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Topics: Crime, Martin Lewis, Money, Travel, UK News, Cars, Cost of Living
Tom Earnshaw
Topics: Crime, Martin Lewis, Money, Travel, UK News, Cars, Cost of Living
As premiums skyrocket, Martin Lewis' expert team has issued fresh advice on important rules to follow when renewing your car insurance so you don't break the law.
Despite inflation falling to a more acceptable four percent, we're living in a time where costs keep on rising across the board.
Among them is car insurance, with renewal quotes being a whole lot more than what people paid last year.
And no, I wish that was a made up increase but is sadly something this author is speaking from recent grim experience of.
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Compare the Market has said that car insurance costs for young drivers aged between 17 and 24 have increased by 49 percent, costing over £2,000 a year on average.
The main thing that we all do in these situations is shop around, or call our provider and see if they can lower the renewal quote by stressing your years of loyalty and - hopefully - no claims (it works, trust me).
There's a few things you can tinker with, too, when inputting your details before getting new quotes.
This can include your job title, as not every professional is perfectly covered by the system used by insurance companies. It's worth looking at the options available and seeing if you legitimately fit another and what that does to costs.
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One other way is adding people to your policy.
When you're a young driver in particular, this can reduce your premium by hundreds.
Adding a family member, such as your mum or dad, as a second driver can do wonders when in your late teens or early 20s.
Martin Lewis' Money Saving Expert team says: "Adding a second driver should push the cost up, yet bizarrely it can cut your costs.
"We tried adding a 40-year-old family member as an 'occasional' user (not a main driver) to an 18-year-old's policy which cut the premium by around £1,000."
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But the MSE team have warned against one method that some might use as it is highly illegal.
In one of their recent newsletters, the MSE guys warn against a practice called 'fronting'.
Speaking about fronting, the MSE team said: "It's fraud. It'll be checked if you claim and the insurance will be invalid if you're caught.
"You could even be prosecuted. Don't do it."
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But what is it? Well, instead of putting a parent or relative as a named driver it's where you put them as the main driver and yourself as the second.
To insurers, it gives the impression that they are the primarily user of the vehicle. It could see premiums drop hugely so, but it's against the law and means you're technically driving without valid insurance.
The MSE team say: "Never add a parent (or someone else) as a main driver if they aren't."
According to MoneySavingExpert.com, the best time to renew your car insurance is 20 to 26 days before your current policy ends.