Van insurance – Northern Ireland questions
You may find the following frequently asked questions to be of use if you’re seeking van insurance. Northern Ireland may have its own special considerations.
For van insurance, Northern Ireland doesn’t offer a lot of choice?
This is typically incorrect these days.
It’s probably fair to say that there is now far more choice around than has been the case for some decades. This is really good news for those looking for suitable deals.
It’s probably also equally true that the choice may, in some cases, still not be as extensive as it may be elsewhere or in other countries.
How can I keep my insurance costs down?
There is no single answer to this and a lot may depend upon your individual circumstances and the conditions of an individual policy.
The old commonsense steps still, typically, apply:
- avoid, if possible, having younger or inexperienced drivers on your policy;
- you may find that cover is divided based upon things such as whether you’re using your van for personal use or the carriage of goods on a hire/reward basis – make sure you only have the cover you need;
- avoid motoring convictions and accidents;
- garage or securely park your van off-road at night;
- fit immobilisers, trackers and other security devices.
Can I take my van abroad?
Once again, it is necessary to look at individual policies to be sure.
Some may provide EU cover, as standard. Others may only cover United Kingdom use. Some may cover the UK and Republic of Ireland.
If your policy does not cover your target destination as standard, you typically may be able to obtain additional cover for a modest extra cost.
Why do prices differ?
For van insurance, Northern Ireland insurance providers may not all view risks in the same way or price them identically. It is a good reason to shop around when selecting cover.
Northern Ireland car insurance – FAQs
Here are some commonly asked questions on the subject of Northern Ireland car insurance:
- is there any point looking around at different insurance options;
only you can really answer that but what is certain is that in terms of Northern Ireland car insurance, there is more choice today than there has been for many years – that increases consumer options and that may lead you to more attractive deals;
- how can I reduce the cost of my insurance;
typically by firstly looking around to compare one option against another – then by being prepared to take steps that may keep your car insurance quotation price down, such as by undertaking to park your vehicle off the public highway when not in use at night etc;
- which companies offer car insurance in Northern Ireland and which don’t;
that may be a problem if you don’t enjoy spending lots of time hunting on the internet – you may wish to consider the specialist sites that contain panels of Northern Ireland insurance providers;
- as a young driver, can I get cheaper insurance if it’s in my parents’ name;
no, at least not legally – you may be a second driver insured on a vehicle where your parents are the owners and primary drivers but if you insure your car in the name of a parent, this is called fronting and may be considered an offence;
- why is it costing me more now I have a larger car;
any step you take that increases the insurer’s perception of the risks involved in covering you, may lead to a higher premium – typically, bigger more powerful cars are more expensive to insure than smaller economical ones as they may be seen as constituting a higher risk of accidents and theft;
- why do insurers check my licence history;
that is most likely related to trying to see whether or not you have driving convictions recorded against you – any convictions may increase the cost of Northern Ireland car insurance and if they are for particularly serious offences, some insurers may decline to extended cover altogether, so, keeping your licence clean is always advisable.
Northern Ireland insurance – planning ahead
Whether you’re looking for first-time car, motorbike or household insurance, it may pay to plan ahead a little if you’re hoping to get a suitable deal on your Northern Ireland insurance.
Choice
Yes, there’s little doubt that there is now far more choice available when it comes to Northern Ireland insurance (particularly motor and motorcycle cover) than may have been the case even a few years ago.
Nevertheless, it can still be something of a drudge to try and find which companies offer their products and services into our home areas and which don’t.
If you want to save time, there are consolidation sites that contain information from various insurers that are offering insurance in Northern Ireland. Using those sites may help you concentrate on assessing deals and options and less on needing to become an internet search expert.
Information
When calculating the cost of your cover, insurers will typically take certain information you provide them with and use it to assess their risk.
This information typically includes:
- details about you, the policyholder and your licence/history;
- similar information relating to anyone you also wish to be insured to drive your vehicle;
- details on where you live, including information relating to where the car will be parked when not in use;
- of course, information on your vehicle.
Anything you do to reduce the risk as the potential insurer sees it, will also typically reduce the final premium you’ll pay for the cover.
Classic cost-reduction ideas
To try and keep your costs down:
- keep drivers on the policy to a minimum (avoiding younger drivers or those with driving convictions if at all possible);
- park your vehicle off-road overnight;
- don’t be tempted by big, powerful flashy cars – unless you have lots of spare cash to pay for the insurance premiums involved;
- keep your annual mileages down where possible;
- use additional security features such as trackers and immobilisers etc.
All these things may help you find a deal for Northern Ireland insurance that’s appropriate for you.
Looking for Northern Ireland insurance companies?
If your past experiences of buying insurance in Northern Ireland have been something less than satisfying, you may be pleasantly surprised to find that these days Northern Ireland insurance companies now offer a much wider choice of products.
Historically, trying to find suitable insurance may have been a bit of a frustrating experience. You may have spent significant amounts of time locating what seemed like an appropriate policy only to find that it was not available to Northern Ireland postcodes.
