Gasoline is not the only necessity that is costing you more these days.. auto insurance rates are going up. But before you panic.. you need to know the reasons for any change in your rate.. Our investigation of auto insurance rates, shows one of the factors you think might influence the price you pay, may not have as much to do with it, as you think..
Walter Few is a truck driver.. today, he's getting insurance coverage for his daughter. He says, he's always thought that if the number of traffic fatalities and accidents went down, auto insurance rates ought to do the same. "if accidents and deaths are down, they should cut you a break," Mr. Few says. "Everything else is so high."
Source
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Kayak to relaunch Travelpost review site by end of 2008
Kayak is working on a project to relaunch review site Travelpost at the beginning of December.
Travelpost was acquired as part of Kayak’s purchase of rival Sidestep at the beginning of this year.
Over the past three months the review site has been changed over to a Java-based system so that it has the same user interface as Kayak.
The next step is to make Travelpost more personal and relevant for users so that they only get review information from like-minded people.
Kayak has just enhanced its UK service with several new functions aimed at helping travellers get the best value.
The comparison site has unveiled a Fuel Cost Calculator estimating the total cost of petrol per trip and adding it to the daily rate of each car option so that consumers can compare car-hire companies and car classes.
The technology also enables consumers to search for cars based on fuel efficiency and including hybrid vehicles.
Source
Travelpost was acquired as part of Kayak’s purchase of rival Sidestep at the beginning of this year.
Over the past three months the review site has been changed over to a Java-based system so that it has the same user interface as Kayak.
The next step is to make Travelpost more personal and relevant for users so that they only get review information from like-minded people.
Kayak has just enhanced its UK service with several new functions aimed at helping travellers get the best value.
The comparison site has unveiled a Fuel Cost Calculator estimating the total cost of petrol per trip and adding it to the daily rate of each car option so that consumers can compare car-hire companies and car classes.
The technology also enables consumers to search for cars based on fuel efficiency and including hybrid vehicles.
Source
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Adding up the cost of spare parts
What financial aspects do you compare when you're considering buying a new car? Purchase price is usually No.1 and fuel consumption is right up there. Then there's resale value and the cost of insurance. And what about maintenance?
The prices of accident repair parts such as headlights, bumpers, bonnet and wings are relevant, whether or not you're insured, as the more expensive the parts, the more likely your insurance company will be to write-off the car rather than repair it.
Motoring journalist Malcolm Kinsey has been keeping tabs on a major sample of car-part costs for almost 20 years, laying bare the cost of most models' spark plugs, clutch plates, wheel rims and more.
The annual Kinsey Report throws up a number of pricing oddities and, luckily for consumers, makers often lower ridiculously high prices to bring them in line with those of competitors. The latest report features the prices of branded parts for 36 vehicles.
Source
The prices of accident repair parts such as headlights, bumpers, bonnet and wings are relevant, whether or not you're insured, as the more expensive the parts, the more likely your insurance company will be to write-off the car rather than repair it.
Motoring journalist Malcolm Kinsey has been keeping tabs on a major sample of car-part costs for almost 20 years, laying bare the cost of most models' spark plugs, clutch plates, wheel rims and more.
The annual Kinsey Report throws up a number of pricing oddities and, luckily for consumers, makers often lower ridiculously high prices to bring them in line with those of competitors. The latest report features the prices of branded parts for 36 vehicles.
Source
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Teens on Board
From adolescence to adulthood, there are certain birthdays we tend to remember more than others.
There's the 18th birthday, when you're entitled to stay up past curfew or play the lottery.
There's the 21st birthday, the age at which you can drink alcohol legally.
Although not nearly as exciting, at 25 the rates on your car insurance drop.
But there's one age that's the most exciting of them all: turning 16, and getting your driver's license.
And while it is a common transition from childhood to teen life, safety experts on a national scale are questioning whether 16 is really old enough to get behind the wheel.
A report published by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that crashes involving teens would decrease significantly if they were licensed at a later age.
The study found that in New Jersey, where the driving age is 17, a rate of 4.4 per 100,000 teenage drivers were in fatal crashes from 1992-1996, compared with 20.7 per 100,000 in Connecticut, where the legal age is 16.
Source
There's the 18th birthday, when you're entitled to stay up past curfew or play the lottery.
There's the 21st birthday, the age at which you can drink alcohol legally.
Although not nearly as exciting, at 25 the rates on your car insurance drop.
But there's one age that's the most exciting of them all: turning 16, and getting your driver's license.
And while it is a common transition from childhood to teen life, safety experts on a national scale are questioning whether 16 is really old enough to get behind the wheel.
A report published by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that crashes involving teens would decrease significantly if they were licensed at a later age.
The study found that in New Jersey, where the driving age is 17, a rate of 4.4 per 100,000 teenage drivers were in fatal crashes from 1992-1996, compared with 20.7 per 100,000 in Connecticut, where the legal age is 16.
Source
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Norwich Union price check service
Hayley Parsons, Chief Executive, Gocompare.com, says consumers are unlikely to be quoted happy by Norwich Union's new price check service: "In the main, consumers won't be disadvantaged by Norwich Union's withdrawal from comparison sites. The reality is they have struggled to keep their premiums competitive and, unfortunately for them, there's now nowhere to hide for their existing products.
While we respect their decision, we would urge consumers to be extremely wary of their new price checking service. This is not a comparison service and I hope consumers aren't drawn in by suggestions that it compares anything of much value at all.
When you visit sites such as Gocompare.com you get a full comparison of actual quotes from over 80 insurance brands. With Norwich Union, they are offering quick quotes which are estimates based on premiums that are two months out of date. These premiums bear little reflection to the actual quote that you will see once you have completed the full quote process.
When you eventually get a genuine quote for a Norwich Union policy you are given the opportunity to compare it against three insurance companies, out of a possible list of nine. This list gives the consumer no indication which of these companies are the best three to compare against, or even if the nine choices they are presented with give them any hope of finding a cheaper quote.
The whole service is confusing, misleading and represents a big step backwards for the insurance industry. Consumers who are familiar with using true comparison sites will find it very unhelpful. Our advice to anyone looking to compare car insurance is to use a real comparison service.
Source
While we respect their decision, we would urge consumers to be extremely wary of their new price checking service. This is not a comparison service and I hope consumers aren't drawn in by suggestions that it compares anything of much value at all.
When you visit sites such as Gocompare.com you get a full comparison of actual quotes from over 80 insurance brands. With Norwich Union, they are offering quick quotes which are estimates based on premiums that are two months out of date. These premiums bear little reflection to the actual quote that you will see once you have completed the full quote process.
When you eventually get a genuine quote for a Norwich Union policy you are given the opportunity to compare it against three insurance companies, out of a possible list of nine. This list gives the consumer no indication which of these companies are the best three to compare against, or even if the nine choices they are presented with give them any hope of finding a cheaper quote.
The whole service is confusing, misleading and represents a big step backwards for the insurance industry. Consumers who are familiar with using true comparison sites will find it very unhelpful. Our advice to anyone looking to compare car insurance is to use a real comparison service.
Source
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