Your daily dose of car insurance quotes compared

Just to give you a scope on how online car insurance is done around the world, I'm including some links to some of the top ranking - and most respected - car insurance companies in the world:

AutoInsuranceRemedy offers American drivers up to 8 car insurance quotes in comparison. Elephant.co.uk is one of the pack leaders in the UK's online car insurance market, but also offers household insurance solutions direct to the consumer. If you're looking for multiple car insurance quotes in South Africa, be sure to check out MyCarCover.co.za.

Comparing car insurance quotes online will help you to find the right level of vehicle cover at the right price. Even if you're insured already, a quick comparative search could help you save money on your exisiting monthly premiums!

Go on - make marketplace competition work in your favour today.

Comparing car insurance quotes in SA and beyond

Just a quick post to give you a number of links to South African and other car insurance quote providers:

Auto & General Insurance, as the name implies, provides car and household insurance quotes online. Dial Direct, wanted for taking out the middleman is big on the direct angle. They cut the insurance broker out of the revenue loop to bring you increased savings on car insurance. OUTsurance and Ooba are also in there, and let's not forget Ist for Women Insurance, Hollard Pay As You Drive and Mutual & Federal Insurance. Check out My Car Cover for several affordable car insurance quotes or Elephant.co.uk for some cheap auto insurance in the UK.

If you've had any good service experiences with other car insurance comapanies, feel free to mention them in the comments!

More players entering the affordable car insurance fray

The South African economy is proving to be a brutal equaliser. Whereas a year ago many car insurers were punting no claim bonus payouts and loyalty benefits, it would seem that many of them are now relooking their insurance offering carefully.

Whereas insurance companies such as Budget have always punted cheap car insurance, rather than “lifestyle” car insurance, companies such as OUTsurance and DialDirect are now investing heavily in advertising the better car insurance deal, the lower rate or strong suggestion that you could be getting a substantial discount on your car insurance premiums by contacting them; and in many instances you well may be able to clinch more affordable car insurance – by simply getting one or more car insurance quotes online!

Back to basics for car insurance

Car insurance is and will always be a bit of a grudge buy – much as healthy people aren’t over the moon about spending a grand a month on medical aid that they never end up using. When the economy is booming, doing window dressing to make such products look like a million bucks was pretty much pioneered by Discovery.

Car insurance loyalty rewards... not so much

Spend a little bit more, and you could get free gym membership, free this, complimentary that, and the healthier you get (Read: less you claim) the more lifestyle rewards you’ll get to enjoy whilst you’re prancing around being vital. Then get into bed with institutional employers, and you’ve got a really good thing going that works for everyone. Until the interest rates start going up, that is. All of a sudden, everyone is forced to rework their budget. With a hack saw. All non-essential expenses are reviewed, and anything even remotely resembling frivolous expenses gets the chop.

Car insurance: Price again the key determining factor.

Welcome to a market environment where price starts mattering to the middleclass. Yes, it’s not the coolest branding, but if they’ll pay out when I have an accident, if my claim is processed fast and efficiently, I don’t care what they do with their logo and offices.

Thus, while many other industries are cutting marketing budget, economics-savvy insurers are spending even more on communicating to the consumer. Gone are the celebrity endorsements – right now, South Africans are concerned about good deals and value for money, whilst still expecting a good level of service.

Whilst the market holds many challenges for car insurance companies, it certainly also holds many opportunities for capturing a segment of the population that had temporarily lost touch with the exact nature of their economic situation.

I would say insurance companies should at least not be hating Tito Mboweni and his interest rate adjustments – it’s opened the perfect opportunity to gain greater market share by undercutting the competition.

Viva Tito Viva!

More broad-based financial services players such as Ooba are going in with a more broad-based marketing approach, promoting their bonds, insurance and credit card facilities fairly even-handedly, rather than going for broke in pushing one product into an uncertain marketplace. But, if you’re business is car insurance, you’re in for a penny and in for a pound.

