Research just produced by Swiftcover reveals that millions of women throughout the UK could be paying up to £300 too much for their car insurance to firms that supposedly specialise in insurance for the fairer sex.

Evidence suggests that women are, in fact, safer drivers than men. Not only do women have less accidents than men, the accidents they do have are, on average, less serious (did you know for instance that male drivers account for 97% of danger driving convictions?). So you would assume that their premiums should always be lower than for men.

However this does not always happen, according to the research.
While the women’s specialist insurers often offer perks (wow – handbag cover!), in most cases their actual car insurance premiums will be less competitive than standard car insurance companies.

Fortunately for women, most premiums in the UK car insurance market are still cheaper for women than for men. And this is particularly the case for younger drivers in their 20’s, where females enjoy an average £320 savings over their male counterparts of the same age. But this level of savings will not necessarily be had from the women-only car insurers.

The advice: whether you are male or female, young or old…. shop around and you’ll get a good deal. Don’t be lured by a funky TV ad that seemingly targets your group. Sure, get in touch and get a quote, but then do it again with at least 4 or 5 other insurers.

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Several car insurance companies are now offering `offset’ car insurance deals. First seen early in 2007, these carbon neutral policies are now becoming more popular as motorists and seek to appease their guilt.

Car insurance companies, you can be sure, are not quite as altruistic, but nevertheless have seen a way to underline their green credentials at the same time as exploiting a new market niche.

CO2 is one of the chief elements of so-called greenhouse gases, the build-up of which is helping to raise temperatures around the world, and could lead to catastrophic climate changes including melting of ice caps, rising sea levels, fierce storms and heatwaves.

Motor vehicles account for around 25% of CO2 emissions in the Western world. The best a motorist can do to reduce their share of emissions is to drive less. If that’s not possible, say the motor insurers, who really don’t want motorists to change to pedal power, they will offer to pay to offset part of their customer’s car emissions

For a limited period, ibuyeco, part of the BGL Group of companies, will pay to offset 100% of their customer’s car emissions.

More Than will offset the first 3,000 miles of a motorist’s carbon emissions, using the CarbonNeutral Company as a partner.

A point to bear in mind is that it generally costs around £10 to offset 3000 miles, so when comparing quotes remember that you can always go direct to a carbon offsetting firm (i.e. Climate Care) and buy credits yourself. It may work out cheaper in some cases to use a cheaper insure like Swiftcover and do your own carbon offsetting.

See our daily-updated table of car insurers here.

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Easter will see many UK holidaymakers heading for the sun.

But, according to excess insurance experts, Insurance4carhire.com, those people renting cars on the continent are vulnerable to massive excess charges of up to £1000. European car rental firms will often just take this off the credit card details they have for the driver.

Insurance4carhire.com carried out a survey just recently which revealed that the top destinations in the Eurozone this Easter are the Canaries, Malaga, Malta, the South of France and Portugal – and these are precisely the regions where the Brits are getting stung with ‘excess Excess Charges’.

Worse still, 4 out of 10 drivers are totally unaware that they were liable for the excess charges. Even when they pay the excess cover from the car hire company, in many cases they will still be liable for any damage to the windows, tyres and undercarriage as these areas are often not included on the policies, particularly in France. In the busy rush periods like Easter, people often don’t take the time to properly read their policies. 

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A sneak preview of a cracking good offer from MORE THAN.

All new car insurance customers will be eligible for:

* One months FREE car insurance in the first year and
* Two months FREE car insurance in the second year, and every year after that unless there is a claim.

Monthly payments will be spread across 12 months.

To be launched very soon, probably as early as 2nd January 2008.

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UK law is defined by the Road Traffic Act 1988 (RTA 1988) amended as the Road Traffic Act 1991 (RTA 1991). It states that every driver of a vehicle using a public road must carry a current insurance policy of at least third party status.

