Cheap Car Insurance « MotorQuoteDirect

Posts Tagged ‘Cheap Car Insurance’

Financial Struggles for Peugeot

Friday, January 20th, 2012

This week motorsport suffered a blow as Peugeot announced that they were pulling the plug on all their involvement in sports car racing. They’ve had some brilliant success at Le Mans and in the related endurance series over recent years, however, due to financial difficulties, they’ve had to remove themselves from future events.

The most notable successes for Peugeot came in 2009 when they were victorious in the Le Mans 24 Hours race and in 2011 when they triumphed in the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup series.

Shock Announcement

The announcement from Peugeot was therefore, in the light of their brilliant success in recent years, a bit of a shock to all in the world of motorsport, however, it is a necessary action they just had to take at such a difficult time as the French manufacturer said in a statement: “This decision has been taken in the context of a difficult economic environment in Europe. Peugeot has chosen to concentrate resources on its sales performance in 2012.”

Peugeot’s car sales have been steadily declining over recent times, and so it is indeed understandable that they are now turning their attention to solely boosting sales through increased marketing efforts and through, of course, producing excellent road cars that will pull in more and more customers. At least that is the plan!

Value for Money?

Recent Peugeot’s have been impressive, the RCZ for example is a cracking looking car and I’ve seen a number of them on the road. They look like a supercar and are priced like a normal family saloon, and so they do offer good value for money.

It’s likely also that you will be able to acquire cheap car insurance on such a model as they only have relatively small engines. A 2.0 litre HDI is the top of the range, which will mean the RCZ will also be economical, which is of course very important and attractive to car owners these days. More of the same this year please Peugeot, and maybe they will indeed see sales increase.

What are your views on Peugeot pulling out of the endurance series, do you care? Or are you not too bothered?

Tags: Cheap Car Insurance, Motorsport, Peugeot, Peugeot RCZ
Posted in Car Manufacturer | No Comments »

Speed Cameras not slow in raising revenue

Tuesday, November 1st, 2011

At a time when many local authorities and councils have considered turning off static speed cameras in an attempt to save money, a national newspaper has highlighted just how much money some of the cameras are making for their owners.

Freedom of Information request reveals top earners

The Sun newspaper has managed to get statistics from the Government under a Freedom of Information (FoI) request which shows the position of cameras across the UK and how much each individual camera earns in revenue. The revelation will be especially galling for some local authorities who turned off cameras because Government cuts in budget made them financially untenable.

Cameras have divided opinion

The cameras have never been popular with motorists and motoring organisations in the UK, and faulty readings from cameras have in the past led to motorists having to pay excessive motor insurance premiums after getting penalty points on their driving licence. In contrast road safety groups claim the cameras are life savers and that there should be more of them across the highways and byways of the UK.

Camera on A1 (M) brings in £500,000

The ten cameras that turned out to be the biggest money spinners for the Government were dotted around the country, with the number 1 earner being situated on the A1 (M) in Hertfordshire. The temporary camera catches almost 800 speeding drivers a month which over a year brings in about half a million pounds in fines for the Government. It also ruins the chances of many motorists of ever getting cheap car insurance again, as the penalty points tot up. In number two spot and generating revenues of over £300,000 was a camera on the A3 near the South Coast port of Portsmouth. A camera on the A40 in London came in third whilst cameras in Yorkshire, Lancashire, Kent and the West Midlands all brought in well over £100,000 of revenue a year for the Whitehall coffers.

Nationwide figure of £100 million raised

The figures revealed that a stretch of road on the South coast near Brighton was the most likely place for motorists to be caught out driving too fast with the 11 cameras catching over 18,000 motorists, while a speed camera in Ferndown near Bournemouth did not catch one single motorist in three years. In all the 6,000 speed cameras spread across the UK generate £100 million in revenue with the top ten managing to contribute £3 million to that number.

Tags: Cheap Car Insurance, government, Money, Motor insurance, speed cameras
Posted in Car Insurance, Motor Insurance | No Comments »

Drink driving tests show significant drop

Tuesday, September 13th, 2011

It appears that drink driving motorists are more likely to get away with their anti-social habit this year compared to previous years as the number of drivers checked and given the breathalyser test has dropped dramatically according to the latest set of figures available.

They know the risk

Drink drivers are quite aware of the chances they take when they get into their vehicle under the influence of drink. If they are stopped by a police car they know a driving ban is almost certainly inevitable and cheap car insurance a thing of the past…forever! However, those prepared to take the gamble will be delighted by the findings of a Freedom of Information (FoI) request on the number of drivers stopped by traffic police and asked to take a breathalyser test.

