insurance information Archives

Understanding What Affects Car Insurance Rates

9 April 2024 16:18 Leave a Comment

There are many factors that can have an impact on car insurance rates. Whether it’s due to age, credit score or the rising cost of materials, insurance prices can vary dramatically from case to case. Some factors are more specific to the driver, but some are having an impact on all drivers, causing average insurance premiums to rise. Whilst temporary car insurance can be a good alternative to cut annual costs, insurance criteria will still impact the price you have to pay…

**Why Have Insurance Prices Gone Up?**

The average cost of UK car insurance rose by 12% in the last three months of 2023 to £627. When comparing averages year on year, insurance premiums were 25% more expensive in 2023 than they were in 2022. The continued rise in costs has led to many drivers struggling to afford insurance.

Part of the reason for this is the increased costs of raw materials, car paint, and repairs for vehicles. According to the ABI, the cost of repairs has risen by a third since 2023, and replacement car parts have risen in cost by 12% to 21% too. Insurers have also reported an increased number of claims being made. In fact, there was a 29% increase in claims paid out in the second quarter of 2023 compared to the same period in 2022, resulting in a whopping £2.5 billion in payouts from insurers.

This all means that fixing and replacing cars has become more expensive, and more claims are being made. This means insurers are paying out more and more often. Hence, insurance costs have gone up to compensate for more money being paid out.

These factors impact average insurance rates for all drivers, but there are also individual factors insurers will always consider when you apply. These factors will also affect the price you are given.

Factors that Affect Insurance Costs

Insurers look at a range of criteria when calculating the price of insurance for each driver, it’s worth knowing what they are looking for when you search for insurance to get the best deal for yourself. Let’s look at some of the key factors that insurers will consider when calculating your premium.

You should never lie about any of these factors to get a lower quote though. Doing so would invalidate your insurance policy, leaving you driving uninsured which is illegal.

Car Model

The age, value, and insurance group of your car all affect your insurance premium. Cars are categorised into insurance groups, based on their value, repair cost, safety, and performance. The insurance group your vehicle is in will be a determining factor in the price of your insurance.

Car Modifications

Car modifications affect the price of insurance too – for example, custom exhausts or tinted windows can raise the cost of your premiums. It’s important to let your insurer know of any modifications made, claims can be refused if this information is omitted.

On the bright side, some safe modifications such as parking sensors can actually bring the cost down.

Your Age

Younger drivers under the age of 25 will typically face higher insurance costs due to lack of experience on the roads. Insurers see them as a higher risk for accidents, which means higher insurance costs. Temporary insurance for younger drivers can be a good alternative to paying for hefty annual costs, if they don’t drive all that often.

It’s not just younger drivers that can see higher costs though, drivers over 75 will be charged more too, as they are also considered higher-risk.

Your Location

Where you’re based also has an impact on insurance costs. Insurers look at the average number of claims in an area, and how many of these claims are fraudulent when calculating costs.

They also consider the crime rate of an area, how many accidents happen and how busy an area is. That’s why you might find car insurance in a city is more expensive than in rural areas.

Where You Keep Your Car

It’s not just the area in which you live that affects the cost of insurance, it is also where you typically park your car. Cars that are parked on public roads rather than private garages or driveways are more likely to be damaged or stolen, which will mean higher insurance costs.

Sharing a vehicle with a partner or family member who has a no-claims history can bring insurance costs down. If you are ever sharing your car with someone temporarily though, we recommend getting them to use short-term insurance cover, as it won’t affect your no-claims discount and will be cheaper than adding them to your policy.

Do not, however, add a main driver with good experience to the vehicle fraudulently, as this could lead to criminal convictions down the line and invalidate your insurance.

Your Occupation

Car insurance occupation categories also affect how much your insurance will cost. Some jobs may be viewed as high-risk, such as occupations that involve lots of time on the road, carrying specialist equipment in the vehicle, or driving at night for example. These types of roles would increase premiums.

On the other hand, less risky roles that don’t involve a lot of travelling won’t raise prices.

Even the job title comes into play here so be as specific as possible rather than opting for a more general term – do not provide false information though, that will invalidate your policy.

Your Driving Habits

Your driving habits will also affect your insurance costs – if you tend to drive more than the average driver, your chances of accidents increase along with wear and tear on your car, which leads to higher insurance prices.

It’s important to be honest about your mileage when applying for insurance. If you are seeing higher costs due to the amount of time spent on the road, black box insurance offered by some insurers can reduce the policy costs by allowing them to check you are driving responsibly.

Your Driving History

Drivers with a long list of claims on their record will have higher insurance costs, as insurers will be less willing to insure someone with a bad track record. They will also look at points on your licence, previous suspensions and convictions.

Insurers want drivers with clean records who won’t cause them any bother, so the better your driving history is, the better the insurance cost will be!

**How Could Your Insurance Costs be Reduced?**

To keep insurance costs down, there are a few things you can do, so you don’t have to break the bank getting yourself covered.

Choose the Right Car

As previously mentioned, your choice of car will impact the cost of insurance. It’s a good idea to choose a small, safe, cheap car if you are trying to keep costs down. This is particularly good advice for choosing a good first car, younger drivers will face high costs anyway, so choosing a sensible car is important. Larger, more expensive vehicles will cost more to repair and due to their power, will have an increased chance of accidents, meaning prices will be higher.

Keep the Car Safe

Try to store your car in a garage or private driveway to keep them from being damaged or stolen. Also, it’s a good idea to install safety modifications, such as a tracker, parking sensors, or a dash cam. Increasing how safe and secure your car is will reduce costs!

Maintain Your No-Claims Bonus

If you manage to go the year without making a claim, you’ll receive a no-claims bonus. This reduction in cost builds up the more years you rack up without a claim, meaning you’ll save money by driving safely.

If an annual policy isn’t suited to you, temporary insurance could be the thing you’ve been looking for. Temporary insurance allows drivers to choose from hourly insurance, to monthly policies instead of annually, making for a much more flexible and affordable product.

This is a great option for drivers who don’t drive all-year round, or for drivers who are looking to car share. You can get a quote in under two minutes today!

Why are Vehicles Impounded?

13 March 2024 16:23 Comments Off

Vehicle impounding is when a vehicle is towed to a compound lot, usually by the police, where it’s then ‘held’ until the owner is allowed to claim it – if impounded cars aren’t retrieved they are eventually scrapped for parts…

Unfortunately, our research has shown that vehicles being impounded are on the rise across the country – increasing by nearly 7,000 a year.

Why do police impound cars? Section 59 of the Police Reform Act 2002 states that if a police constable in uniform has grounds to believe a vehicle is being driven or used in an antisocial manner, they have the power to stop, seize, and remove the vehicle. Vehicles will also be sent to a compound for illegal activity and of course, not being properly insured…

***Reasons* Your Car Can *Be Impounded***

The police can seize your vehicle for a number of reasons. Having to get your car out of an impound can be very frustrating (less so when you use our compound release insurance of course), so take note of these impound causes so you can drive safely and without having your car seized.

Parking Violations

There’s a lot more at stake when you park badly than just being named and shamed. Whether you need to run into the shop for five minutes or think you might be able to get away with it, parking somewhere clearly marked with a ‘no parking’ sign could result in your car being seized. That’s right, parking in a place or a way that is deemed hazardous won’t just get you a ticket, you could see your vehicle towed away. Always park safely in designated parking areas, without causing any obstructions, the last thing you want is to have to track your car down and pay to have it released from a compound for your bad parking.

