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With petrol prices shooting up and the cost of buying cars also on the rise, hardest hit will be the over-50s who represent two thirds of pri vate car owners. It's therefore more important than ever to contain your overheads by shopping around for the best insurance deal.

And, unlike younger travellers, over-50s car-owners not only have a much greater choice, but those in their mid-50s to 60s can also get much cheaper deals than motorists in other age groups.

Not only are they usually experienced drivers, but they're also deemed to be more responsible than younger drivers and, if retired, to clock up fewer miles.

Premiums do start rising once you reach your late 60s when insurers reckon that you're more likely to be more accident prone. In reality, that will depend on each individual's capability, rather than simply their age.

And, contrary to popular perceptions, statistical evidence shows that older drivers are actually the least likely to be involved in road accidents.

But, even though insurers may regard older drivers as a higher risk, many are still targeting this age group, including several high street names. Though your options do become more limited once you hit 75, you still have a much wider choice than if you were buying travel insurance

As would be expected, Age Concern, Help the Aged, RIAS and Saga have no upper age limit. But neither do Cornhill Direct or NatWest, while Churchill, CIS, Eagle Star, Esure, Halifax,.....continued below

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Liverpool Victoria, More Than, RAC Insure, Sainsbury's Bank and Tesco have no age limit for existing customers.

And the cut-off age for Abbey National, Direct Line, Egg and Hastings Direct is 80 for all policyholders.

Where you live and the car you drive will obviously influence the cost, but the table below gives an indication of the deals available. The premiums are for fully comprehensive cover for a married female driver with at least 10 years driving experience and five years no claims record driving a six month old 1.6L Ford Focus parked off road with a maximum annual mileage of 10,000 a year. While opting for a voluntary excess can keep your premiums down, the extent to which they do varies and, as the table shows, most insurers impose a compulsory excess which can shift the balance.

Most of the quotes were provided by insuresupermarket.com - but not those of insurers specialising in the over 50s market because they're not on its panel as each broker has links with a different range of insurers. That's why it's worth contacting several brokers or doing your own research online.

ageconcern.org.uk, 0845 712 5816; helptheaged.org.uk, 0800 41 31 80; rias.co.uk, 0800 502 100; saga.co.uk, 0800 015 4752

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