With the credit crunch tightening its grip, its not surprising that more people than ever are abandoning new cars and opting for second-hand models that are cheaper to run. Increasingly canny motorists are scouting around for second-hand bargains, rather than shiny new cars that depreciate in value the moment you drive them off the forecourt.
This has led to a whole host of insurers coming forward with helpful information on how to bring costs down. Sadly – as with our report on the top breakdown service providers – the information given out by one insurer doesn’t always match that given by others.
We took a look at the two most contradictory: Swiftcover’s and Flux’s “cheapest cars to insure” lists. There were a few differences between the base customer used to develop each list and this resulted in not a single car in either list matching.
To help drivers get the best deals, swiftcover.com recently published a list of their top ten cheapest second-hand cars to insure:
- Smart Pure
- Fiat Seicento
- Skoda Fabia
- Toyota Aygo
- Nissan Micra
- Citroen C1
- Renault Clio
- Suzuki Wagon R
- Volkswagen Fox Urban
- Peugeot 107
The findings were based on the example of a 32-year-old man living in Birmingham with one previous speeding conviction. The quote took into account a full no claims discount, a £300 voluntary excess, mileage of 10,000 miles a year and a car that was kept off the road, on the drive. Taking all these factors into account, the Smart Pure generated the lowest premium of £350.84 a year.
Interestingly, last year Adrian Flux Insurance published another list of top ten cheapest cars to insure, but this time for 17 to 21 year-olds. The car in first place – the classic VW Beetle – doesn’t even make swiftcover’s Top 10. In its old shape, and with an engine capacity of up to 1600cc it came in at £932 a year for men and £714 for women. Flux’s full list is below:
- VW Beetle
- Vauxhall Corsa
- Peugeot 106
- Fiat Panda
- Austin Mini
- Fiat Uno
- Citroen AX
- Peugeot 205
- Renault 5
- Vauxhall Agila
Although lists such as those above are bound to vary, there are certain factors that are worth bearing in mind if you’re looking to cut costs. Firstly, the obvious – if a car is cheaper to buy it is generally cheaper to insure. Another thing to consider is the vroooom factor. The bigger the engine size, the higher your premiums are likely to be.
Also, find out how cheap the make and model you’re interested in is to repair. Is it easy or difficult to track down replacement parts? Almost 75% of the money insurers pay out in claims goes on repairs, so if you opt for a model that is notoriously expensive to fix your premiums may go up.
Safety is another issue. Buying a car with an immobiliser, tracker or alarm can bring down your premiums – the better savings in most instances coming where such is factory fitted, so make sure and ask. Even if your car doesn’t have a security device when you buy it, you may want to think about having one fitted.
The main advice is to not to put your faith in Top 10 lists too much as they tend not to be tailored to individuals and are often just a bit of fun. Don’t “trust your gut” either. Getting a quote is free and they are generally valid for up to 30 days allowing you to actually find out how much a car is going to be to insure BEFORE you buy it.
Specialist Cover Providers