In addition, the ‘release’ fee for a clamped or impounded vehicle isn’t cheap – costing £160 for cars or motorcycles, and up to £700 for other vehicles, meaning parking sensibly is always in your best interest.

Driving Without Insurance or Tax

Not only is driving without insurance in the UK illegal, but you’ll also be fined £300, receive six penalty points on your licence, and your vehicle could be impounded.

However, you don’t have to be driving the vehicle for problems regarding a lack of insurance to arise – if you’ve failed to declare an uninsured vehicle as ‘off the road’, you could also get into trouble, as an uninsured car cannot be parked on a public road.

To park on a public road, you need a minimum of third-party insurance. This also applies to cars that are being held on private property, meaning that in reality, you should not be without insurance at any point unless your car is SORN.

You might also be wondering if the police can seize a car with no tax, the answer is yes. This means you should never risk driving without insurance OR tax, as modern automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras do much more than measure traffic flow – they can also detect anyone travelling without insurance or tax, meaning you will get caught, and your car could get impounded.

You can check the MID to confirm your insurance is present, so you can have peace of mind before setting off on a journey. With rising scams like ghost broking, leaving drivers uninsured without their knowledge, it’s no wonder we are seeing car impounding on the rise.

Legal Issues

In addition to the issues that arise from driving without insurance, the police are also likely to impound a vehicle if they believe or suspect it has been stolen, involved in a collision that has not been reported, or involved in any crime as a piece of evidence.

Ultimately, the best way to prevent your vehicle from being impounded is to drive safely, obey traffic laws, and ensure your car is always properly insured and taxed. Our temporary insurance is a great option for when you need to borrow a car, as you can be certain you are fully insured to drive it.

If you are unlucky enough to have your car locked in a compound then our impound release insurance is there for you to help release your vehicle in a timely manner.

Police seize and impound cars for a whole range of reasons, from traffic violations through to a lack of proper insurance and tax. As such, if you want to save yourself the hassle, avoid the points on your licence, and save money from significant fines, you must always make sure your car is properly insured, even if you are just driving 5 minutes up the road.

Our short-term impound insurance is a great help if you do ever find your car impounded – you can get a policy in under two minutes, helping you avoid building fines from the impound lot.

How To Avoid Ghost Broking

5 March 2024 10:09 Comments Off

There’s been a concerning rise in the amount of ghost broking happening on social media platforms – particularly Instagram and TikTok – where there are countless scams targeting unsuspecting consumers with too-good-to-be-true insurance premiums. Similar schemes have been popping up on money-saving forums and student websites, too. For those looking to save money and avoid annual insurance costs, we would always recommend temporary car insurance as the best option, if you don’t use your car often.

But what is ghost broking, and how can you avoid this increasingly common car insurance scam?

**What is Ghost Broking?**

Ghost broking is where people fraudulently pretend to be insurance brokers and offer to arrange insurance for drivers, in exchange for money. In actual fact, all they’re doing is plagiarising documents from real brokers and fabricating other paperwork to imitate authentic car insurance policies. Because this paperwork is often copied from genuine brokers, it can appear legitimate to those who’ve been targeted – making it particularly difficult to distinguish the scam. As ghost brokers tend to target people who don’t know how insurance works in the UK, younger drivers (especially students) and people who don’t speak a great deal of English often fall victim to this scam. It is illegal to drive in the UK without valid insurance, so if you end up driving around with plagiarised insurance from a Ghost broker, you could land yourself in hot water.

**How is Ghost Broking Happening?**

Ghost brokers operate in a number of ways. They might use their own valid insurance documents, but change the dates and names so it looks like it belongs to you – in reality, there’s no policy in your name at all. Another tactic they use is to buy a legitimate policy, but cancel it and pocket the refund – either way, you’ll be driving around uninsured.

Many people are falling for ghost broking scams, due to the deals they offer, but the lower-than-average prices are down to the use of fraudulent information. When purchasing a policy on your behalf, ghost brokers enter false information to make the costs cheaper. For instance, a young driver who only passed their test a few months ago could expect to pay a much higher premium than someone who’s been driving for many years. A ghost broker would lie about your age and other details (like your address, your car, your job), to bring down the cost, without your knowledge. In these cases, although a legitimate policy has been purchased, the inaccurate information used to get a lower price completely invalidates the policy.

When insurers discover fake policies, they typically cancel or void the insurance – and a history of voided policies will likely affect your ability to secure legitimate insurance in the future.

Driving without insurance means risking a whole host of serious penalties, including having your car impounded. This is why it’s absolutely crucial to know you’re purchasing insurance with a legitimate broker, and avoid any ghost broking scams.

How to Identify a Legitimate Insurance Broker

Legitimate insurance brokers will be regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) – the body responsible for ensuring customers receive fair treatment from financial services companies. The FCA’s code of conduct also means they’re less likely to treat customers unfairly, and if you feel you’ve been mistreated, you can (and should) make an official complaint to the Financial Ombudsman – a free and easy-to-use service that settles complaints between consumers and businesses that provide financial services.

If an insurer is regulated, they’ll have an FCA number which will typically be displayed prominently across their websites. Ours is 751221 – it’s at the bottom of every page. With this number, you can search the FCA’s register to check if the company is a legitimate one you can trust. (If it isn’t FCA-listed, don’t pursue the purchase.)

It’s also worth checking the Motor Insurance Database (MID) once you’ve bought a policy, using askMID, because any valid insurance policy will be listed on there. It might take some time to come through though – especially if you’ve just bought temporary insurance – so don’t worry if your policy hasn’t immediately shown up on the MID. As long as you keep hold of your policy documents, you’ll be fine.

We know how important it is for our customers to purchase an insurance policy with confidence. Whether that cover lasts for one hour or 28 days – we can guarantee you’ll be driving off fully insured and positive you won’t be facing any nasty surprises down the line. We’ve even been recognised for our work in the sector, winning The Insurance Times Awards prestigious Personal Lines Broker of the Year for 2023 most recently.

**What Happens if You Fall For a Ghost Broking Insurance Scam?**

As it stands, there’s no legal distinction between a victim of insurance fraud and someone deliberately breaking insurance laws. If you’re caught driving without insurance, the police could give you a fixed penalty of £300.00 and 6 penalty points – which is likely to make your insurance even more expensive in the future. If the case then goes to court you could receive an unlimited fine and/or be disqualified from driving entirely.

The police also have the power to seize, and in some cases, destroy the vehicle that’s being driven uninsured. There’s actually been a significant year on year rise in the number of vehicles being seized – or impounded – in the UK, with approximately 197,000 cars being seized in the past year alone. There’s likely a partial correlation between this rise and the growing prevalence of ghost broking scams, with more and more motorists having to face the consequences of driving without insurance.

If you’ve been targeted by a ghost broker and your car’s subsequently been impounded by the police, you’ll need to explore your options to get back on the road. Luckily, there’s such a thing as impound release insurance, to get you back on four wheels in no time, via a legitimate insurance broker.

It’s also imperative to report the ghost broker to the police. To stop them being able to target other people, give the police all the details you possibly can about the person who sold you the fake policy. You might also want to report to Action Fraud – the National Fraud & Cyber Crime Reporting Centre – as they’ll be able to pass information about the scam to insurers, and try to prevent any further ghost broking.