Cuts forcing constabularies to reduce manpower

The FoI was responded to by 35 of the Police Forces asked and the stunning statistics show that 24% fewer motorists were breathalysed up to May 2011 than in the previous year. Critics say the reduction can be traced to the budget cuts forced upon constabularies across the UK who can no longer afford the man power necessary to put out adequate traffic control teams. Indeed around 60% of the respondents confirmed they had cut their traffic control teams in the last 12 months.

Drink driving not socially acceptable

In all 9,000 fewer motorists were given the test and road safety organisations say that coupled with the reduction in the number of speed enforcement cameras in operation, UK road safety has taken a massive backward step in the last few years. They are afraid that the work of a complete generation of road safety adverts will be lost if the present policy is continued. And they have a point. No longer is it socially acceptable to drink and drive and those that do bring shame upon themselves and can find little support anywhere. This is completely down to the concerted efforts of road safety campaigners and the willingness of successive governments to fund hard hitting campaigns.

Minister refutes accusation

Road Safety Minister Mike Penning, however, is not convinced that Government policy is to blame and quickly points out that of those who have been subjected to the test 8% more have been prosecuted which indicates that Police Officers are using their resources more intelligently. Whatever the truth is, most motorists will be disappointed that those prepared to lose their licence and incur massive motor insurance premiums seem to have less chance of being caught than they had in the past.

Tags: Cheap Car Insurance, drink driving, Motor insurance, safety
Posted in Car Insurance | No Comments »

5 Top Tips for Saving Money on Your Car Insurance

Monday, January 24th, 2011

With the recent sting of the recession, rise in VAT and the ever increasing petrol prices everyone is a bit strapped for cash at the moment. So, here at MotorQuoteDirect we thought this would be the perfect time to let you in on a few tips on how you can keep your car insurance quotes low and save money! Just follow these 5 simple tips and save yourself a bundle on your next car insurance quote:

Don’t Pimp Out Your Ride – You may think that adding a body kit or huge spoiler to your car is seriously cool (well if you are 17 anyway). However, your car insurance provider probably won’t agree! Modifications on your car mean more to insure and more potential risk meaning your premiums will soon be on the rise.

Keep it safe – You may be put off by the initial cost of a car alarm system, a steering lock or an immobilizer but the return on your insurance premium will be worth the investment. The safer you keep your car the less likely you are going to have to claim on your insurance and the lower your premiums will drop.

Check What’s Covered – It may seem obvious but it is always worth checking exactly what is covered in your policy and asking yourself “do I need all this?” Do you really need Fully Comprehensive or will Third Part Insurance do? Do you need breakdown cover or a courtesy car? Etc. Make sure you check out all your options before making a decision!

Do you need to take the car? – Your yearly mileage can have quite a noticeable effect on your insurance premium as the more you drive your car the more likely you are to have an accident. So, the next time you have the munchies and want to go to the corner shop why not walk instead of drive.

Pay Upfront – It may seem tempting to spread the cost of your car insurance over the year rather than paying upfront but this can end up costing you a lot more. If you choose to pay your premium monthly you will be using a credit service and could be charged up to 29% APR! So pay upfront and save yourself a bit of hassle and money.

So there you have it, simply follow these simply and easy tips and you are sure to save yourself a bit of cash on your car insurance. Anyone got any other good tips to share?

Tags: Car Insurance, Car Insurance Tips, Cheap Car Insurance, Money Saving Tips, Save Money on Car Insurance
Posted in Car Insurance, Car Insurance Cover Types | No Comments »

Over 100 years of experience

Wednesday, July 28th, 2010

Any driver car insurance was not even invented when the Fiat Company was born. Fiat is an acronym for ‘Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino’ and translated to English, reads ‘Italian Automobile Factory of Turin’. F.I.A.T. was founded on July 12, 1899, in the Italian city of Turin, at the time the city was enjoying a good period of industrial growth.

The first Fiat plant started in 1900, had 35 employees and made 24 cars. The Chairman was Mr Ludovico Scarfiotti, with Emanuele Cacherano di Bricherasio having the job as Vice Chairman. It was Giovanni Agnelli, however, whose strategic vision and determination paved the way for FIAT to become a household name. A former cavalry officer in the army, he managed to gain an important position with the original investors and he was made Managing Director in 1902. He came up with the idea of a promotional tour of Italy by car and this was successfully done with the finish line at the Milan Fair. The Fiat oval logo on a blue background was designed by Carlo Biscaretti and this was adopted in 1904, the first car to have the Fiat brand was a Model 4 HP. The Fiat Company focused on a two-pronged strategy for the company to grow. These were 1- diversification of production and 2- concentrate on the most promising markets. This has been the strategy for Fiat throughout over 100 years of history.