The insurance company providing cover for a driver will issue a policy certificate that gives legal evidence that the driver is fully covered by at least third party car insurance.  The driver or named drivers, on the insurance certificate are the only authorised persons to be able to drive that vehicle.

If the driver is stopped by the police for any reason they may be asked to produce their insurance certificate. If unable to do this on the spot, the police will give the person seven days to take the certificate to a police station to prove that they are insured to drive that particular vehicle.

The main reason for insurance being a legal requirement in the UK is to protect those who suffer road traffic accidents. If a driver is involved in an accident that causes damage to another car or person, their insurance will provide financial cover to repair any damage or offer compensation for injury.

An insurance company will cover a car for ‘use’ on a public road. This term applies not only to driving the vehicle but also if the car is being towed, tested or pushed on the road if the vehicle has broken down.

When the insurance policy has been agreed with the driver the insurer can hold the policy on their behalf before the certificate has been sent out. This enables the driver to be insured immediately and won’t have to wait for the document to arrive in the post before driving the car.

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Fully comprehensive insurance covers the driver fully for accident, damage, theft or injury.  As with all types of car insurance cover, it offers the basic form of insurance that is a legal requirement with the addition of extra cover over and above third party.

This form of insurance is the most expensive but it covers your car for accidental damage, personal injury, loss of personal effects and fully guarantees any work done on your vehicle in the event of it being repaired.

The appeal with having fully comprehensive insurance cover is that it offers peace of mind to the driver.  The cover depends on the policy and the insurance company supplying it but it may include extras such as use of a courtesy car whilst your car is being repaired.

If the car is brand new it may be an essential form of cover as the loss may be too great to be covered by a third party policy.  The cover may also extend to replacing the vehicle in the case of damage that makes the car unable to be repaired if involved in a serious accident.

Some types of hire purchase agreement may insist upon fully comprehensive insurance cover.  This is to protect the person taking out the finance agreement from having to replace the vehicle at their own cost in the case of theft or an accident.

When deciding upon insurance for your vehicle it is best to read the policy information very carefully to ensure the cover is adequate for your motoring needs.  Insurance policies do vary in the case of additional elements of cover so it is wise to be aware of what has been included.

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The third party, fire and theft insurance policy is similar to third party insurance but has some significant advantages over the most basic cover.

This policy covers the driver for any liability that may occur to another person or vehicle whilst driving on a public road. In addition to this the driver is covered for more significant levels of damage to the car.

Damage may include fire, lightening, explosion or damage sustained by any attempted theft of the vehicle. These additional elements are all covered by the insurance company.

Additional elements to this cover may also include cover for loss of audio equipment or theft of any accessories fitted to the vehicle. Different insurance companies may have other types of cover available on this policy.

If the vehicle is stolen whilst covered by this policy, the driver will be able to claim full compensation for the loss. The insurance company will cover the cost of the value of the car at the time of theft.

This policy is popular with first time drivers who have a legal requirement to insure their vehicle and would not be able to afford the cost of any repairs. The cover provided is most suitable for a basic model of car that has not cost the driver a lot of money to purchase.

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Car insurance is a legal requirement for any driver using a public road. Third party is the lowest level of cover available.

Third party insurance is the minimum cover allowed by law. It is the cheapest form of insurance and covers your liability for any damage to another car or person that occurs whilst driving. 

It does not cover you for damage to yourself or your own vehicle but should you have an accident that is not your fault you may be able to claim the cost of repairs from the other person’s insurance.

Third party car insurance does not cover you for theft of the vehicle. If the vehicle cost over five thousand pounds to buy it may be worthwhile insuring it at a higher level. If the vehicle were to be stolen, you would have to cover the cost of buying a new one.

Many younger drivers who have just passed their test would normally buy a car second hand that doesn’t cost more than five thousand pounds. In this case the insurance cover that costs the least but still offers full legal cover will be the one they choose.

If a driver has a new car that is worth an amount that they could not afford to replace, they may wish to opt for the next level or top level of cover; either third party, fire and theft or fully comprehensive insurance.

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