Car insurance is one of the most expensive costs involved in owning a car, and it’s not something you can avoid – a minimum level of insurance is required by law for all cars.

Thankfully, that doesn’t mean you have to blindly pay whatever your insurer quotes you – there are several simple things you can do to reduce the cost of your premiums:

1. Shop around and buy car insurance online

Statistics show that many people blindly renew their car insurance with their existing provider without shopping around. The internet makes it easy to compare car insurance quotes from different insurers, so why not take advantage of this? Plus, you’ll usually get a discount of 10% or more just for buying your policy online, so it’s a win-win option.

2. Choose the right insurance cover

Do you really to take out fully comprehensive car insurance with all the extras? Going for a third party fire and theft policy instead, in some cases, could reduce your premiums hugely, and is definitely worth considering if your car isn’t an expensive model.

3. Don’t just go with the lowest excess

The excess on your car insurance policy is the amount of a claim you have to pay before the insurer pays the rest. Choosing to have a higher than standard amount of excess will usually lower your insurance premium.

4. No claims discounts

Nearly all policies feature a discount that increases for every year you don’t make a claim. The higher the discount available, the more you could save. Remember to look for insurers who are offering a ‘no claims bonus for life’ feature, where your current discount level can be fixed forever, even if you have to make a claim somewhere down the line.

5. How secure is your car?

Fitting your car with an alarm, immobiliser, or other security devices will help you save on the your insurance premiums.

If you can park your car off-road, e.g. on a driveway or in a garage overnight, or while it is not being used, it will be a lot safer, and therefore mean a cheaper insurance policy.

6. Pay off your insurance cover – don’t spread the cost

Many insurers charge you interest for the privilege of paying your insurance in monthly installments. If you can afford to, it’s better to pay off your insurance when you take it out to avoid paying high interest. Alternatively, look for an insurance company that doesn’t charge extra for monthly payment – this is where websites that enable you to compare car insurance quotes can be very helpful.

7. Give an accurate estimate of your yearly mileage

The more mileage you run up every year, the more your insurance will cost. That doesn’t mean that you have to reduce your mileage, so don’t panic. You just need to make sure that you are not overestimating how much you actually do drive.

8. More drivers equals higher insurance premium

The more drivers you have on your policy, the more your insurance will cost. Reduce the number of people insured to drive your car to the minimum possible, and try to get the policy in the name of a driver with the lowest risk profile. So, for example, if a car is driven by both a man and a woman, insuring it in the woman’s name will often result in a cheaper quote.