Now, you can find websites where you can be confident that you are accessing details of products that are available to Northern Ireland’s residents.
These sites contain details of Northern Ireland insurance companies offering a whole range of products covering your car, home, travel and pets etc.
You may find that premium costs may still be a little higher than those on the mainland but there may be options available that will help you to reduce these a little.
For car insurance, these may include:
- parking off road on your driveway or in your garage, to help reduce damage from accidents or vandalism;
- fitting an immobiliser;
- choosing a standard car rather than something more exotic;
- avoiding having younger drivers on your policy.
For home cover, whether you are an owner-occupier or rent your property, you may find that there may be discounts available for fitting approved locks or alarm systems. Being as accurate as possible with the value of your property and its contents may typically make sense, both to avoid being under insured and to ensure that you are not buying cover that you don’t actually need.
With some insurance products, if you agree to a higher voluntary excess, you may find that there may be fairly significant premium discounts.
There may still be a little way to go before Northern Ireland insurance companies can completely match premium prices on the mainland but at least things are now heading in the right direction.
Northern Ireland insurance companies – getting local options
In one sense, perhaps many of us don’t worry too much about whether or not we’re dealing with Northern Ireland insurance companies.
Of course, we’d like to support local businesses where possible but that presumes that they’re offering the products and services we require and at a cost-effective price.
Perhaps little has done more to internationalise our shopping habits, for insurance as well as anything else, than the internet. It’s now typically possible to shop just about anywhere in the world from the comfort of your own home, providing you have access to an internet connected PC.
In term of Northern Ireland insurance companies (or perhaps more correctly, insurance providers that would provide their products to Northern Ireland policyholders) the situation has historically been a little confused.
Getting motor vehicle or motorcycle insurance here was, for many decades, a major challenge. That was for all the well-known reasons and it meant that our choice, as consumers, was extremely limited.
Fortunately, today that position has changed significantly. Nobody is pretending that things are entirely comparable with the UK mainland or other parts of Europe but increasing normality in society has led to a greater number of insurance providers returning to this area and our postal codes.
Not everything is entirely easy though because it must be acknowledged that there are still some insurers that are not servicing the motor insurance market place in Northern Ireland. Trying to work out what companies are Northern Ireland insurance providers and those that are not, isn’t always easy.
A fair bit of time may be wasted if you’re trying to plough through the internet to discover all this yourself. That’s where the specialist sites that contain lists of insurers that sell in Northern Ireland, may come in very handy.
Through such sites, you’ll be able to access Northern Ireland insurance companies that happily offer various forms of cover to Northern Ireland consumers – and without needing to do the legwork of finding them yourself!
Insurance, Northern Ireland and your motor vehicle
For insurance, including car insurance, Northern Ireland now offers opportunities for both choice and influencing the amount you have to pay for your policy.
In terms of insurance, Northern Ireland policies may now be more susceptible to cost reducing measures such as:
- the cost of insurance for people with ‘clean licences’ is typically lower than for those with multiple penalty points – so working hard to keep your licence clean, makes sense in financial terms;
- cars parked on the street are typically more at risk than those parked on a driveway or in a garage, so if you can, get yours off the road when it is not in use;
- insurance providers are not ‘anti’ young people or inexperienced drivers, however, they do need to recognise them as being typically higher-risk drivers and therefore will typically charge them a higher premium – so avoiding including them on your policy may be something you wish to think about, unless you have absolutely no alternative;
- one of the larger factors behind the calculation of your premium will be the nature of the vehicle itself – selecting that very large and powerful vehicle might be the stuff of your dreams but remember that it will have a knock-on effect on the cost of your insurance, which may soar for particularly powerful and expensive models;
- some insurers are not comfortable with vehicles that have been heavily modified/customised to the extent that the basic details of the car have been changed (examples might include fitting new axles or supercharged engines etc) and once again that may lead to much higher premiums;
- for car insurance, Northern Ireland quotations and supporting documentation may typically highlight further opportunities for reducing your premium – which is one reason why it is important to read all of the policy documentation carefully, before you make a final decision.
New opportunities for Northern Ireland insurance
Being able to compare Northern Ireland insurance products online is something that has only recently become a worthwhile task in Northern Ireland.
There may be still some way to go before all prices for Northern Ireland insurance products, notably for car insurance, are on a par with those on the mainland UK but they are moving in the right direction. Hopefully things can only get better in the future.
In the meantime, there may be some steps your can take to help keep your premiums down, as discounts may be available for what could be some fairly commonsense steps.
So, for example, if you are looking for car insurance in Northern Ireland, you may benefit from:
- keeping your car in your garage or drive, rather than on the public thoroughfare, may help reduce damage from passing traffic and vandals. The risks or theft may also be reduced;
- trying to avoid having younger or inexperienced drivers, who may typically be considered to be higher risk by insurers, on your policy, as this can push costs up;
- fitting an alarm and an immobiliser to your vehicle may help deter thieves;
- avoiding cars which have been significantly altered or souped-up;
- try to be as accurate as possible when estimating your annual mileage – there’s no point in paying for cover that you don’t actually need.