It’s really easy to fall foul of ghost broking fraudsters, and customers who’ve been scammed shouldn’t feel embarrassed. Just remember, if in doubt – check the FCA and MID, and ensure any future purchases you make are through legitimate, trustworthy brokers. Discover our award-winning temporary car insurance today.

Car Modifications That Can Invalidate or Increase Your Insurance Premium

21 February 2024 11:23 Leave a Comment

A study has revealed that a whopping 52% of drivers are unaware that they must declare all car modifications to their insurer. And, even more surprisingly, the same study revealed that 45-54-year-old retirees are the most likely age group to modify their vehicles, instead of the often stereotyped ‘boy racers’. We know that the older men get, the more important it is to have a nice car to them. But remember: understanding how car modifications affect insurance can’t be overlooked whatever your age.

From car modifications for aesthetics to those for improving the safety and handling of your vehicle, all types of modifications will have some sort of impact on your premiums – and most importantly all have to be declared to your insurance provider.

Whether you have an annual policy, use temporary car insurance, or are learning to drive with temporary learner insurance – if modifications haven’t been declared, you run the risk of your policy being invalidated…

Car Modifications That Affect Insurance

Car modifications can do a number of things to your car, change the aesthetics, improve handling, increase safety, increase speed, and so much more. If you are making changes that don’t impact how the car drives, or changes that should increase safety and vehicle control, you might be thinking ‘why would I need to declare that’ or ‘that won’t make a difference to my insurance’. But if you look at it from an insurer’s perspective, any change you make to your vehicle could be increasing your vehicle’s value or making it more prone to theft or damage – all things that your insurer will care about.

The below modifications legally need to be declared to your insurer and will have an impact on your premiums.

**List of Modifications That Must Be Declared:**

Engine Modifications
Mechanical Modifications (exhaust, brakes, transmission etc)
Wheel Modifications (not including winter wheels)
Bodywork Modifications –
Wing & Spoiler Changes
Wheel Arch Changes
Side Skirt Additions
Exterior Light Changes
Window Tinting

Suspension Modifications
Brake Modifications
Paint Jobs, Stickers & Decals
Interior Modifications –
Seat Changes
Light Changes
Pedal Changes
Steering Wheel Changes

Car Modifications That May Raise Your Premiums

Before you set out to get your car modified, consider the increased cost to your insurance premiums that might ensue. If you are making your car more valuable, more likely to be stolen, or making it faster and potentially accident-prone there’s a good chance your insurance costs will go up.

But whatever you do, don’t avoid declaring these to try and avoid insurance cost increases – doing so can cause your insurance to be invalidated, meaning you will be illegally driving without valid insurance. Something that isn’t worth the risk…

Paintwork Changes, Stickers & Decals

Maintaining the paintwork on your vehicle is important, as the paint layer acts as a protective layer for your bodywork. However, if you decide to have your car custom-painted for a hefty price, this could also have a knock-on effect, as this raises the value of your car – making it more attractive to thieves.

Additionally, insurers will associate certain paints or decals with drivers who are more likely to make claims, meaning you might just be painting yourself with the wrong brush in opting for a new paint job.

Engine Modifications & Upgrades

Installing a turbo on your vehicle’s engine might improve the performance and fuel efficiency of your car, but it can also raise your insurance. This is because a turbo engine is usually more expensive to fix, while adding power and speed can also increase the risk of an accident in the wrong hands.

In addition, failing to declare the addition of a turbo to your vehicle could void your insurance entirely. Alternatively, engine tunes and remaps could also invalidate your policy if you fail to mention them to an insurer.

Cold Air Intake Changes

If you install a Cold Air Intake to improve engine combustion you must declare it, it may only slightly increase your premiums.

Wheel Modifications

If you are switching from steel wheels to alloy wheels you are likely to see an insurance premium increase. This is because whilst they may make your car easier to drive, they are also more expensive and are very alluring to thieves.

Trying to make your wheels a bit more swish? Unfortunately, even the simple act of painting your standard wheels could raise your premium, with upgrading them likely to be even more costly.

Some wheel modifications are illegal in the UK, including stretched tyres and mixing tyre types.

Car Light Modifications

Many modifications of car lights will not impact your insurance premiums, but some modifications can cause issues.

The first of these are LED strips on the bottom of your car. When these are mixed with a history of claims, theft, and irresponsible driving, your insurer is likely to increase your premium.

In addition, coloured LED headlights and flashing under-car lights are illegal and therefore invalidate your insurance.

Adding Nitrous Oxide Systems

While these systems are not illegal themselves (as many believe), they can increase your premium by as much as 132% – meaning they are exceptionally costly additions to your vehicle.

However, if you fail to tell your insurer about these mods, these could be considered illegal. In addition, these systems can be dangerous when improperly installed, as they increase cylinder pressure.

Lowering Car Suspension

Car suspension can be lowered as long as this doesn’t detrimentally affect the steering of the car or the angle of the headlights. However, any suspension adjustments must still be declared as lowering your car can make it more prone to damage whilst driving over speed bumps, or uneven road surfaces.

Modifying the Exhaust System

Any modifications to your exhaust system are likely to increase your premiums due to increasing engine performance.

It is also important to note that any modifications that remove exhaust silencers creating a loud exhaust system are illegal in the UK.

Upgrading Brake Discs

While upgrading your brake discs will improve the safety and control of your car, opting for more costly discs like carbon ceramics or slotted brake discs will increase your vehicle’s overall value. Which you guessed it, leads to an increase in insurance premiums.

Bodywork Modifications

Bodywork modifications may be to personalise your car’s style, but they can have detrimental effects on safety and thus will increase your premiums. For example, adding larger bumpers or side skirts to your car will increase the risk of damage on bumpy roads and from squeezing through tight gaps.

Other body modifications that will also impact your premiums include – modified wheel arches, flared wings, and the addition of spoilers and valances.

Gear & Transmission Modifications

Changes to your gearbox will alter how your car drives, they must be declared to your insurer as they may make your car more of a risk on the road. Any gearbox modifications are very likely to cause your insurance premiums to rise.

Seat Modifications

Changes to the seats within your car can impact your insurance in several ways. If you reupholster them or upgrade them you are making your car more valuable meaning your premiums will rise. If you replace your seats with alternatives that don’t add value but also don’t comply with safety standards then premiums are likely to rise too.

Whatever changes to your seats are made, they must always be declared.

Car Modifications That May Lower Your Premiums

Some modifications will lower your premiums, in some cases, this is only the case if your car is already modified. They all still must be declared to your insurer…

Engine Downsizing

Opting for a smaller, lighter engine will increase your car’s energy efficiency and make it safer to drive. Doing this will decrease your premiums

Adding High-Performance Brakes

Uprated brakes will make your car safer to drive, whilst these won’t always reduce your premiums, especially if they add increased value – if your car is already highly modified. However, the addition of these could decrease your premiums.

Upgrades to Suspension

If your car is already highly modified and you upgrade your suspension to improve drivability, your premiums could be decreased.

Adding a Sway Bar

Adding a sway bar to your car will increase your safety and may decrease your insurance premiums. Sway bars can stabilise your car while taking tight turns and prevent rolling.

