Rising prices for maintenance and repairs are driving up auto insurance rates this year. With a few tricks, you can still save diligently. Above all, a deductible pushes the price down.
A deductible in car insurance is worth it: the premium for the coming year can be reduced by up to 36 percent, saving insured persons up to 560 euros a year. This is shown by model calculations by the comparison portal Verivox. It is also worth choosing a fully comprehensive tariff with workshop commitments and paying the premium annually instead of being debited monthly or quarterly. Insurers grant an average discount of eight percent in each case. On the other hand, there is hardly any discount for cars that are parked in the garage at night.
The Verivox evaluation shows: Customers can save up to 36 percent on the premium for fully comprehensive insurance in 2023 if they choose a tariff with a deductible of 300 euros. This saves a 35-year-old model driver of a Golf VII from Berlin 560 euros a year. That means: In this case, after a little more than one claim-free year, the advantage is greater than the possible costs of the deductible. On average for the tariffs evaluated by Verivox, the contribution savings through the deductible is 23 percent or 276 euros per year.
Full insurance without a deductible is therefore only worthwhile for policyholders who cause damage at least once a year. With a deductible, on the other hand, they are usually in profit after a little more than one year without any claims.
Drivers can also reduce their contribution thanks to workshop loyalty: the average saving here is eight percent, with a maximum discount of up to 22 percent. Good to know: The workshop connection only applies if the insurer settles a damage claim. In which workshop motorists otherwise have their vehicle serviced is up to them. “Especially in urban areas, the workshop network of insurers is so well developed that insured persons do not suffer any disadvantages from being tied to a workshop,” explains Wolfgang Schütz, Managing Director of Verivox Versicherungsvergleich GmbH. “In addition to the price reductions, they sometimes even benefit from additional services in their insurer’s partner workshops.”
Check the rates of the car insurers now
An annual payment of the insurance premium is just as worthwhile as tariffs with a workshop connection. Consumers save up to a quarter each year compared to a three-monthly payment method. The average saving is eight percent.
A career in the civil service also has advantages when it comes to car insurance: On average, civil servants pay six percent less, and there is a maximum discount of 22 percent.
There’s also good news for city dwellers: curbside parking rarely pays more for car insurance than policyholders with a lockable garage. On average, the saving is just one percent, at the top six percent.
In view of this information, policyholders should now check whether they can get more discount benefits from another provider – and switch. The car insurance comparison from FOCUS online and Verivox gives a good overview. There you will also be forwarded directly to the application process for your new insurer. By November 30th, every vehicle owner may change insurers without giving a reason, effective January 1st, 2023. In the event of a premium increase, a special right of termination also applies to all affected customers. It is then still possible to change insurance in December.