For what is fundamentally an underwriting service, price and peer experience is already playing a growing role, and rewards program driven brand loyalty is no longer looking like a watertight solution to retaining market share in car insurance. Tell us about your cheap car insurance – out there, the consumers are listening and ready to put contending brands to the test.

Find out more about car insurance in SA here.

Beware "cheap" car insurance - get "affordable" car insurance!

Don't be fooled by car insurance companies advertising cheap or "the cheapest" car insurance - always compare a number of car insurance quotes in terms of the level of cover they offer. Also watch out for high insurance excess amounts or surcharges that kick in under certain conditions (such as when a vehicle is stolen or totally written off).

 

If you want to find out more about how to get the right level of insurance cover, be sure to check out this article on cheap vs affordable car insurance cover. If you're not into long distances or regular commuting, however, Hollard Insurance has a pay as you drive insurance option that may suit your budget better.

Either way, comparing multiple car insurance quotes online is a great starting point towards securing the best deals on car cover.

UK insurer pioneers performance-based car insurance for youngsters

In order to remain competitive in the car insurance market for young drivers, Swinton, a UK based car insurance company, is offering competent young drivers a premium reduction after 6 and 18 months - the longer your policy remains claim free, the cheaper your car insurance as a student or young driver becomes. 

Although South African car insurance companies haven't yet pursued this strategy, it certainly seems like a plan - besides, the older a young driver gets, the lower their statistical risk level becomes! Although the bucks back bonus is one way in which DialDirect rewards the careful policyholder, it's not really targeted at young drivers per se. Having said that, it's certainly one of the more dynamic companies, offering excellent service and affordable car insurance premiums. By cutting out the middleman - the traditional car insurance broker - they reduce costs and pass the savings on to the consumer. You could save up to 25% on your monthly car cover premiums, so why not submit a free online car insurance quote form to see how much you could be saving?

Bicycle insurance - it's worth it

Not insuring modern-day mountain bikes is inviting heartache. With MTBs and roadbikes costing up to R50 000 apiece, bicylce insurance has become essential. Especially in places like Rhodes Mem (Cape Town) skelms are robbing solo mountainbikers of their most prized possessions. When your new carbon GT or Merida All Mountain 5000  gets stolen, you will cry, believe me.

Unless you act now and insure your bike! Getting bicycle insurance with Outsurance or Dial Direct Insurance will require you to get household insurance as well, but the combination insurance policy will probably work out cheaper than specialised bicycle insurance policies, and will give you peace of mind and the confidence to ride when and where you please.

If you're in the market for a secondhand bike, check out Avron's Cycle Traders in Salt River, and if you're looking to have a german bicycle meister service your MTB or road bike, check out Olaf at Crosstown Cycles in Kenilworth. German engineering where you need it most on your bike :)

Save on your car insurance with these insurance cover tips

Saving on your monthly car insurance premiums starts with common sense: The more secure your car is, and the safer the areas you park it in, the less likely it is to get stolen or broken into. This, in turn, means that your car insurance company will not be taking a huge risk in signing you up as an insurance client.

The following insurance tips will help you reduce your monthly insurance premium, without compromising on your level of insurance cover.

Car insurance tips

1. Fit an immobiliser


2. Fit a vehicle tracking device


3. Use an anti-theft device


4. Park your car in a locked garage overnight


5. If you're renting, pick a safe suburb to live in.

Also be sure to check out these car insurance tips from another South African car insurance site.

Types of car insurance in SA

South African car insurance companies generally provide 3 types of car insurance cover, namely Third-party, Fire and Theft cover, Third-party Car Insurance and Comprehensive Car Insurance Cover. Get your head around these by checking out this Car Insurance Types article.

Why you should get free car cover quotes right now

So you already have a car cover policy - why should you bother shopping around for additional car insurance quotes right now? Because...you could be saving up to 25% on your existing monthly premiums! If you're currently spending R600, you could be getting the same cover for R450, leaving you with an extra R150 to burn!