Adding a Water Cooling System

If your car is already modified, adding in a water cooling system to improve the performance of your brakes can contribute to lowered premiums.

Adding a Tow Bar

As a tow bar will mean you will have to drive slower, this can also reduce your premiums.

Illegal Car Modifications That Will Invalidate Your Insurance

Even if you declare these modifications, you could invalidate your insurance due to legalities. If you have any of these modifications, your car cannot be legally driven in the UK:

Tinted windows that block more than 70% light
Certain light modifications, including:
Flashing lights
Additional red lights
Green lights
Visible bulbs
Visible LED strips
Interior LED lights

Modifications that increase the noise of your car – like removing the exhaust silencer
Some wheel modifications – including stretched tyres.
Some mechanical modifications, including:
Removing the catalytic converter
ECU remapping
Injecting nitrous oxide into the combustion chamber

So if any of the above are on your car modification wishlist, strike them off if you want to be able actually to drive your vehicle.

Hopefully, you are now a lot more clued up on modifications and their impact on your insurance. Always remember to notify your insurer of any modifications made otherwise you risk invalidating your insurance altogether. Remember to weigh up the impact of any modifications on your insurance before you commit…

And if you would rather borrow someone’s already green car before painting your own, our temporary car insurance is here for you.

Your Guide to Impound Release Insurance

10 November 2023 13:16 Comments Off

We all make mistakes, and if you’ve made one that’s led to your vehicle being impounded, no matter the reason – GoShorty has got you covered.

At GoShorty, we deal with all forms of temporary car insurance, varying from cars to vans to learner drivers; you’re talking to the pros of short-term insurance here. We know that dealing with vehicle impoundment can be a stressful experience that often looks like non-stop complexities and uncertainties – from understanding the intricacies of impound insurance, also known as compound insurance, to managing the process of releasing your car, the journey can quickly become overwhelming and you might find yourself scratching your head wondering “What is impound insurance?” and “Why is it so expensive?”.

Well, with GoShorty’s brand new specialised 30-day impound release insurance, we aim to simplify this process, providing cover and understanding for vehicle owners facing impoundment. We get it, your car is part of the family, that’s why we do the hard work for you, removing any guesswork and debunking those bewildering industry terms, so you can focus on getting your vehicle back home as quickly as possible.

Understanding Impound Insurance

Impound insurance, often referred to as impound car insurance, compound insurance or impound release insurance, is a specialised policy designed to assist vehicle owners in reclaiming their impounded vehicles from a compound. The insurance you never want to need, but in case that time ever does arise, we are on hand to offer a lifeline to drivers, providing the necessary cover to facilitate the smooth release of seized vehicles.

Oh, and it’s not your typical long-term insurance. This 30-day cover is short-term and tailored to the unique situation of having your vehicle impounded – offered only by specialised insurance providers, such as us. As soon as your vehicle is impounded, your typical insurance becomes invalid. You must therefore purchase compound release insurance to free your car.

It’s essential to understand that impound insurance is different from regular motor insurance in that it serves a specific and time-sensitive purpose. Vehicle impounds in the UK require vehicles to have a 30 day specialist impound release insurance policy in place to be able to release an impounded vehicle, which is why GoShorty compound release policies all last for 30 days.

All UK, EU and international licences are covered with this product. Find out who we cover to check if you’re eligible, today.

Why cars can be impounded

Cars can be impounded for a wide variety of reasons and we understand it’s not always the owner of the vehicle’s fault. Some of the most common reasons for impoundment include vehicle theft, lack of valid insurance, and vehicles involved in accidents as part of an investigation process. Other reasons for impoundment can include illegal parking, unpaid fines or tickets, and driving under the influence – the list goes on. With GoShorty, we’re here to support you however we can, judgement-free.

What is always important to remember is that you can never drive a car without being properly insured. If your car is impounded for this reason, learn from your past mistake and stop and check you are insured to drive before starting the ignition next time.

We know there can be plenty of high pressure situations where you need to jump in a car and go, that is why we offer emergency insurance. All our policies can be purchased online and you can be on your way in under two mins, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

So, even if you think it’s fine you’re only using the car for a short trip, make sure you are insured. We offer hourly car insurance, one day insurance policies and so many more – so every time frame, small and big, can be covered. It’s better to get a regular short term policy when you need it and drive legally, avoiding the need for impound insurance to release your car, trust us.

**Possible Reasons for impoundment**

Stolen vehicles found by police
Uninsured
Untaxed on a public road
Untaxed without SORN on a private road
Parked illegally on roads and private land
Blocking or obstructing the road
Involved in a collision
Being used for crime or anti-social behaviour 
Abandoned after an incident involving the police
Driven by someone without a licence or insurance

The Significance of Impound Release Insurance and its Costs:

While the necessity of impound insurance is evident in the event of having a vehicle seized by authorities, it is not uncommon for individuals to wonder about the costs associated with the process.

You can discover a full breakdown of our temporary impound insurance here, but it’s important to note that outlining the costs associated with compound car insurance can be attributed to the specialised nature of the cover and the specific risks involved in the impoundment process.

As impound release insurance is tailored for a temporary duration (often for 30 days) and users are generally classed as high-risk – the premiums may reflect the urgency and critical nature of the service. Despite the costs, investing in release insurance is crucial for the swift and hassle-free retrieval of impounded vehicles, during what can be a challenging and stressful time.

**How Impound Insurance Works**

We recognise the urgency and complexities associated with impounded vehicles. Our 30-day impound insurance policy is tailored to provide third-party cover, ensuring that vehicle owners can reclaim their impounded vehicles with ease and as quickly as possible, to avoid accruing more costs.

With this type of insurance, there are a couple of ‘rules’ to consider to allow you to swiftly recover your vehicle; it is required that you own the vehicle and hold the current V5 document in your name, unfortunately, the insurance alone will not get a vehicle out of impound. With our user-friendly online platform (which is accessible 24/7), we have streamlined the application process, eliminating the need for unnecessary “hold the line please” phone calls, frustrating back and forths, and extensive paperwork with long, drawn-out negotiations. In fact, you can secure an impound release policy 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, with just a few clicks online.

Our impound release insurance emerges as a reliable solution for those seeking efficient and seamless car insurance impound release services.

**Why GoShorty?**

Let’s break it down for you. Our latest temporary impound release car insurance isn’t just any regular policiy – it’s your ultimate ticket to hassle-free vehicle recovery. Wave goodbye to the days of pulling your hair out over complicated insurance processes, and say hello to GoShorty’s shiny-new seamless impound insurance experience.

Our 30-day policy is all about giving you the flexibility and affordability you need to get your wheels back on the road as soon as possible. With GoShorty, you can get set for smooth sailing into the sunset behind the wheel of your rescued vehicle in no time at all.

We hope you’re ready for a stress-free recovery with GoShorty’s reliable and ultra-accessible temporary insurance solutions. So get a quote today, and be on your way to vehicle recovery.

What is a Good First Car?

26 September 2023 15:21 Comments Off

Although we all want a brand new BMW when we first get hold of a driver’s licence, we have to be realistic when it comes to owning our first vehicle. An ideal first car is one that is affordable, plus safe and easy to drive. Most importantly, it needs to be a car that you can actually insure as a young driver…

So, if you’re wondering what makes the best first car (that you’ll actually be able to get insured on), check out our guide below.

