This article was published on Mon 07 Oct 2019. At the time of publishing, this article was true and accurate, however, over time this may have changed. Some links may no longer work. If you have any concerns about this please contact us

Driving on the roads can be tricky at the best of times, but the winter months can add to this with shorter daylight hours, poor driving conditions, busy roads, distracted drivers, and even a few pedestrians you need to watch out for. To help you avoid some of the more common motoring problems and be more prepared as bad weather hits, we’ve put together a few handy hints to help you and your family. Many of these may come as second nature to you, but it might be handy to share with your family.

Winter essentials for your car

It’s important to give your car a regular check and with busy lives, it’s something that we can all easily forget.

• Check your oil levels and battery, and make sure that your lights are in good working condition.

• Don’t get caught out by the early morning and late night frost. Buy yourself a new supply of de-icer and keep it in your glove compartment along with an ice scraper, it’s sensible to keep a back-up supply in the boot as well. Remember, never pour boiling water onto your windscreen as it can scratch or crack the glass.

• It’s really important to check your tyres to ensure you’ve got all the grip you need. A simple way to test this is by using a 20 pence coin. Just insert the coin into the main tread grooves of your tyres. If the coin’s outer band is no longer visible then your tread is above the legal limit. Look online for more safety guidance and get your tyres tested by a professional if you’re unsure.

• Check your wiper blades for wear and tear and don’t forget that you’ll also need a higher concentration of screen wash in winter to compensate for the colder temperatures. Make sure to check your screen wash level regularly too, as you’ll be using it a lot more than in the summer!

• Think about packing an emergency kit for your car, especially if you’re going on a long journey. Possible items could include a shovel, high-visibility vest, reflective warning sign, torch, blanket, jump leads, extra warm clothing, first aid kit and don’t forget some snacks or chocolate!

Many garages offer winter checks for your car, so if in doubt about what you should check, seek some help.

Prepare for your journey

• If you can, plan your journey in advance and check for any roadworks or closures, and updates on the weather forecast. With shorter daylight hours, there’s potential for delays and accidents, so also remember to allow extra time for each journey.

• Driving in these conditions can be very tiring and some road accidents are caused by driver tiredness, so make sure that you take plenty of rest breaks and if possible share the driving with someone else.

• Finally, if you are carrying personal possessions in the car, try and keep them out of sight in the boot. This will become increasingly important as we approach the festive season, with presents and gifts carried in the car.

Check your breakdown cover

No one wants to breakdown at any time of the year, but they are commonplace in the winter months, so it will be worth checking if you have cover and, if you do, what level of cover you have.

Good time to check if you are fully covered with your car insurance or have an individual breakdown policy?

Car Insurance just for the Police family

Police Mutual car insurance isn’t for everyone. If you look on price comparison website, you won’t find us. Why? Because our car insurance is exclusively for serving or retired Police Officers, Staff and their families.

Car insurance renewal not due?

No worries. You can switch to us anytime as we pay the cancellation fee that might be charged by your current insurer, up to £125.

Breakdown Cover

You can also purchase Breakdown cover for your vehicle with optional European cover from Police Mutual.

For more information about our car insurance and breakdown cover, click here or call 0151 242 7640.

Police Mutual car insurance is provided by Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance plc.
Police Mutual Rescue (Breakdown Cover) is provided by ERS (Syndicate 218 at Lloyds)
PMGI Limited, trading as Police Mutual, is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered in England & Wales No. 1073408. Registered office:

Alexandra House, Queen Street, Lichfield, Staffordshire, WS13 6QS.

For your security, all telephone calls are recorded and may be monitored.

This article was published on Fri 03 May 2019. At the time of publishing, this article was true and accurate, however, over time this may have changed. Some links may no longer work. If you have any concerns about this please contact us

A pivotal moment in most young adults’ lives is the day you pass your driving test. All your hard work has paid off and you’ve got more freedom than ever before. But if paying for all the lessons wasn’t expensive enough, once you pass you’ve got the cost of your car insurance to deal with.