Why not try it out now?  Simply complete MyCarCover's  free 1-minute car cover quote form for a free quote from Dial Direct or Outsurance, both top South African car insurance companies. Go on all car insurance quotes are obligation-free, so you've got nothing to lose!

Also check out their Car Cover Advice section for tips on getting the most out of your car cover policy.

Hot car insurance savings tip:

Do a search for "affordable car insurance" or "affordable car insurance quotes" and look out for My Car Cover, the insurance quote provider that could see you saving up to 25% on your monthly premiums with Dial Direct. Also be sure to check out OUTtsurance's insurance quotes - one in two people who submit their form gets a better deal!

Tips for reducing your car insurance premiums

Just stumbled across a handy list of tips for saving on car insurance courtesy of Onlinsurance.com. Rising inflation is eating into many a South African motorist's budget - yet there are ways of reducing your overheads without reducing your level of car insurance cover.

Car insurance, although vital, is not your only monthly expense!

I will add some more advice on how to reduct your car insurance premiums here soon. In the interim, you can take immediate action and get a car cover quote or two from a respected South African car insurance company here...

Being a responsible driver pays

Worldwide, the perception is that young male drivers are riskier to insure. The difference in average premiums between twenty and thirty year olds are quite staggering - but when doing underwriting, car insurance companies are wise to limit their risks - think about the way 18 year old guys drive!

Find out more about a recent UK survey on why men spend more on car insurance here.

There is no reason not to have motorcycle insurance

This weekend in Durban our host's son had a 500cc bike - but not motorcycle insurance policy. Not only is this short-sighted in terms of the bike getting stolen, but also in terms of having to pay for damages if he were to cause any damage to a third party's car or property. I was not in the mood for preaching, so I let it slide, but realistically, he is a prime candidate for getting gently guided towards getting motorcycle insurance online.

The roads are dangerous enough - don't expose yourself to financial risk by being pennywise and pound foolish - visit www.mycarcover.co.za for free scooter, vehicle and motorcycle insurnance quotes online.

Rental car insurance advice

Before you touch the keys of that rental car, read the following: Car rental companies require you to have insurance (and a license, obviaazly) - but there is rental insurance, and then there is rental insurance.

Avis, a leading South African car rental company, gives drivers the option of a standard excess (which on an entry-level car is more than R5 000 if you're a 28 year old male like myself) or a super excess cover option, with the excess payments for theft or accidents being as low as R1100. Now at an additional R55 per day extra, it's the best money you've ever spent, believe someone who's been on the short end of the insurance claim stick.

Rental Car insurance excess amounts: knowledge is power

As far as I can't tell there is no obligation for car rental companies to share this gem with you, and I have dealt with rental consults before that omitted to share this piece of information. Also be sure to check out some other useful car insurance tips courtesy of MyCarCover.

Forewarned is forearmed - happy holidays!

Start paying less on car insurance and household cover!

Car insurance and household cover is generally viewed as a bit of a grudge buy by South African consumers - but if you pause to think about it, it's one of the most important expenses you can incur.

Over time, this blog is to be filled with valuable advise on insurance topics ranging from excesses and savings on premiums to claims and types of car insurance. Ever wondered whether you only need fire and theft cover, or whether comprehensive car insurance will better suit your needs?

Keep watching this space to find out!

Be sure to return from time to time, and join us on this journey towards lower monthly premiums and more comprehensive car insurance and household cover!

Car insurance and business cover advice

Dear Reader.

What you are looking at here, is a car insurance resource in the making. Over time, this site will bring you car insurance tips, comparisons of South African car insurance companies, as well as advice on how to lower your monthly car and business insurance premiums without compromising on your level of insurance cover.

In the meantime, check out Mutual&Federal, one of South Africa's oldest insurance companies, or Edmunds.com, one of the top US auto and insurance players.

Keep watching this space for more!