***How Much to Spend* On a First Car**

A first car should be affordable, for a number of good reasons. Firstly, as a young driver in a cost-of-living crisis, you don’t want to be spending tens of thousands on a car that will no doubt be replaced for an upgrade in a few years’ time. You can find quality, used vehicles for a few thousand pounds or less, allowing you to get on the road without breaking the bank in the process. Looking at our research on the most popular cars to learn to drive in, we know that vehicles such as Ford Fiestas and Vauxhall Corsas are two of the most popular cars for young people, both of which are available for less than £10,000.

Spending less on your vehicle will benefit your insurance options too. As a young driver, car insurance for your first car is more expensive due to new drivers being considered ‘high risk’.

With cover for one hour up to a full 28 days of insurance, you have plenty of time and freedom to decide how you want to insure your first car. The maximum value car we insure is £65,000, so if you do make the sensible choice and go for a cheaper vehicle, you’ll be able to take full advantage of the benefits of temporary cover. Whether that’s getting on the road before deciding on an annual policy, or sharing the driving on a road trip with friends, who can also take out temporary policies on your new car!

**The Best First Cars**

No matter your age, your lack of experience on the road means you are statistically more likely to be in an accident, so insurance for new drivers’ first cars is typically more expensive. To combat this, it’s recommended to go for a cheaper, safer car first. This can help reduce the cost of your insurance.

Cars are placed in insurance groups, so the lower the group your car is in, the lower the insurance costs. Lower end cars include the Ford Fiesta, the Fit 500, Citroen C3, Skoda Fabia Classic, and so on. All of these smaller, safer vehicles are the best choices for a first car, as your first years’ insurance costs aren’t sky high.

Temporary car insurance is a great insurance option for new drivers wanting to get on the road. You can get covered in as little as 90 seconds after passing your test, so you can start driving when you want, rather than waiting to find the right annual policy straight away.

**What To Look For In the Best First Car**

Now you know how much to spend on a first car to ensure that you can actually get insured on it, we’ll go through the other key factors to consider when selecting that all-important first car.

**The Age and Usage of the Car**

You will most likely be buying a second-hand vehicle as your first car, due to the costs of brand new models. It’s important to check how much the car has been used before making the purchase. A good mileage for a used car is around 10,000 miles per year, and the car should still have good legs left in it with this kind of mileage. It’s also a good idea to check it has a solid service history, to be sure the car has been looked after in the past, and no nasty (expensive) surprises await.

**The Best Size For a First Car**

It’s best to choose a smaller car when selecting your first. Vehicles with smaller engines, such as 1200cc, will be lower in the car insurance groupings, keeping the costs of your new driver’s insurance down.

Getting On the Road in Your First Car

Your first car will most likely not be your last car, but you should still take care when choosing it. A cheap, safe, reliable vehicle will allow you to enjoy life on the road with lower costs as a new driver. Our temporary insurance for younger drivers will allow you to get driving in no time, without the need to commit to an annual policy straight away.

So, take these tips with you when you pick out that dream first car, remembering to keep the car cost low to ensure you’ll be able to get covered on it as a new driver, and afford the insurance on your first car.

Our range of policies, from temporary learner insurance to young driver insurance and regular temporary cover, ensure we are here to provide you with flexible insurance options for every step of your driving journey…

Understanding Car Insurance Occupation Categories

28 June 2023 12:20 Comments Off

When it comes to applying for car insurance, whether it’s for temporary car insurance or an annual policy, you will always have to provide your occupation.

This isn’t because insurers are nosy, rather it is a vital piece of information they use as part of their formulations to work out if they want to cover you and how much it will cost them and thus you. That’s right, what you do as a job has an impact on your insurance cost.

Submitting the wrong job title can invalidate your vehicle cover, but due to an outdated job title register widely relied upon across the insurance industry, it’s likely you will feel you have to list the wrong job title – and doing this could run you the risk of invalidating the policy in the process.

How Do You Choose Which Occupation to Select When Applying?

Of course, as with everything in the world of insurance – there’s a grey area. It’s understandable that your exact job title may not be there, however you are expected to make an educated choice, for one that most closely signifies your job.

If you were to choose a completely different occupation to what your actual job is, for example, if a scaffolder listed their profession as a doctor, there won’t be a great deal of sympathy from insurers extended their way and the policy would be invalidated, meaning if you had to make a claim, you’d get no payout.

If, as is increasingly common, you work in an emerging industry and your exact job title isn’t featured on the insurance register, you may have to choose a more general occupation title that relates to your role or industry in some way – without it being an out-and-out lie.

We know there are huge gaps in accurate occupation choices for emerging sectors including the likes of AI, digital marketing and digital creators. Hopefully in time we will see insurers update their occupation register to reflect the modern workforce more accurately. For now, use your best judgement to choose the closest occupation title you can find to your actual one when applying for a temporary car insurance quote.

What Are The ‘Best’ Occupations When Applying for Car Insurance?

There isn’t really a ‘best’ occupation to put down when applying for insurance to get the quote you want, other than the correct occupation. Your policy will be invalidated if you try to manipulate your information to get the best quote, so you are best putting down the correct occupation.

If you are interested in how the occupation you select influences the quotes you get then we can shed a small bit of light on that…

Differences in quote prices due to occupation are down to the insurer’s understanding, based on decades of data, about each profession’s likelihood to make a claim. If your occupation is one that insurers see as having a higher risk for making lots of claims, it is likely you might see a slightly higher fee quoted.

What Are Some of the Most Common Occupations of Today?

LinkedIn’s most popular job titles of 2022 shows what some of the most highly searched for roles are on the popular networking site. You’re far more likely to be a machine learning engineer now, than you were when the insurance jobs register list was first compiled…

LinkedIn’s most popular job searches of 2022:

Customs Officer
Machine Learning Engineer
Import Specialist
Business Development Representative
Chief Human Resources Officer
Site Reliability Engineer
Sustainability Manager
Career Counsellor
Content Designer
Client Solutions Manager
Network Planner
Laboratory Scientist
Diversity and Inclusion Manager
Talent Acquisition Specialist
Salesforce Administrator
Computer Vision Engineer
Data Engineer
Back End Developer
Public Health Officer
Vice President of Products

We know this isn’t an accurate representation of the popularity of all job types across the UK however, as many occupations still don’t rely on LinkedIn, like we know office jobs tend to. But it does give a bit of a taster of what the modern workforce looks like compared to the below…

Some of the Car Insurance Occupations on the Current List

Whilst we assure you the full occupation list you choose from when applying for insurance features a lot more roles you will be familiar with, we thought some of the below deserved a highlight!

Some of the roles on the current job titles register insurers use are interesting to say the least…

Bacon Curer
Chicken Chaser
Chicken Sexer
Clapper
Water Diviner
Pig Man or Woman
Parachute Packer
Panel Beater
Ostler
Meat Inspector
Marquee Erector
Lampshade Maker
Kissagram Person
Juggler
Curtain Hanger
Drayperson
Doll Maker
Fortune Teller

Never heard of a Pig Man? Had no idea juggling was a bonafide profession in the 21st Century? Well, neither had we! If these very specific occupations are present on the register, we are sure some day you’ll be able to find the likes of ‘Instagram Content Manager’ on there too…For now though make sure you choose the most accurate occupation on the list when applying for your temporary car insurance – you don’t want to invalidate your policy!

