500).
If you looked at your miles properly and added up what you expect to drive, you may be surprised that the total comes out less than you think. Of course there are ways of getting this information accurately by looking at the miles you have actually driven in the past 12 months. But who is that organised?
So, sit down for five minutes and add the trips you make most weeks. You will then be able to use this to get a yearly average, although you should add on a bit more for unexpected journeys or long trips. This is the annual mileage figure that you should use when getting car insurance quotes.
Where you drive and when you drive is also important to car insurance companies. If you drive when roads are busy (during weekdays) and use your car for business or to get to and from work, you will be considered a higher risk than a driver who drives casually and at weekends. If you fall into the latter category, make sure you make potential insurers aware as they might be able to apply a discount.
Always remember that the most important thing about car insurance annual mileage estimates is to be as accurate as possible and always be honest. If you are not honest you might invalidate your insurance and put in jeopardy any claim you might need to make.
Annual Mileage Top Tips
So here are Car Insurance NI’s top annual mileage tips:
- Always be honest
- Report as accurate a figure as possible
- Spend a few minutes adding up your actual miles instead of just using the UK or NI average
- Tell your insurer if you do not drive much during the day as you might be able to save money.
Once you have done all of this the only other option open to you is to reduce your annual mileage. Most of us would be able to do that if we tried by walking more, cycling more, and being better organised so errands can be done in single trips rather than multiple excursions.
0 comments: