How Car Value Affects Insurance Premiums

Insurance groups

Let’s start by saying that every car is put into an insurance group. These groups are ordered from one (cheapest to insure) to fifty (priciest to insure) – determined by a number of factors. When underwriters set these insurance groups, they take several factors into account, these include:

• Car value
• Car performance
• Safety features
• Security features
• Cost of repairs and parts

How much affect does my car value have?

Although car value is considered, it’s not necessarily the determining factor of your insurance group. For example, you could buy a 1990s Skoda and assume that because it is a cheaper and older model, you will get a cheaper insurance premium. However, due to the lower safety and security features as well as the difficulty to get parts would make give it a higher insurance rating.

Why is my car value important?

When you apply for car insurance you will be asked to enter the estimated value of your vehicle. It’s important that you provide an accurate estimation that is close to the price you first bought the vehicle at. Although an insurance company won’t pay this initial price back to you (in the event of your car being written off, for example) this allows them to calculate an accurate current value for them to pay back to you. If you give an inaccurate estimation you may be liable to fraud allegations and/or cancellation of your policy.

What else affects my premium?

However, it’s not just your car that affects your insurance premium. Additional factors are also taken into account such as your personal circumstances. Your driving record, car usage, gender, age, and where you live are all considered as factors that increase or decrease your risk of an accident.

The next time you’re making a car purchase, we hope that our information on car value will be helpful. Alternatively, if you’ve found the car you want to purchase and are looking for a finance plan, get in touch and we’ll be more than happy to help!