Making Sense of Insurance Jargon

12 May 2022 09:01 Leave a Comment

Vehicle Insurance can be complicated. There are so many terms, ideas and specialised pieces of information. Making sense of them all can make it hard to choose the right policy for you. GoShorty is determined to help make sense of insurance for our customers.

Here is our handy insurance jargon A to Z guide to help you figure out what your insurance coverage really means.

Insurance jargon explained

A –

Accidental Damage Cover

Covering goods where damaged is caused isn’t expected or deliberate.

Annual Mileage:

Your estimate for how many miles you drive in a year. If you drive more miles, there is a higher chance of having an accident, so your car insurance premium may go up.

Annual Policy

A policy paid for by the year rather than by month.

B –

Breakdown Cover:

Some insurance policies include cover for if you break down. This can either include roadside assistance if you are out and about, or home assistance if your car will not start.

Business Use:

You are insured to use the car for work-related driving such as travelling to clients or between different working locations.

C –

Claim:

A formal request of payment from the insurer under the policy conditions.

Comprehensive Cover:

Insurance that covers both third party, fire and theft, as well as the accidental damage to the driver’s vehicle.

Courtesy Car Cover:

An add-on in which you’ll be provided with a replacement car whilst your vehicle is being repaired.

Cover Type:

The different types of car insurance cover include Third Party Only, Third Party Fire and Theft, and Comprehensive/Fully Comprehensive.

D –

Disclosure:

If you make changes that affect your insurance policy, you must inform your insurer. These include changing address, changing a vehicle, changing a name and more.

DOC Cover:

DOC stands for driving other cars. If this is included on your insurance policy, you are covered to drive cars other than the primary vehicle stated in the policy.

DVLA:

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency is an executive agency of the Department for Transport and is responsible for the database of vehicles and drivers. They issue driving licenses and vehicle registration documents.

E –

Excess:

The amount you will pay towards any claim. This includes compulsory and voluntary excess.

Exclusions:

An insurance company will not pay out on certain types of risks. If there are exclusions on your insurance policy, they will be spelt out in the policy T&C’s.

F –

Fault:

If an insurance company is unable to recover their costs against a third party, they label the claim a fault claim. This is not indicative of who caused the incident.

Fronting:

Adding a driver to an insurance policy as a named driver to bring down the premium. This is considered fraud, and you can be subject to legal consequences.

G –

Green Card:

A document that proves you are insured to drive your car in most European countries, including all of the EU.

H –

Handling:

When you make a claim, it goes through claims handling. This is the process of gathering information on your claim. This can either be handled internally or externally to your insurer.

Highway Code:

This list of rules and legal requirements applies to all drivers, pedestrians, horse riders, cyclists, and motorcyclists. All road users should be familiar with the laws of the road and any highway code changes.

I –

Immobiliser:

An electronic security device that helps stop the engine from starting and prevents theft. This is usually factory fitted by the manufacturer.

Indemnity:

Indemnity exists to ensure that if something is lost or damaged, the owner returns to the same financial position they were in before the loss occurred.

J –

Job Title:

Insurance companies are concerned with your job title. Different job titles can affect the price of your car insurance, as they are perceived to have different levels of risk.

K –

Knock for Knock:

Sometimes, insurers agree to cover damage costs to their policyholders, regardless of who is considered to blame.

L –

License:

There are different types of driving licences. You need to have the appropriate one for your vehicle type.

Legal Expense Cover:

Insurance against legal costs you may incur if you consult a lawyer. This is sometimes included in an insurance policy or may be available as an optional add-on.

M –

Main Driver:

Your policy needs to have one person listed as the main driver. This is the person who uses the car the most, and as such is the principal risk on the policy.

MID:

The Motor Insurance Database contains a list of all insured cars in the UK. Insurers will supply information to the Motor Insurance Database within two weeks for new policies. The police rely on this insurance database and can perform a MID check to assess whether you’re adequately insured.

Modifications:

Any changes made to your vehicle that aren’t supplied as factory standard. This can include alloys, body kits and spoilers. When applying for insurance, you must state any modifications that have been made to your vehicle.

N –

No Claims Bonus:

Insurance companies like to reward policyholders who do not need to make a claim. This is in the hope that they will continue to not need to do so. No claims discount generally reduces your premium for not claiming on your insurance policy. The longer the period you don’t claim, the higher the discount.

No Claims Bonus Protection:

This is often an optional extra to your car insurance policy. You pay to protect your no claims discount, so you don’t lose the benefit if you do have to claim.

Non-Fault Claim:

When you have been involved in an accident where the other driver is at fault.

O –

Owner:

Car Insurance policies often refer to the ‘owner and registered keeper’ of a policy. This is the person named on the V5C document (often known as a logbook) as the official owner of the vehicle.

Optional Extra:

Additional policy benefits that you can purchase alongside the main policy.

P –

Period of Cover:

Insurance policies last a specific length of time, as described in the policy documents. These range from between a few hours to a year.

Points:

If you’ve been convicted of a motoring offence, points will be added to your driving license. You must make your insurer aware of any points on your license.

Premium:

This is the amount you pay to insure your vehicle.

Q –

Quote:

Insurers do not have a set list of prices. Because every insured person and object represents a different type of risk for an insurance company, insurers need to produce a tailored quote for each customer.

R –

Registered Keeper:

The person who uses the vehicle the most. It is their legal liability to license the vehicle and declare it as off the public road (SORN). They are the contactable person if charged with any motoring or parking offences. This registered keeper doesn’t have to be the owner of the vehicle.

Risk:

Insurance is based on the principle of risk. Insurers don’t want to have to pay out, so they try to determine how likely it is that they will need to. If they determine that something is a higher risk of needing to make a claim, they will usually charge higher insurance premiums to make up for the increased risk.

Renewal Date:

The date that your policy ends unless you have renewed your policy.

S –

SORN:

If you don’t use or keep your vehicle on public roads, you need to complete a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN). This is particularly relevant if you only keep a vehicle in a garage, on private land or in a garage.

T –

Third-Party:

Third-Party insurance covers damage to other vehicles and people in an accident deemed your fault. It does not cover your own vehicle, however.

Third-Party, Fire and Theft:

Provides fire and theft cover as well as third party cover.

Tracking Device:

A security feature that can help police locate your car if it has been stolen.

U –

Underwriter:

An insurance policy is said to be ‘underwritten’ by an underwriter. This is the company that provides the insurance cover for your policy.

Uninsured Losses:

These are items which are not covered by the insurance policy.

V –

Voluntary Excess:

When you agree to an insurance policy, you agree to take on a voluntary excess. This is the cost of a claim that you will have to pay yourself. The insurer pays the cost above this claim.

W –

Windscreen Cover:

Some car insurance policies cover you for the cost of damage to your windscreen, while others do not. This is sometimes an additional extra, but should be laid out in your policy terms and conditions either way.

Write off:

A vehicle that is not repairable, is unsafe to repair or would cost more to repair than it would replace.

X –

Y –

Z –

Temporary insurance from GoShorty

Making sense of insurance jargon can be hard. There might always be terms and ideas that you might not have heard before. At GoShorty, we strive to make our temporary car insurance policies as simple and understandable as possible.

If you are uncertain of what a term means in our short term car insurance, learner driver insurance or temporary van insurance policies, don’t hesitate to get in touch, and we will be happy to explain it to you.

