Why insurers ask those questions

If you have ever wondered why you get asked all the questions you do when applying for car insurance - some of which seem to make no sense - we can tell you why insurers ask them. The explanations also illuminate why it pays drivers to look closely at the premiums shopping around for car insurance for their new motor.

With the help of specialist online insurance broker Screentrade, we help explain why almost every piece of personal information given when getting a quote is taken into consideration when car insurance premiums are calculated. While most motorists are aware of typical influencing factors such as type of car driven and security, many do not realise that their job, marital status and even habits such as smoking can affect their premium.

• Profession Your choice of career could make a difference to the premium you pay. People with high risk occupations such as journalist, marketeer, restaurateur and politician can expect to pay a higher premium while teaching and sedentary office jobs are considered lower risk.
• Marital Status Whether or not you are married can have an effect on your car insurance premium. Married people are considered less of a risk than single people because they traditionally make fewer claims. Possible explanations include the fact that couples will nag each other about bad driving habits and the increased probability of children in the car encourages safer driving. This does not, however, apply to cohabiting couples.
• Smoking Smokers are considered higher risk with some insurance companies because they are more likely to be distracted on the road and, therefore, more likely to have an accident. Some insurers will offer non-smokers a discount on their car insurance premiums.
• Gender Women get cheaper premiums as they are statistically better drivers than men. If you are in a couple, consider insuring the vehicle in the woman's name.
• Age Statistics show that the older you are, the less likely you are to make a claim. If you're over 50, you can benefit from discounted premiums.
• Security If you've got a garage, use it! Your premiums will be lower if you lock your car away in a garage than if you leave it exposed overnight. Other safety and security features such as alarms, immobilisers, trackers and crumple zones can all help bring your premium down.

Other factors influencing premiums include no claims bonuses, paying extra policy excess, where you live, annual mileage, amount of named drivers on your policy, vehicle type, modifications to the vehicle, driving habits (such as social, domestic, pleasure and business) and advanced driving qualifications.

Get an online quote now and find out how much you can save.