Christmas is round the corner and everybody’s dear old Santa is very busy as expected and this time not only with distributing gifts and goodies but keeping an eye on car break-ins as well. Criminals get active at this time of the year and wait for an opportunity to steal cars and increase their stolen car collections at the end of the year.

According to statistics of UK police, properties worth thousands are stolen every year from the cars in every 13 seconds across the country. In the festive season, according to AA Insurance, the insurance claim rises by almost 10% each year around this time. Try not to leave your valuables behind in the car when you are away and if absolutely necessary, take suitable precautions and lock the car carefully.

Pay your insurance premiums regularly and keep your papers updated so that even if any untoward incident happens, you can at least ask for claims from your insurer and enjoy your Christmas as planned.

Do you think no-claims bonus doesn’t benefit much? Then you are wrong. You can save as much as 75% on your yearly car insurance premium, if you are able to show a good record of no-claims bonus. Most of the drivers are unaware that no-claims bonus can have a great effect on the Car Insurance premium and therefore they hardly take any care to protect their cars from accidents and damages.

The numbers of no-claims bonus that you acquire over the years help you get a reduced premium. RIAS which specialises in car insurance for people over 50 takes effort to remind its customers of the no-claims bonus and its benefits. Though many drivers know the importance of the no-claims bonus, most of them are ignorant of the ways of protecting it. For the benefit of the people RIAS has taken upon the initiative to prepare a guide on the ways of protecting the no claims bonus.

• Drivers can opt for paying an extra cost to protect the no-claims bonus but if two claims are made in a short period of time, this protection becomes invalid.

• If you obey traffic rules and the Highway Code it will help you in preventing accidents. However, there might be cases where accident occurs not due to your fault but because of other careless drivers on the road. Service your car regularly and keep it in working condition.

• Do not take un-necessary risks and avoid driving under the influence of alcohol, medicines and fatigue. Do not use phones or ipods and avoid venturing out in bad weather conditions unless absolutely necessary.

• If you have had a minor accident, pay it for yourself rather than making a claim.

If you are driving in the UK, you must have a valid insurance without which you would end up paying penalties, according to the UK laws. You can be either asked to pay up for the penalties or even have your driving privileges cancelled. Moreover, if you are not insured and end up with an accident thereby causing damage to property or human lives, you have to pay from your pocket for damages decided by the court.

In the UK, there are three types of insurance for your car. The minimum requirement is the third party insurance which covers injuries to other persons or vehicles damaged by the insured car. The extension of the third party insurance is Third party, Fire and Theft that covers you in case your car is stolen or your car catches fire. A comprehensive Car Insurance covers third party and third party fire and theft and also medical expenses that you might incur in case of an accident. Most of the insurers in the UK ask you to opt for a franchise which means the money you pay up if you meet with an accident. It means, if your damaged windshield costs around £150 and you have an excess of £100, your insurer will pay the additional amount of £50 as you will get cover for the rest. The significance of this is that you pay less premium if you have a high franchise but at the end of the year if you encounter several small accidents you end up paying more.

Different makes of cars make lives easier for people but at the same time people face problems in maintenance especially with insurance payments. Car owners are always on the lookout for several ways to cut their premiums and opt for cheap insurance for their cars. Here is a list of five easy ways of lowering your car insurance premiums:

1. Shop for Cheap Insurance - The first important thing that owners can do is to shop around for cheap insurance. Many car owners opt for a 6-month policy so that they can choose and switch companies for other policies. Search for cheap insurances through the internet or from references from friends and family. Choose a Car Insurance that not only suits your way of living but your pocket as well.
2. Choose Higher Deductibles - Slash car insurance prices by choosing higher deductibles. In other words, it means that you have to pay a considerable amount in case of severe accidents. This will help you to have lesser insurance payments and people should not be much concerned for a larger amount in case you meet with a major accident because it is minor accidents that take place more frequently.
3. Maintain a Good Credit History - You can also afford to pay lower insurance payments if you have a good credit history. So, the next time you go shopping for insurance cover, remember to have all your credit bills paid to get lower quotes. Keep checking your records and update all your bills regularly.
4. Have Safety Measures in Place - If you have safety measures like seatbelts and airbags in your car, you can be assured of cheap car insurance cover as many companies offer lower quotes to car owners who already have safety measures in place.
5. Senior Citizens and Students - Some car insurance providers give lower quotes to senior citizens and students. So if you are a student with good academic record or an individual over 50 having passed the test successfully, you can shop for lower car insurance cover offered by some companies.

Last but not the least, if you use your car less, you can get lower car insurance payments.

All car owners who have valid car insurance can earn bonus if you have not made any claims for a number of years. This is known as No Claims Bonus. For example, if you have not used your car insurance for 3 years you can get 3 years No Claims Bonus. This is one of the largest factors influencing the premiums for car insurance.

Every year you pass without making any claims, you are entitled to your No Claims Bonus. The biggest advantage that you gain by adding on the number of number of No Claims Bonuses is that of cheaper premium rates. Car Insurance Companies see that you have a good record of not making any accident claims and therefore chances of a reduced premium increases.