Get a temporary insurance quote for your vehicle today.

Types of Car Insurance Explained: Third Party, Comprehensive & Excess

16 March 2022 12:57 Leave a Comment

If you own a car, you need to get insurance. This is a legal requirement. Yup, unless you have registered your car as being off the road (SORN) you have to insure your car.

This means you’ll need to understand the complexities. And, as there are a few different types of car insurance – each covering an overlapping range of issues, it may feel a little daunting when all you really want to do is get driving Knowing what your insurance covers is essential to getting the right policy for your needs.

We offer temporary car insurance, but you probably already knew that, and that insurance offers comprehensive cover. But what does that actually mean? How is it different to third party car insurance? What’s all this about excess? We’re going to help answer those exact questions to help you make an informed decision.

What is third party car insurance?

Third Party car insurance is the most basic level of car insurance available – and often the cheapest. Not only that, but it’s the absolutely legal minimum requirement for you to drive your car. It does not cover you, it covers a third party. But what does that actually mean, who is this mystical third party?

In Insurance terms, you and your insurance company are the first and second parties. A third party refers to another person you might be involved in an accident with. I.e. it’s the other person on the road, rather than you and your car.

What does third party car insurance cover?

Cover, in this situation, refers to costs resulting from:

Injuries to people, passengers or animals.
Damage to property.

Third Party only cover does not cover any costs that arise from the aforementioned situations to you or your property, only to a third party and their property.

Still not sure how third party car insurance works? Lets run through a basic scenario:

You have taken out third party car insurance and are out for a drive
You are in an accident and run into the back of another person’s car at the lights
The back end of their car is in pretty bad shape and so’s the front of yours. They’re ok, but you’ve given yourself whiplash.
Third party insurance would only cover the damage to the other car. You’d not be able to use your cover to pay for the repairs needed on your car or with any medical bills for yourself.

What is 3rd party, fire & theft cover?

Third Party, Fire and Theft insurance is the next step up in insurance cover. It still only covers third parties in the event of an accident. However, it adds two additional elements of cover for fire and theft.

What does third party fire and theft insurance cover?

It covers your car if:

It is stolen
It is damaged by fire

It can also cover you if someone damages it during an attempted theft, but this can vary from policy to policy, so you may want to double check.

What is comprehensive cover?

Comprehensive insurance is the highest level of insurance cover. Not only does it cover everything that third party insurance covers, but it covers a number of other things too. It’s the best car insurance available and should be your go-to level of cover if you are driving an expensive car, take expensive items around with you or simply want to have proper peace of mind.

What does a comprehensive car insurance policy cover?

Comprehensive car insurance covers a whole host of things, including both you and a third party. It covers:

Injuries to other people, passengers or animals.
Damage to other people’s property.
Fire damage
Theft
Accidental damage to your own car
Chipping & scratching
Vandalism or other malicious damage to your vehicle

Comprehensive insurance might also cover your windscreen, personal contents and medical cover if you need it after an accident. It can also give you access to a courtesy car and breakdown cover, although both of these are often extra. These are not necessarily included in your insurance policy, so you need to check.

When you have a comprehensive policy you may well need to pay excess. We’ll run you through what that means now.

What is excess in a car insurance policy?

When you make a claim on your insurance, you usually need to pay some of it yourself. This is called the excess. The excess is essentially the minimum claim on your insurance – the insurer pays out the costs of the claim above the excess, and you pay the rest. For example, if you have an excess of £300, and you need to make a claim of £1,000, your insurer will pay £700, and you will pay the £300.

There are two forms of excess that you’ll see mentioned. These are compulsory excess and voluntary excess.

Compulsory Excess

You agree to a compulsory excess with your insurer. This is determined by the insurer, and represents the amount that you need to pay in order to make a claim. This excess is often higher if you are either a young driver, or you drive an expensive car.

Voluntary Excess

A voluntary excess is an amount that you agree to pay if you need to make a claim. Accepting a higher voluntary excess is often a good way to reduce the overall cost of your car insurance premium.

Are there any other types of car insurance?

While third party and comprehensive are the two main car insurance policies that you’ll see when you’re shopping around, you may see a few other specialised types pop up.

Often other types are still simply a form of third party or comprehensive cover, but with a specific use.

These include:

Telematics insurance – this refers to a car insurance police that requires your vehicle to be fitted with a ‘black box’ that monitors your driving.

Young driver car insurance – insurance that’s specifically designed for younger drivers. We actually offer specific under 21 temporary car insurance and temporary learner driver insurance, for instance, and both of these are fully comprehensive.

European or ‘driving abroad’ car insurance – this is insurance that specifically allows someone to drive their car abroad with the same cover they’d have at home. Our temporary policies don’t offer this.

Classic car insurance – this is a specialised policy to help insure classic cars.

Named driver insurance – this usually refers to someone being added to an insurance policy. They’ll have the same rights as the policyholder when they drive the vehicle.

Multi-car insurance – this allows you to add more than one car to the same policy.

You may also see other terms like ‘pay as you go’ insurance being thrown around. This simply refers to how you pay for it. As we said above, each of these types of car insurance is generally just a specific use that uses third party or fully comp cover as the actual insurance policy.

What car insurance extras are there?

All of these policies don’t usually include quite everything. You may still need a few extras. These tend to include:

Breakdown cover – this is one of the most common extras. If you break down your breakdown cover will kick in and someone comes to pick it up then take it to get repaired.

Windscreen cover – chips and cracks are a common occurrence when you’re driving. Windscreen cover lets you get it repaired for the cost of your excess. This can be part of a comprehensive policy but that’s not a given.

Personal accident cover – this will offer compensation should someone be seriously injured or even killed in a car accident.

Motor legal protection – this will help cover the costs of legal action you may want to take after an accident that wasn’t your fault.

Courtesy car – your insurer will provide you with a car while yours is getting fixed after an accident.

Lost keys cover – your insurance policy will get you sorted with a new pair of car keys if yours get lost, damaged or stolen.

Does the length of policy affect the type?

The length of your policy is something that you agree to before you buy it. Many people choose to buy a year long insurance policy. However, this is not your only option. Shorter lengths of insurance policy do exist, and can be a great way to save money. When you get short term car insurance you can still get comprehensive cover and you won’t be limited to third party cover simply because you aren’t locking yourself in for a year.

Temporary Insurance from GoShorty

GoShorty specialises in a few types of insurance – short term car insurance and temporary van insurance policies. We offer drivers cover for between 1 and 28 days. This allows you to only insure the period of time that you are actually using the car for. At GoShorty, we offer fully comprehensive temporary car insurance cover – that means that you can protect a car (as well as the car owner’s No Claims Discount), even if you do not own it.

Get a temporary insurance quote today, and see how much you could save with GoShorty.

What does temporary car insurance cover?

2 December 2021 13:59 Leave a Comment

Are you finding that car ownership is not only a drain on your pocket, but no longer fits in with your lifestyle? You aren’t alone. Many more of us now work largely from home with only the odd day in a workplace. So, we don’t need a car for a daily commute. Perhaps your children are now increasingly independent and no longer rely on you to act as their taxi driver? Or it could be that you pretty much know when you need access to a car, such as when doing the weekly shop, or for planned trips out of your local area.

What’s the solution?

