Car insurance is expensive. However, it is easy to save if you compare and leave out the superfluous. FOCUS Online gives tips on how to save money on your car insurance.
Mobility has its price – many a driver has to swallow when he transfers the premiums due for his car insurance. However, you can save a lot with car insurance. The tariff comparison is only the first step.
Online comparisons offer a quick overview of the conditions of the car insurers. You can often save several hundred euros a year.
Comprehensive insurance is generally worthwhile, especially for new cars. Because it pays for all accident damage, from dents to total write-offs. But if your car is already a few years old, partial comprehensive insurance is probably sufficient. Because the fully comprehensive insurance only pays the current value of the car after a total loss, for example.
Many drivers prefer to overestimate their annual mileage for car insurance rather than underestimate it. So they pay more than necessary. Rather calculate realistically. Insurance companies often offer to change the information again during the current insurance year. If you have driven more than estimated, you can report the additional kilometers to the insurance company. You should definitely do that. You will probably have to pay later. However, if you hide your higher mileage from the insurance company, you may also be fined. Conversely, you should also report to your insurance company if you drove less than specified. There is a good chance that you will then get back the overpaid contributions.
Before buying a car, find out in which type class the model is classified. The type class plays an important role in the calculation of premiums in car insurance. Because if a car is frequently stolen or involved in accidents, insurers demand a risk premium. So the owner has to pay more than the average.
Some additional services sound good, but make little sense. The Federation of Insureds emphasizes that passenger accident insurance is not necessary. “This insurance is superfluous because legitimate claims are already met by motor vehicle liability insurance. And if someone else causes the damage, their insurance company will kick in anyway,” emphasizes the association in a leaflet. Insurance protects passengers if they are injured or killed in an accident.
Some experts also consider driver accident insurance to be dispensable when it comes to car insurance: “Anyone who has already taken out occupational disability and accident insurance and, if applicable, daily sickness benefit insurance does not need driver protection insurance. These insurances offer comprehensive protection at all times and in all places and not only for the time behind the wheel. At best, tariffs where the insurer pays in advance can make sense.” However, if someone does not have all of this insurance, driver accident insurance could definitely make sense.
Driver accident insurance takes effect if the driver is injured in an accident. Depending on the tariff, she then pays benefits such as loss of earnings, compensation for pain and suffering or the conversion of the apartment to make it suitable for the disabled. However, the insurance only pays if the driver has no claims against third parties, for example if he is responsible for the accident himself.
With comprehensive insurance, you have the option of taking on part of the damage yourself. If you agree to a deductible, you save on the premium.
The ADAC has millions of members. But most of them only care about the breakdown service. However, many insurance companies and car manufacturers also offer it – and often much cheaper than the ADAC. You usually don’t have to do without the help of the “Yellow Angels”: Many insurers and car manufacturers cooperate with the ADAC.
Think carefully before you have your car insurance settle a claim. As a rule, you pay for the assumption of costs with an upgrade and higher contributions. As a rule of thumb, the experts on the “Finanztip” portal state that it is only worthwhile to settle an accident for a sum of 1,500 euros for motor vehicle liability and 1,300 for fully comprehensive insurance.
In certain circumstances, it is possible to match someone else’s no-claims bonus. When transferring, staying with the same insurer is not a requirement. Most societies offer a possibility of transmission in first-degree relationships, such as from parent to child or from brother to sister. Spouses can also transfer the SF discount to each other. However, if you give up, you lose your discount.
Important: You can only take on as many damage-free years as the recipient of the discount could have experienced himself in the time since he acquired his driver’s license. It is therefore not worth transferring to a novice driver. Insurers have a special form (TB28) that regulates the transfer. Giver and receiver must agree. The no-claims discounts of the deceased can also be taken over, but only up to twelve months after the death.
Back to the overview of motor insurance
