How to save money on your car insurance in the Netherlands?
Saving on your car insurance may be easier than you think. Comparing your car insurance annually, which is called autoverzekering vergelijken in Dutch, and making smart choices for your deductible, coverage and additional insurance are some examples of how you can immediately save on your car insurance. However, there are many more tips you can use to save money on your NL car insurance. In this article you can find some of these handy tips.
Annual check
Saving on your car insurance starts with taking a critical look at your car insurance every single year. The premium and conditions of car insurance change every year, but your own situation also changes of course. Your car is getting older, you have more damage claim-free years or you drive fewer kilometers for example. So check every year whether your current car insurance is still the most suitable and cheapest car insurance. Comparing your car insurance every year without a doubt will help you save on your car insurance. You may find a car insurance policy elsewhere at a sharper price, even if you pay monthly.
Minor damages
Do you have minor damage? Then it is often cheaper to pay for it yourself. When you make a claim through the car insurer, you usually lose your no-claim discount. This will increase the price you have to pay for your car insurance. Sometimes it is cheaper to pay for small damages yourself, since you will otherwise have to pay a higher price for insurance for a few years since you will lose your no-claim discount after making a claim. In some instances it is even possible to repair the damage yourself, which may be even cheaper, of course.
Insurance coverage
Check regularly whether the insurance coverage still fits your car. For example, a car loses value over time. Do you have limited liability insurance for your car? Then it may be cheaper after a few years to insure only for third-party liability. If you buy a brand new car, you probably already insure it at all-risk. After a number of years, however, your car has fallen far enough in value that an all-risk insurance no longer pays off. A limited liability insurance or third-party liability insurance may suit you better in this case. In addition, you save a lot on the cost with less extensive coverage.
Increasing deductible
Adjusting your deductible, known as eigen risico in Dutch, is also a way to save on your car insurance. If you increase the deductible, you often pay a lower price per month. Take a good look at what you save and whether that outweighs the extra deductible that you have to pay if you claim damage. If you drive fewer kilometers or if your car is worth less, these are considerations to adjust your deductible to save on your car insurance. You have a deductible of 150 euros. You want to increase this to save on the car insurance.