The answer to this increasingly common situation is to come to an agreement to either share or borrow a car, which may be possible with a friend or family member. You can agree to pay a share of the costs, such as for fuel or servicing and on how you make use of the car so that both parties’ benefit. This is also a positive move for the environment, and it can work particularly well if you live in an area where there is adequate public transport.

What makes borrowing a car when you need it even easier is the ready availability of temporary car insurance. Cover from GoShorty is fully comprehensive and easy to buy online, taking just a few minutes, with the documents emailed to your inbox.

The other big plus point is that temporary car insurance cover is extremely affordable, so if you choose to ditch your car and share one instead, you’ll soon notice some big savings.

Short-term cover – it’s flexible and convenient

This is insurance you can rely on, and the car owner’s No Claims Bonus remains protected. What’s more, if you do need to claim, you can be assured that GoShorty only uses trusted insurers that provide quality service.

GoShorty is all about flexibility and you can take out insurance for as little as an hour, up to 28 days.

Once you’re covered by short term car insurance, you can use the vehicle for a wide range of uses, to include social, commuting, and personal business use. There are a host of different reasons why temporary car insurance cover works so well for so many people, such as when sharing the driving on a longer journey, transporting a heavy item from a store to your home or test driving a car that is being privately sold to name but a few examples.

Wide acceptance criteria

People of all ages – from 18 to 75 – can take out cover from GoShorty and you can cover many types of cars and vans – van drivers need to be aged 21 or over.

Vehicles need a valid MOT and can have a value of from £500 right up to £60,000. You simply need to have held a full driver’s licence (UK or EU/EEA) for at least six months and to have had no more than two accidents, claims or losses in the last three years regardless of fault. You must also have had no more than six penalty points in the last three years and to have been resident in the UK for at least 12 months and with a permanent address.

Find your perfect insurance partner in GoShorty – get a temporary insurance quote today. Alternatively, use our temporary car insurance calculator to give you an idea of how much your policy could cost. It takes seconds to generate an estimated price.

Can I get temporary student car insurance?

13:57 Leave a Comment

Going to university is an exciting time and for many, the full experience means living away from home. You can develop independence, have plenty of fun and of course, find time to fit in some studying. Whether you’ve secured a place in halls for the first year or living in shared accommodation, you may be wondering if you are able to obtain temporary student car insurance. You can take this out when you borrow a car, such as from a friend or family member. Then you can transport what is often a lot of stuff from home to uni.

Take the easy route

Generally, it’s far easier to drive if you are transporting bulky things like a duvet, TV, computer, clothes and other bits and pieces. Taking these on the train could be out of the question.

So, what do you need to take out temporary student car insurance? If you’ve already held a driving licence for at least six months and are aged over 18, then car insurance from GoShorty could be the answer. The great news is that this is fully comprehensive and high-quality cover and the car owner’s No Claims Bonus remains protected.

Cover from GoShorty can be taken out for as little as one hour right up to 28 days. Once you’ve arrived at uni, you can keep driving the car for as long as cover is in place. Potentially, if you have the permission of the car owner, renew the cover until you drive it back home.

Who can take out short-term cover?

Many students can take out short term car insurance cover. This is an affordable, straightforward, and highly convenient way to insure a car on a temporary basis. You take cover out online and the process only takes a few minutes.

There are a few criteria that apply, such as needing to have held a full driving licence for at least six months – either UK or EU/EEA. This is reduced to three months if you’re over 25. You won’t be eligible if you’ve had more than two accidents, claims or losses in the last three years. Equally, you aren’t eligible if you have more than six penalty points in the last three years. You’ll need to have been resident in the UK for at least 12 months and have a permanent address.

Those with convictions for any criminal offence or with a possible prosecution pending cannot take out cover.

What can I drive?

Those over 18 and meeting the criteria can obtain cover for a wide range of cars, worth from £500 up to £60,000. If you borrow a van, you need to be at least 21.

The vehicle needs to be UK registered, with a valid MOT, and overseas use is not permitted. It should also not have modifications other than for a disabled driver or an LPG conversion.

Temporary car insurance can be the most suitable student solution, allowing you to drive with proper protection, but without the hassle of expense of needing to own a car. In fact, for many, the only question left is…what are you waiting for?

Get a temporary insurance quote today on temporary student car insurance.

Are Lower Insurance Groupings Cheaper?

10:11 Leave a Comment

Can you get cheaper car insurance by understanding Insurance Groups?

Getting cheaper car insurance can be a complicated process. There are a great many variables and options that go into determining the price of your insurance quote. While many factors, such as where you live, what you do for a living and your history with car insurance all affect your premium, your car’s Insurance Grouping has a major impact on the price you will pay. What are insurance groupings, and how do they affect the price of car insurance? Finally, is there a way to get cheaper car insurance by understanding the range of insurance groups?

What are Insurance Groups?

All cars have an Insurance Group. This is an estimation of how expensive a car is to insure. They range from 1 (being the cheapest to insure) to 50 (the most expensive to insure). These groupings are determined by the Group Rating Panel. The intent behind the groups is to estimate how much it would cost insurers to pay put on insurance claims. This refers to the cost of repairing or replacing parts if necessary. Insurers often use these insurance groups when they determine how much to charge for a policy.

What do Insurance Groups Consider?

There are a number of features and concerns that Insurance Groups cover. They include, but are not limited to:

Cost of replacement parts

Repair costs – Cars that have higher potential replacement or repair costs are likely to cost the insurer a lot more if they need to pay out on a claim. This leads to higher insurance premiums.

Car Values – The price that a new model of the car sells for impacts on the potential insurance premium price.

Performance – the speed and performance of a car have an impact on its Insurance Grouping. This is because faster cars tend to have more insurance claims than slower cars.

Safety – Cars that are safer, and less likely to have serious accidents, tend to have lower insurance groupings.

Security – Cars that have more security features, such as high security locks, alarms and immobilisers, are harder to steal. As a result, they tend to have lower insurance groups.

Lower Insurance Groupings

Choosing a car with a lower insurance group is a good bet to get cheaper insurance. However, it is not definite. Other factors, such as where you live, what kind of job you have, your insurance history and more can have an equal or greater impact on your insurance premium.

Instead, one of the easiest ways to save money on your car insurance is to consider how long you really need to be insured for. Regular car insurance policies generally cover you for a whole year. However, if you do not drive consistently, or only use a car occasionally, then a year’s car insurance is an unnecessary waste of money. Temporary car insurance from GoShorty covers you for between 1 hour and 28 days. This way, you can cover yourself for just the time that you need, and not waste money on cover you aren’t using. Short term car insurance is fully comprehensive cover that gives you all the same protections that a year long policy would – it just doesn’t cover you for an unnecessary length of time.

Get a temporary insurance quote today, and see how much you could save on your insurance.

Tag Archive: insurance information

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**Why Have Insurance Prices Gone Up?**

**How Could Your Insurance Costs be Reduced?**

***Reasons* Your Car Can *Be Impounded***

**What is Ghost Broking?**

**How is Ghost Broking Happening?**

**What Happens if You Fall For a Ghost Broking Insurance Scam?**

**List of Modifications That Must Be Declared:**

**Possible Reasons for impoundment**

**How Impound Insurance Works**

**Why GoShorty?**

***How Much to Spend* On a First Car**

**The Best First Cars**

**What To Look For In the Best First Car**

**The Age and Usage of the Car**

**The Best Size For a First Car**