Most of us are ignoring an easy way to reduce car insurance costs by 20pc

Is it something you’ve considered to reduce the cost of your insurance policy?

A little over one in four Irish motorists have described themselves as “very likely” to add another driver to their insurance policy, a measure that could result in a discount of up to 20 percent. As part of an AA Car Insurance survey of more than 3,000 Irish motorists, 28 percent of respondents stated that they were “very likely” to add another driver to their policy in the future, while an additional one in ten of those surveyed stated they were “somewhat likely” to do so. And a third of respondents, meanwhile, said they were “very unlikely” to add another driver to their policy, with 8 percent saying they were “somewhat unlikely” to do so and another 22 percent remaining neutral on the matter. Overlooking the option of adding another driver to one’s policy is ignoring a potentially simple way of reducing an insurance premium in Ireland in an era where premiums have seen a significant increase in recent years. “When it comes to steps you can take to help reduce the cost of motor insurance, adding another driver to your policy is a step that many Irish motorists overlook,” said Conor Faughnan, AA Director of Consumer Affairs. “While it is important that whoever you add to your policy has a driver record as clean or better than yours, adding a partner to your policy can result in a discount of up to 20 percent depending on your insurer.” “However, the person you’re adding to your policy does not necessarily have to be a partner, Faughnan added. “For younger drivers still living at home, adding one of their parents to their policy as a named driver can help to make getting on the road more affordable.” The AA survey found that women were significantly more likely than men to consider adding another driver to their policy in the future. While just 23 percent of male respondents stated they were “very likely” to add another driver to their policy in the future, a third of women surveyed admitted they were “very likely” to do so. The survey also found that younger drivers were far more likely to consider adding another driver to their insurance policy to reduce the cost of a premium; 53 percent of 17-24 year olds said they were “very likely” to do so, compared to 35 percent of people aged 25-35 and 27 percent of people aged 36-45. “Adding a partner or someone who you live and are in a committed relationship with, irrespective of their gender or whether or not you're actually married, to your policy will result in the greatest discount as those in committed relationships fall into a lower risk category than those who are not when it comes to calculating premiums,” said Faughnan. “In addition, if your partner also has a car of their own this will help maximise the discount you receive when adding them to your insurance policy.”