Insurance for Vauxhall owners

Investing in the appropriate insurance is key to looking after your Vauxhall. To help you compare car insurance and ensure that you get the best for your Vauxhall, check out our insurance guide.

When purchasing a Vauxhall, consider the following factors and how they may affect your insurance premium:

Engine size. When purchasing a your car, a larger engine with more purr may be preferable over a smaller engine but if you’re looking to keep running costs down, a smaller engine will save you money on both petrol and insurance. Insurance companies consider engines with greater acceleration speeds to carry higher risk so a large engine is likely to add to your insurance expense. Consider the Vauxhall Corsa SXi with a 1.2 engine, this could cost £399.75* to insure. In contrast, a slightly different model, the Corsa VXR, with a bigger engine of 1.6 litres, could cost £767.18* to insure.

Model. The sporty model may carry more street cred but the standard model is usually cheaper to run. Take the Corsa SXi once more, this 3 door model could cost £399.75* to insure. In contrast, the premium for the Sport edition, with a 1.6 engine, sport seats and spoiler could cost £628.74* to insure.

Modifications. Modifications come at a cost to your insurance premium due to the reduced availability of adapted parts. Rarer parts take longer to acquire and so if a claim arises, you are likely to require a courtesy car for longer periods, adding to the cost of a claim. As a result, insurance premiums will be higher for cars with modifications. The Vauxhall SXi illustrates this, potentially costing £399.75* to insure. Yet the same model with a rear roof spoiler, replacement seats and upholstery customisations could cost £628.94* to insure.

Once you’ve purchased your Vauxhall and it’s time to renew your insurance, you may want to check out these additional money saving tips to cut down the insurance costs further:

Compare policies. Comparison sites search large numbers of standard and specialist insurers across the car insurance market so that you can compare the best quotes available. Remember the cheapest quote isn’t necessarily the best, you’ll need to check what is and isn’t included in each quote.

Voluntary excess. If you can afford to raise your voluntary excess (the excess you agree to pay in addition to the compulsory excess) to £500, it may reduce your premium. For example, an experienced driver could pay £385.19* with an excess of £500 rather than £421.60* under a policy with a £100 excess. Whilst this potential saving is attractive, it is important to consider the amount you could afford to pay out if you did need to make a claim.

Payment. If you have the money available, it’s worth paying for your car insurance in a one-off payment rather than paying more across a matter of months. For example, a policy may cost £399.75* on a one- off payment but £468.45* in a series of ten monthly payments. Such a saving could cover your petrol bill for the week or so!

Small claims. If you’ve had a little prang, and the damage to your wallet is close to the excess cost, it may not be worth making a claim. If you were to claim, your premium is likely to increase when it comes to renewal.

Honesty. All drivers will benefit from being truthful. If you lie, accidentally omit details in your application or fail to update changes, the insurer will be reluctant to pay out should you make a claim.

*Prices provided by Gocompare.com, correct on 17.02.2011. Prices based on a 30 year old female driving a Vauxhall Corsa SXi with a 1.2 litre engine, having held a full licence for 10 years and a 6 year no claims bonus.