Whether you live in a city like Belfast, Lisburn or Newry, or you’re in a smaller town like Bushmills, Ballyclare or Ballycastle, there are a few steps you can take to find cheaper insurance quotes when you’re insuring a used car.
First and foremost, you should shop around by comparing used car insurance quotes from a wide range of different insurance providers, which should increase your odds of finding the right policy at the right price. And luckily when it comes to that our insurance partners Compare NI have got you covered, because you can compare used car insurance quotes here.
But besides shopping around and comparing quotes each time your policy is due for renewal, there are a few other things you can do to increase your odds of finding cheaper insurance for your used car. Here are four, for starters.
- Parking your car in a garage or on a private driveway: Cars that are parked on the roadside usually cost more to insure because their proximity to passing traffic increases the risk that they will be involved in a fender bender, while cars parked on the road are also more likely to be targeted by thieves. By parking in a garage or on a driveway you could therefore help lower the cost of insuring your used car.
- Paying for your insurance policy annually: Most insurance providers will allow you to pay monthly, but there’s usually a cost to pay for this convenience. By paying annually you could therefore reduce your overall insurance costs by as much as 5% to 10%.
- Installing additional security features: If your used car is an older model it may not have a manufacturer-fitted alarm or immobiliser. Installing these security features could help to reduce your premium a little, although it is worth doing a price comparison to see whether the cost of the alarm or immobiliser will be offset by the reduction in your premium.
- Trading in your motor for one in a lower insurance group: While this might seem a little drastic, if the cost of your insurance is more than you can afford it might be worth considering selling your current set of wheels and buying a different used car that falls into a lower insurance group.
Insuring a used car in Northern Ireland: Your questions answered
Is it cheaper to insure a used car?
In theory, if you were comparing the cost of insuring two identical cars, one of which was a used car and one of which was a brand-new motor, then the used car insurance policy would likely be a little cheaper – provided the policyholder remained the same for both, of course.
That’s because a used car will usually have a lower ‘current market value’ than a brand-new car of the same make and model would have.
However, the comparison is rarely that straightforward, because insurance providers use a wide range of different risk factors when calculating a premium, and if any of those variables are different it could skew the premiums upwards or downwards.
Does it cost more to insure a used car if I live in a city like Belfast?
Yes, all other things being equal it is possible you might pay a little more for your car insurance policy if you happen to live in a city.
There are two reasons for that:
- Major cities like Belfast generally have higher congestion levels than small towns, and congestion can increase the odds of road traffic accidents occurring.
- Big cities often have higher vehicle crimes rates too, which insurance providers will also take into account when calculating your premium.
Is used car insurance in Northern Ireland more expensive than in other parts of the UK?
No, in the past car insurance in Northern Ireland generally cost significantly more than an equivalent policy might cost in any other part of the UK, but the average cost of a policy here is now roughly on par with the average premium in England, and only slightly higher than the average premium in Scotland or Wales.
