Anyone who drives accident-free can look forward to falling insurance premiums every year. With a few tips, you can also save several hundred euros a year. FOCUS Online says what you need to consider.
Hardly any other insurance company has as many pitfalls as car insurance. Depending on the provider and tariff, costs can quickly run into four figures. Changing insurance usually helps.
But even with a supposedly cheap tariff, you can save a lot of money when you switch. The experts from “Finanztest” show where the greatest savings potential is.
Every driver can choose between liability, partial and fully comprehensive insurance. According to the “Finanztest” experts, the choice of insurance depends on the value of the vehicle. Liability insurance is sufficient up to a value of 3,000 euros.
If the car is worth between 3,000 and 15,000 euros, you should opt for comprehensive insurance. From a value of 15,000 euros, i.e. for most new cars and expensive used cars, the experts recommend fully comprehensive insurance. At an average of 325 euros, it costs more than three times as much as partial comprehensive insurance (89 euros), but the price depends on the individual no-claims class for the insurance company.
Insurance benefits at a glance:
If you have comprehensive insurance, you should also choose a deductible. The experts from “Finanztest” recommend a deductible of up to 150 euros for partially comprehensive insurance and 300 euros for fully comprehensive insurance. Drivers have to pay for damage up to this amount themselves.
With an excess of 150 euros you save between ten and 30 percent, with an excess of 300 euros even up to 35 percent.
Transfer the entire contribution at once instead of in installments. This saves you between five and eleven percent.
Enter the lowest possible annual mileage. If you drive 15,000 instead of 20,000 kilometers per year, you save between 10 and 15 percent.
If you drive more, you can increase the mileage. A quick phone call to the insurance company is usually sufficient.
Let only a limited number of drivers behind the wheel. This saves you between 30 and 40 percent.
But be careful: If you then let someone who is not registered drive your car, in the event of damage this can result in additional payment of premiums or even a penalty – for example half or a full annual premium.
Since insurers often cooperate with workshops that grant them favorable conditions, you should choose a tariff that is tied to a workshop. This saves you up to 13 percent.
In the event of damage, the insurer selects the workshop. The only exceptions: ordinary repairs and accidents through no fault of your own.
Telematics measures the driving behavior of the driver using a device in the car. If you follow the traffic rules and drive carefully, you can save between ten and 13 percent. Novice drivers in particular benefit from this measurement method.
Some professional groups receive large discounts. These include, for example, civil servants, employees in the public sector and employees of foundations. You save between three and 15 percent.
If your car is in a garage, you should tell your insurance company. So you save about seven percent.
Some insurers give a discount if you own your own property. This is often around twelve percent.
Each car is assigned to a specific type class. The higher the type class, the higher the insurance premium. There are 16 type classes in liability insurance, 23 in partially comprehensive insurance and 24 in fully comprehensive insurance.
The type classes at a glance:
Do you want to assert your rights? Please this way through the jungle of paragraphs! This FOCUS Special shows the leading lawyers and law firms.
Two of the same models are often in different type classes due to different engines. The savings potential here is five to 15 percent.
If you are the owner of an electric or hybrid car (electric petrol), you can also count on a price reduction. According to “Finanztest”, Allianz gives a 20 percent discount.
Holders of a BahnCard or a monthly ticket for local transport receive a discount from some providers. The savings potential is around two percent.
In some tariffs you can buy back accidental damage. This means: If the insurance company has paid for damage that you caused, you can still pay for it yourself until the end of the current year.
A buyback is particularly worthwhile in the case of minor damage if there is a risk of a downgrading of the no-claims class. But be careful: Some fully comprehensive tariffs do not include this option.
