Cheaper car insurance

19 Dont accept the first insurance quote youre offered, or automatically renew your policy. Use comparison websites such as whatcarcompare.com to find the best deals on the market, and then ask your insurer to beat the cheapest ones.

20 Adding an older driver to your policy can bring down the premium. We found that adding a parent to a 17-year-old male students policy for a 1.25-litre Ford Fiesta reduced the cost by 1100. Listing other cars in the household that you have access to can also reduce insurance prices.

21 Increase the excess on your policy and the premium will come down. Be careful not to go too high, though, because repairs could end up costing you a lot of money.

22 Some policy prices are based on you covering a certain number of miles, say 12,000, per year. Tell your insurance company if you know you wont drive that far, because itll cut your premium.

23 Be clever about the information that will be used to calculate your premium. Weve found that reducing the value of the car by just 5, from 10,000 to 9995, can reduce quotes. Similarly, trying different job descriptions can help. For example, switch care assistant for nurse, or publican for landlord. Do not lie, though.

24 If you pay your insurance in monthly instalments you will fork out more. This is because of credit charges that insurers add to your premium. Pay the bill up front if you can afford to.