The cost of insurance is based on the level of risk there’s expected to be. The perceived higher risk results in a higher price. Younger drivers are seen to be high risk because of their lack of experience. Statistics from THINK! do show that a fifth of newly-qualified drivers suffer an accident within the first year of passing their test [1]. Other factors that can impact the cost of young drivers’ insurance includes:

The car you drive

A car’s age, value, engine size, and potential cost and time of repairs all contribute to the calculation of premiums. Newer, more powerful cars will typically be more expensive to insure.

Who are you

Where you live, your age, your occupation and if you’ve got a no claims free driving history can all affect how much you can end up paying.

Your level of cover 

Reduced cover doesn’t always mean a reduced price. In reality, third-party cover is generally more expensive. Research shows that this is because people who take out third-party policies are more likely to make a claim than those on fully comprehensive cover [2].

Opting for comprehensive cover shows your insurer that you are more responsible, so it can be cheaper after all.

Your excess

Excess is the amount of money you must pay towards a claim made on your policy before the insurance company picks up the bill. The larger the amount you are prepared to pay in the event of a claim will reduce the cost of your premium. Make sure you choose an excess that you’re sure you can afford to pay if it calls for it.

Reducing the cost of your insurance

Research shows that for the average young driver as much as 10% of your whole yearly salary can be swallowed up by the cost of your car insurance. [3] That’s money that could be better spent on enjoying being able to drive. So what could you do to keep down the price?

Your car

After all those years of waiting to drive your own car it can be really tempting to get something fast and flamboyant. But what you gain for looking good, you’ll have to pay more for to insure. Again it all goes back to perceived risk. Cars with more power are seen as a risk and more likely to be involved in an accident or as a target for thieves. A more modest vehicle might not be as impressive but will be much cheaper to insure.

Make safety a priority

There’s a few things you can do to keep your car secure that will help ease your car insurance price and give you peace of mind too. Park your car in your garage if you can, or at least off the road overnight. It could also make a difference if you invest in some security devices like an alarm, tracker and immobiliser.

Add mum or dad to your policy

Including a more experienced driver to your policy could lead to cheaper insurance. Even if they don’t drive your car very often, adding someone older with a claim free history and no points on their licence could help! Be aware of ‘fronting’ though. Putting them as the main driver instead of a named driver is illegal and will mean an insurer could reject any claims you make.

Get a black box

Young people are stereotyped as a risk and therefore more costly to cover. Black boxes allow for young drivers to be judged on their own driving ability instead. Once installed in your car the box would monitor your driving and the results will be used to determine your price at renewal. If you drive safely it could save you money.

All part of the service

At Police Mutual we agree that it’s only fair that younger drivers are judged on how safe they are behind the wheel and not their age. That’s why we’ve carefully chosen to work with More Th>n and their Smart Wheels telematics black box technology to offer Young Driver Insurance. More Th>n’s black box technology offers younger drivers the chance to get a lower premium and to build a no claim discount in claim free years. Find out more and how to get your quote here:

Young Driver Car Insurance is provided by More Th>n. Visit our legal page for further details.

Sources:

¹ https://www.think.gov.uk/campaign/road-whisperer/

² https://www.moneysupermarket.com/car-insurance/third-party-only/

³  https://www.abi.org.uk/news/news-articles/2018/02/cost-of-car-insurance-now-gobbles-up-10-percent-of-a-young-drivers-average-salary/

This article was published on Fri 01 Mar 2019. At the time of publishing, this article was true and accurate, however, over time this may have changed. Some links may no longer work. If you have any concerns about this please contact us

If you are thinking about buying a new car it’s important that you make the right choice and get the best possible deal available. A new car represents a considerable investment, so before you part with your hard earned cash, check out our tips on buying a new car.