If you change your car insurance provider, you have to produce your No Claims Bonus in your renewal notice or a letter from your present car insurance company. On the other hand, if you have a number of years of No Claims Bonus and then apply for a claim, the insurance company generally applies its policies on how many No Claims Bonus years it can take knock away. Companies like Accept Direct, provide you with an option of No Claims Bonus for an additional fee during the initial process. If you have a full no claim bonus, then you are eligible for a 75% reduction on your car insurance premium.

The newly elect US President Barack Obama supports the US congressional demands of automakers offering a game plan for survival before approval of lawmakers of a taxpayer sponsored bailout. David Axelord, Obama’s chosen man for White House adviser said that all the citizens have a stake in the growth of the auto industry and in order to continue the prosperity retooling and rationalization is necessary.

Obama has supported Detroit by providing $50 billion as federal aid to help Big Three automakers face the current economic situation and help them in manufacturing fuel-efficient Cars which grew in demand after the rise in gasoline prices.

Lawmakers have been cracking their brains on how to help the industry but with corporate executives using their private jets to fly to different areas, Democrats wanted to know the business plan of how best taxpayer’s money is being used. According to an interview with the CBS, Nancy Pelosi of the House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that there must be a business model in place for the Congress to work on.

None of the companies would be interested in investing in a business model without seeing it nor would tax payers’ dollars could be invested without understanding the model. Already a loan of $25 billion has been approved by the Congress to help US factories manufacture more fuel efficient cars. The industry is also looking for of $25 billion in loans for bridging the gap and helping the industry survive the downfall. While congressional Democrats think that the loan is required for funding technological advancements while President George W. Bush wants to use $25 billion as a bridge loan.

Customers have been reeling under economic crisis and to ease their condition, a new Car Insurance has been launched by RIAS that enables customers to have a compensation for the extra payment in case of an accident at the rate of 25 pence per week.

This additional financial protection allows car users to have a stable financial position in the event of an accident. The uniqueness of the product lies on the fact that policyholders are assured of the extra sum even if they are held responsible for the accident.

According to the managing director of RIAS, customers who buy this latest product from them can take advantage of the extra charges while making claims after meeting with an accident or damage in the vehicle. It offers cover up to an excess of £300.

Motorists haven been advised by RIAS to protect their no-claims bonuses to ensure the cheapest premiums on car insurance. Though most drivers are aware of no-claims bonuses, they are not educated on the different ways of securing it.

It is a much desired wish to all motorists to seek the cheapest car insurance cover for their vehicle, yet experts warn that it is not the best thing to do as it could prove false economy.

The motoring organisation has issued warning to drivers seeking cheap car insurance and adds that such insurance policies make profit by not offering breakdown coverage. The AA says that if your car breaks down which do not have a breakdown cover, then you have to pay hefty amounts for its repair.

It is always tempting to go for a cheap car insurance at the present and you hope you’re your car will never breakdown, but it might not happen the way you want it. Andy Taylor, Patrol of the Year comments that driving without a suitable breakdown cover is like “roadside roulette.”

Last year the estimated cost of callouts for motorists driving without breakdown cover has been put at a whopping £120 million. However, cheap insurance covers have been comparitively less avaialble in the marlet due to an addition of £66 to the premium.

The financial search engine, Tescocompare.com has started its new van insurance channel which provides van drivers an opportunity to make a comparative study for over 300 insurance deals from as many 17 Van Insurance brokers. The latest offer from Tescocompare, van insurance channel compares not only insurance premiums but even the fine details of the policies. If you are looking for a perfect policy for your commercial vehicle, you can simply go to Tescocompare and compare all policy details and even features like windscreen and audio limits; and voluntary and compulsory excess. Using the van insurance channel of Tescocompare is extremely simple. All you need to do is to enter all the details of your vehicle and with just a simple click of the mouse you can get quotes of third party fire and theft and other third part quotes without having to re-enter details. And what’s more, once you search for quotes on Tescocompare, you are entitled for a free legal Expenses Insurance Policy of $25. It doesn’t matter if you don’t even buy the policy from their site. Matthew Dransfield of Tescocompare says that their site is becoming popular each day and the latest addition of van insurance channel will enrich the site further. Some useful tips that the van insurance channel offers include:

• Do not forget to enter your car insurance no claims bonus while entering details for quotes of van insurance
• Though, you might have to pay extra for insuring your vehicle against breakdown, it is still useful to go for it.
• Vehicles which have a lower engine size, weight and a low value will be less expensive to insure
• You must have your van covered for business use or else you might require a separate policy for theft of valuables from your van

Commercial vehicles are more prone to accidents and breakdowns and therefore owners of such vehicles are advised enough insurance to cover against such mishaps. Roadside help is required among van drivers especially those opting for a second hand vehicle due to credit crunch. An increased number of Brits are choosing a second hand vehicle because of the current economic situation. Research by motor companies also showed that the colour of the vehicle affects the amount of assistance needed on the road. Owners of red vans are less likely to require roadside assistance than grey coloured commercial vehicles. According to editor of imotormag.co.uk, grey vehicles are usually hired by companies as they appear new and scratches are less visible compared. However, they are exposed to greater mileage and therefore more roadside assistance is required for grey commercial vehicles than red ones. Experts have advised Van Insurance drivers to go for adequate cover even in times of deep economic turmoil. Though owners of commercial vehicles opt for cheaper policies, van insurance consumers are warned against such policies. Cheap policies might not be sufficient for van owners.