With any type of insurance cover, agreeing to accept a higher excess may help keep premiums down a little, too.
Whether you are looking for insurance cover for your home, your pet, car or motorbike, being able to have fast and easy access to those companies that are prepared to offer Northern Ireland insurance products, may make your life just that little bit easier.
Getting hold of Northern Ireland insurance quotes
You may hear it occasionally said that Northern Ireland insurance quotes are hard to come by.
That is, quite simply, misleading!
It is, of course, sadly the case that in some previous decades it may have been very difficult to obtain motor vehicle insurance quotes in Northern Ireland. The reasons for that are well known but are now hopefully a matter of history.
It is also true to say that we are left with some unfortunate legacies of that period in that motor vehicle insurance for Northern Ireland remains typically more expensive than approximately comparable cover available on the mainland of the United Kingdom.
It’s also probably accurate to say that a number of major UK and international insurance organisations, remain a little wary of Northern Ireland as a marketplace for car insurance and this may mean that choice is still a little more restricted than in other countries (though the position is improving rapidly).
Yet this area of insurance is an exception and for many other forms of insurance, getting Northern Ireland insurance quotes is no different to anywhere else.
It is possible to obtain quotations for home insurance, travel insurance, life insurance and many other forms of policy (including motor vehicle and van insurance) without any significant difficulties.
Since the 1980s, the UK and European insurance markets have become increasingly dynamic and increasingly competitive. Technology has also played a major role in making it ever easier for potential customers to shop around and find the cover that is suitable for their circumstances.
Regrettably, for some of that time Northern Ireland’s special circumstances meant that some of the benefits of increased competition (most notably in the area of motor vehicle insurance) may have been slow to make an impact in our marketplace.
Today though, both technology and the prevailing market conditions now mean that Northern Ireland insurance consumers can benefit from that dynamic and competitive choice – and that can only be a good thing.
So, if you are looking for Northern Ireland insurance quotes, you should not encounter any showstoppers!
Northern Ireland house insurance
Whether you are an owner-occupier or live in a rented property in Northern Ireland, house insurance may typically be a sensible idea.
It may be a welcome change to note that, unlike the position with car insurance where premiums tend to be higher than elsewhere in the UK, Northern Ireland house insurance premiums may tend to be lower.
The level of cover that you may need may depend on several factors.
Buildings cover
If you own you property and have a mortgage, for example, then you may be required as part of your mortgage agreement, to have buildings cover at least to the value of your mortgage.
In fact though, the amount of buildings cover you opt for should ideally provide cover for the complete rebuild of the property including additional costs like architect and surveyor fees, site clearance etc.
Buildings insurance will protect your property and fixtures and fittings from the financial effects of damage from events like storms, fires, smoke and earthquakes etc. Not all policies may cover subsidence as standard, so if this is an issue for you, you may wish to ensure that it is specifically mentioned in the policy.
Contents cover
This provides cover for your belongings. It may typically be available in two forms:
- new for old – where you would receive a brand new replacement for a damaged or stolen item;
- market value – where the object would be replaced by an item of equivalent value and condition.
Different policies may also provide varying levels of cover for items of high value or things like cash and credit cards etc. Reading through the terms and conditions to make sure that you understand what is and is not covered, may typically be a sensible step.
Choice
It may not take you very long at all to compare a few quotes that may help ensure that you find a policy which most closely matches your requirements with what’s available in the Northern Ireland house insurance marketplace.
Thinking about Northern Ireland insurance companies
You may still be one of those people who just renew their insurance policies year after year with the same provider. This may have something to do with the fact that, in the not too distant past, the amount of choice in terms of Northern Ireland insurance companies may have left a lot to be desired.
The good news though is that these days, and particularly with the spread of the internet, having access to those Northern Ireland insurance companies who are prepared to offer their products to Northern Ireland residents, has never been easier.
There are now sites where you can match your own particular requirements against what is available and be sure that once you find what you’re looking for, being resident in Northern Ireland will not render you ineligible for the cover.
While choice is increasing to what could be said to be acceptable levels, the same may not always be true of prices – at least not with all NI insurance providers. Even with some reductions as competition increases, it still may be the case that for some residents of Northern Ireland, they may have to pay more for their insurance than those on the mainland.
Even small savings, from accepting higher excess on policies for example, can make a difference if you do this over a number of policies.
So whether you are looking for:
- vehicle insurance – car, van, bike, taxi etc (either for personal or commercial use);
- home building and contents cover;
- insurance for your caravan;
- wedding insurance;
- cover for your pet and vet bills etc;
- health insurance or
- travel cover;
you may be able to find Northern Ireland insurance companies that are able to offer you the cover you are looking for and at a price that may at least be heading in the right direction.