The best time to buy: buying at the right time can help you get a great deal. Most dealers have targets to meet and these are generally based on quarterly sales. Meaning that the end of March, June, September and December could be a good time to buy as dealers may be more willing to negotiate.

Get a final price: some dealers display prices which do not include the additional costs associated with buying and registering a new car such as delivery and number plates. Ask the dealer for a full and final breakdown of ‘on the road’ costs for the car before committing to any purchase.

Consider optional extras carefully: when looking at optional extras for your car think carefully about whether you really need them and what difference they are making to the purchase price – especially if you are paying for your car with finance. Try to stick to added extras that could add to the resale value of your car such as parking sensors or built in sat nav.

Look at pre-registered options: to help meet their sales quotas, dealers sometimes buy new cars themselves. These cars are classed as ‘pre-registered’ and can be offered for sale with significant discounts. If you are considering this option, remember that the cars records will show the dealer as the first registered owner of the car. Choosing this option could mean that you get all the benefits of a new car at a discounted price.

Take a test drive: there is no better way to get the feel of a new car than taking for a test drive. If you are considering different cars from different manufacturers then this can be a great way to compare them. As well as how the car drives, remember to check what the passenger space is like and if children’s car seats can easily be fitted.

Check out the warranty before signing: your new car will usually come with a warranty from the manufacturer. The period and terms of cover differ between dealers so make sure that you review this before committing to the car purchase. Some dealers offer extended warranties at additional cost, don’t be pressured into buying this until you have checked out exactly what’s covered and for how long.

Part-exchanging? Do your research: if you’re planning to part exchange your current car, go online and get an idea of your car’s value based on its age, condition and mileage. This will give you a benchmark to compare against the price offered by the dealer. You may be able to get more by selling your car privately but this can be time consuming and stressful when compared to part exchanging.

Car Insurance: car insurance can be expensive so remember to shop around for the best deal.

Ensure that you also review the benefits of the policy to ensure that it meets your personal needs – e.g. that it includes business insurance if you require it for business travel.  

Don’t forget to check the amount of voluntary and compulsory excess that apply to the policy as this is the amount you agree to pay upfront if you make a claim. It’s wise to make sure these are affordable should the worse happen.

To find out more about Police Mutual car insurance and to get a quote click here.

Research your finance options: most dealers will offer a number of finance options which may include hire purchase loans and lease agreements. When considering car finance be aware of any fees and charges that apply and remember to compare the rate of interest as these can vary widely.

Alternatively, arranging a personal loan from an independent provider separately from your car purchase could allow you to shop around for the most favourable terms available to you.

We’ve teamed up with Neyber, our trusted partner to offer loans to the Police family.

So if you’re looking to purchase a new car – Neyber may be able to help with a personal loan.

Rates from 3.9% to 18.9%

All loans are subject to status and acceptance by Neyber

• Simple online application
• Money could be in your account within one working day of loan approval
• Fixed monthly repayments by direct debit
• Make overpayments or early repayment of the loan free of charge
• Neyber rated ‘excellent’ on Trustpilot

Representative example

You could borrow a loan amount of £9,000 with a monthly repayment of £222.07 over a term of 48 months at a 8.9% (fixed) rate of interest per annum. Administrative fees are £0. Total amount repayable is £10,659.56. This is equivalent to 8.9% APR Representative.

Important things you need to know

Police Mutual is acting as a credit broker. Neyber Limited is acting as lender for purposes of entering into a consumer credit agreement. Rates depend on loan amount, term and your individual circumstances and may differ from the Representative APR.

All loans are subject to status and acceptance by Neyber.

Please note, loans are not currently available for PSNI members and their families.

PMGI Limited, trading as Police Mutual, is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered in England & Wales No. 1073408. Registered office Alexandra House, Queen Street, Lichfield, Staffordshire WS13 6QS. Neyber Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Financial Services Register number 718709. Registered address: 1st Floor, 3 Finsbury Avenue, London, EC2M 2AR. Company registered number: 08806631