A decade after it was founded, Fiat had seen its capital stock increase to a massive 12 million Lire, it now had 2,500 employees and had manufactured a total of 1,215 cars. Even the First World War did not hamper them, as this meant a conversion to military production of army trucks, ambulances and engines for submarines, to name just a few. During this time, Giovanni Agnelli still had a vision of a bright future for Fiat based on car manufacturing. Following fact finding missions to the USA, Fiat then started to plan a new factory based on what they learned from the states. Fiat’s aim was to match the technology of America.

By 1948, mainly thanks to money received from the Marshall Plan (officially the European Recovery Program, it was the primary program during 1947-51, of the US for rebuilding and creating a stronger economy for Europe) factories had been rebuilt. The number of workers employed by Fiat increased by ten thousand. In 1946 Fiat recorded a loss. But the upward trend resumed two years later. As manufacturing output recovered in the years after the war, Fiat introduced the Fiat 500B, which was available to customers as a sedan or as a station wagon. When the 500C was released it offered for the first time, heating and ventilation installed as standard equipment. The first vehicles that were equipped with a diesel engine were driven off the assembly line in 1953.

Almost 60 years on from that first diesel engine FIAT is still going strong even though it has had its ups and downs.

Tags: Car Insurance, Cheap Car Insurance, FIAT, Italy, Motor, motoring
Posted in Car Insurance, Car Safety, Cheap Car Insurance, Savings | No Comments »

How to get cheap car insurance.

Thursday, May 28th, 2009

Obviously one of the best ways to save money is to shop around to make sure you’re getting the best deal. But the factors below can make a big difference in the premium you pay:

Mileage

Yearly mileage is usually a key factor in deciding the cost of your motor insurance premium. If you travel a lot then you will pay more. Keep your insurer up to date on your annual mileage.

Learner Drivers

Pass Plus is a great way to lower your insurance premiums. Insurers want to see you are a competent driver so passing your test can be added to by taking extra advances lessons. Your premium can be cut by up to 35% if you have an advanced driving certificate.

Alarms and Immobilisers

If you have alarm systems and / or an immobilizer fitted then you are less likely to have your car stolen which reduces your premium. There are some alarms and immobilisers which cut your premium more than others so check with your insurer before you have one installed.

Car Modifications

Modifying your car can add costs to your premiums.

Paying Monthly

If you pay monthly, you will be paying more because you will be using a credit service to pay for your insurance. Some companies charge fees of up to 29% APR for this service so consider paying your premium annually.

Main Drivers

Who you have as the main driver will affect your policy. If you share a car with someone and they have a cleaner driving license then put them as the main driver to save yourself money.

With insurance you get what you pay for, so make sure you’re not paying for ‘benefits’ that you don’t really need:

Courtesy Cars

You will be paying for this privilege (via your premium) so consider whether or not you really need it.

Legal Protection

It is a good idea to be covered in the event that you have an accident which wasn’t your fault and want the chance to claim back any uninsured losses. However, remember legal support is only granted if you have a good enough case.

Roadside assistance and breakdown cover

Do you need this? You may find that you can get cheaper breakdown cover from elsewhere.

Policy Excess

If you are willing to pay a larger excess then your insurance premium will be lower. Voluntary excess is different to compulsory excess to make sure you read the fine print.

Personal Injury / Belongings

Does your cover include personal injury claims and claims on personal belongings? If so, you may need to consider the costs.

Legal Advice

Does your insurance offer legal advice and medical counselling telephone lines? This may also cost a little more.

No Claims Bonuses

You will need to find out if your no claims bonus will be affected if the accident wasn’t your fault. You can also look into whether you can transfer a no claims bonus which was built up while driving on somebody else’s insurance.

You may also want to look into the no claims bonus scheme and how many claims you are allowed before your no claims bonus is affected.

Tags: Budgeting, Car, Car Insurance, Car Insurance Application, Car Insurance Claims, Cheap, Cheap Car Insurance, Comparison, Cost Management, Quote
Posted in Car Insurance, Car Insurance Application, Cheap Car Insurance, Savings | No Comments »