Family friendly cars and cheap insurance

We're now apparently into a double dip recession, but the Government is committed to austerity measures at all costs. So this is not the time we want to see costs rising. Yet petrol and diesel have been going up steadily and the most recent survey shows the average premium has risen by 60% since the beginning of 2007! That's an amazing amount. Indeed, because premiums are being adjusted to produce greater equality between the sexes by the end of 2012, some women are seeing quite dramatic increases. As part of a more general crackdown on petty offenders, insurers are also hiking the premium rate for first-time offenders. Speeding is producing increases of about 15%, higher for younger drivers. But mobile phone offences are producing increases of up to 60%! All this is bad enough for a single person but, when there's a family to move around with all the stuff that involves, the problems multiply.


If you're one of those families blessed with the average 2.4 kids, you may still be lugging push chairs around or have graduated to the endless paraphernalia children seem to want to keep within easy reach. The question in these expensive times is whether you can find cheap car insurance for family friendly cars . This comes down to three variables. Whatever you pick must have enough space for your particular needs. There must be reasonable fuel economy and the insurance group must be as low as possible. Something like a one- or two-year-old Vauxhall Meriva 1.3 CDTi delivers a lot of space, manages to move people at around 60 mpg and, depending on the model, is grouped under 10. Or, for the same money, you could buy a new Skoda Roomster 1.2 TSI. It may not look great but it has plenty of space and delivers about 50 mpg. With a grouping under 10 you will also find cheaper car insurance rates. Then it's just a case of avoiding speeding and other offences.