There are a few cited reasons for the price rises such as increased cost of claims and injury settlements.  Drivers and passengers are now claiming for minor injuries such as mild whiplash and winning their cases, meaning insurers need to pay out a lot more than in the past.  This is being heavily encouraged by TV advertisements by lawyers and solicitors and people are using it as a way to generate extra cash during the current credit crisis.

The winter has been particularly bad and crashes and accidents are up by around 30%, another factor thats causing higher prices.   Years of high commission payments to the big price comparison sites (aggregators) have also taken their toll and caused a double whammy, high cost of aquisition of customers and a dwindling renewals book as drivers are encouraged to switch every year to gain the latest new customer discount.

Despite this, it still makes sense to compare your insurance prices online and use a service like Quotezone to get the best deal for you.  Remember, prices are up across the whole market and so you’ll probably need to pay more for the same cover or switch to a cheaper cover such as moving from Comprehensive to Third Party Fire & Theft (TPFT).

Good luck in finding your bargain out there!

Although used tyres can be picked up at bargain prices, recent research shows that these savings could be a false economy. 20 tyres were bought from an online auction house and tested for roadworthiness. The results are not good news for anyone looking for cheap car insurance.

None of the tyres (0 out of 20) passed all the required safety measurements! Two even had less tread than the minimum level by law. This is particularly distressing as getting stopped by the police with such tyres will leave you with a fine,
points on your license and probably a driving conviction. All convictions must be disclosed when purchasing
insurance and they definitely cause an increase in your renewal premium.

Worse still, bald tyres will reduce the grip your car has on the road and increase the likelyhood of you having or
causing and accident. Not only costly but potentially fatal.

It seems that although its tempting to make a good saving on tyres bought on the Internet, be very careful what you
are buying and where possible use authorised stockists and dealers. The savings made on second rate tyres could be
completely wasted through higher insurance premiums.

Speaking of car insurance, if you want a fast cheap quote online, use Quotezone.  They have a fast and easy to use site that gets you prices you want.

This post about winter driving was written a few years ago but the advice is still relevant to our current situation in 2010 so don’t forget to read up and avoid disaster!

The first problem is your car insurance renewal as if you are unlucky enough to pick up any motoring convictions, your insurance premium will be higher as a result. Most convictions must be declared for the next 5 years after receiving them but for some of the more serious offences, the time is extended to 10 years. That means higher insurance premiums for at least 5 years!

If you get too many points on your license you will also receive a TT99. This severely limits your choice of brokers and insurance companies when taking out a new policy.

Thankfully, some insurers are now writing schemes that ignore a SP30 (the most common speeding conviction) if you only have one driver on your policy with this endorsement. Insurers are recognising that the rise in speed cameras on British roads means their clients have a high probability of getting an SP30 conviction. These insurers are champions of cheap motor insurance for convicted drivers!

Although its tempting to “omit” any convictions when discussing a policy, the law requires you to disclose any motoring and non-motoring convictions to your insurer. Failure to do so will invalidate your policy and could add some very
serious convictions such as an IN10 to your driving history. This is disasterous for most motorists as IN10 endorsements are so serious that only a handful of insurers will offer you a policy. Less choice will definitely mean higher insurance prices.

If you need cheap insurance for any conviction, use the Quotezone price comparison site to get great rates.

Below is a table showing all the current conviction codes and penalty points associated with each endorsement. These codes and point are for “aiding, abetting, counselling or procuring” endorsements. Visit the price comparison site Quotezone if you are looking for convicted driver insurance. All the conviction codes for endorsements titled “aiding, abetting, counselling or procuring” end with 2.

For example, aiding, abetting, counselling or procuring an IN10 means you will get a IN12 on your licence. Causing or permitting an LC20 means you will get an LC22 on your licence.

There is another separate post on this site if you want information on the standard conviction codes and points.

Remember, visit Quotezone if you want convicted driver insurance for any “aiding, abetting, counselling or procuring” endorsements at very cheap rates.

