Car insurance quotes for Northern Ireland: the basics

Quite a few years ago car insurance quotes for Northern Ireland would often have been slightly more expensive than mainland UK prices. However, recently prices are getting a bit more realistic and now that British household names are getting in on the act, drivers in Northern Ireland have a wider range of policies to choose from. The question is: how should you make that selection?

Compare prices

There’s no excuse for not shopping around. If you are looking for car insurance quotes for Northern Ireland online, the process only takes a couple of minutes if you use a car NI car insurance website, so it may be worth investing that amount of time to look for a good deal.

Most providers want to know your personal details, along with some information about the car itself and where it is kept. It’s important to give this information accurately, as even an innocent mistake can lead to the policy being voided on the grounds of false information.

When insurers give their quotes the prices speak for themselves, but don’t forget to look for details of what is included in the cover so that you can be sure that you are comparing like for like. Added extras like breakdown cover, personal belongings insurance and free hire cars can raise the cost of the premium, so decide whether these are essential to you, or whether you would prefer slightly cheaper, more basic cover.

Are there any discounts available?

Car insurance quotes for Northern Ireland can sometimes be reduced by the following factors:

• no claims discount. If you are a careful driver, make sure that you let insurers know about your no claims bonus. This can reduce the cost of your insurance and potentially make the premium more attractive;
• keeping your car in the garage. If you have a garage full of junk, empty it and park your car inside! Insurers perceive cars that are kept in garages as less likely to be stolen or damaged, so you could save yourself some money.
• fitting an immobiliser. Many newer cars have these fitted anyway, but if you have an older car it might be worth fitting one to make the vehicle more difficult to steal.
• calculating your mileage. If you only use the car for local journeys, take a moment to calculate how far you travel each year. It might not be as far as you think. A lower mileage limit could result in a lower premium;
• having a higher excess. At first glance it does seem odd to volunteer to have a higher excess. But this may make a difference when you are looking for car insurance quotes for Northern Ireland. Typically a higher excess means a slightly discounted premium.

Compare car insurance Northern Ireland: what insurers want to know

If you want to compare car insurance in Northern Ireland insurance you may find when shopping around that providers will ask you a series of questions. It may feel like the Spanish inquisition, but each question helps them to determine how risky you and your vehicle would be to insure.

Car insurance in Northern Ireland has historically been more expensive than the cover available on mainland UK for a variety or reasons. Now, however, insurers are becoming more and more competitive in their approach, as they actively seek your business. So what will they typically want to know when you compare car insurance Northern Ireland cover?

Who are you?

If you are a student or a young person, you may find that the premiums you are offered are much higher than the cover that is available for older people. There is little that can be done about this, although you may find that specialist insurers who deal mostly with students or new drivers might be a little more understanding about your inexperience.

On the other hand, if you are a more mature driver, now is the time to benefit from your experience and get an attractively priced premium!

What is your car like?

One of the benefits of having a more modest car is that cheaper and widely available models are typically less expensive to insure than pricier, rarer makes. And if you drive a classic car, you may find that insurers who specialise in cover for older cars and / or classic cars may offer a discount or a more competitive rate.

How much do you drive?

If you cover a lot of mileage each year, this needs to be declared to the insurance companies. Otherwise you may find that an insurer does not pay out if there is an accident, as they could void the policy because of the wrong information that you provided (even if you did not deliberately give false information).

Where do you keep the car?

When you compare car insurance Northern Ireland providers will typically want to know where your car is kept so they can assess the potential risk of theft. Accordingly, if you keep the vehicle in a locked, secure garage, an insurer will deem this to be less risky than keeping your car on the road or in a public car park.
Of course, there are online car insurance Northern Ireland brokers who allow you to access a range of quotes from one form, so this may be a quicker and easier way of comparing NI car insurance cover.