Below is a table showing all the current conviction codes and penalty points associated with each endorsement. These codes and point are for “causing or permitting” endorsements.  Visit the price comparison site Quotezone if you are looking for convicted driver insurance.  All the conviction codes for endorsements titled “causing or permitting” end with 4.

For example, causing or permitting an AC10 means you will get a AC14 on your licence.  Causing or permitting an SP30 means you will get an SP34 on your licence.

There is another separate post on this site if you want information on the standard conviction codes and points.

Remember, visit Quotezone if you want convicted driver insurance for any “causing or permitting” endorsements at very cheap rates.

1. Check your tyre pressure – Under inflated tyres create more resistance and use more fuel for your journey
2. Reduce unnecessary weight – Don’t carry around more tools than you need for the job, especially for jobs that are further away.  The extra weight means you need more fuel to maintain your speed
3. Don’t get lost – Plan your route to any job or delivery in an unfamiliar area or purchase a sat nav.  Any time spent driving around looking for your destination is a complete waste of fuel (and your time)
4. Switch off the air con – Keep the use of your air con to a minimum whilst you are in the van.  Any air con unit will use fuel to keep it running
5. Easy on the gas – Drive smoothly, accelerate gently and read the road ahead to avoid unnecessary braking
6. Keep it rolling – By keeping your van moving it will take less fuel to get back up to speed than to go from a standing start.  You can do this by increasing the distance between you and the vehicle in front and use the distance to naturally slow down.
7. Stick to the speed limits – Drive at or within the speed limit – the faster you go the greater the fuel consumption and the greater the pollution too. According to the Department for Transport driving at 70mph uses up to 9% more fuel than at 60mph and up to 15% more than at 50mph. Cruising at 80mph can use up to 25% more fuel than at 70mph.  It’s also a good idea as you will definitely not have to pay any speeding fines!

Sticking to the above suggestions can seriously improve your motoring costs in the tough financial climate.  One other great way to save on your motoring is to compare cheap van insurance with an online price comparison service.  You could save up to £200 on your renewal just in time for Christmas which will come in handy for the festive season.

Delivery drivers often leave the keys in the ignition to save time starting up the engine and to prevent the battery from going flat.  Other van drivers leave keys in their coat pocket or elsewhere around the van in easy reach of criminals.  Quick thinking theives are jumping into the drivers seat, escaping with the van and any cargo on board.

The theft of a van can spell trouble for any business through possible downtime while the van is replaced.  There may be further misery as insurers can class this as negligence on the part of the driver and invalidate the policy.  This means that there will be no payout so the stolen van and any goods or tools must be replaced from other sources of income, a chilling prospect in the current economic climate.

If you’ve been a victim of van theft in the past you can still get very cheap van insurance quotes through an online comparison service such as Quotezone

Many van drivers are stepping up their search for cheap van insurance as a way of combating high road prices, including fuel and road tax, however, according to specialists, extra money could be saved by carrying out checks to allow a van to pass its MOT first time.

One  industry insider said:

“Something as simple as revving the engine before parking up for an MOT or adding injector cleaner to the fuel can be enough to help ensure a vehicle passes the MOT Emissions test – it’s things like this that motorists can overlook.”

According to the Vehicle and Operator Service Agency, one in three vehicles fail to pass their average MOT first time so its worth brushing up on the basics to keep your driving costs down.

Hopefully you will pass your MOT first time with flying colours.  Next, compare cheap van insurance quotes online using a brilliant new price comparison site like Quotezone.

This news comes at a good time as the world is recovering from the recent disasters in banking and financial markets. This should leave regular people with more spare cash and will give rise to a sort of “feel good” factor when they see any reduction in their monthly out goings and could play a part in restoring faith in the economy.

Insurance quotes need not be another burden on your finances as you can get cheap van insurance quotes online and compare car insurance quotes through an online price comparison service such as Quotezone