How can I save on my smart car insurance?
There are ways you can reduce the cost of your car insurance regardless of your age, location and driving history. These include:
Estimate your mileage accurately
If you drive more you'll be seen as higher risk of making a claim which will increase the cost of your insurance. Being accurate about how much you drive can help you avoid paying more than you need to. If you don't drive a lot, you might benefit from a pay as you go policy where you only pay for what you need.
Improve your car's security
Parking in a secure garage if you can could reduce the cost of your insurance compared to street parking, particularly on poorly lit roads. You could also reduce your cost by adding things like steering wheel locks, car trackers or immobilisers.
Build up your no-claims bonus (NCB)
Many insurers offer discounts for each year you're insured without making a claim. If you've already built up your NCB you may benefit from looking at policies that offer to protect your NCB by allowing you to make a certain number of no-fault claims without losing it. Note that this will often be something you need to pay extra to add to your policy.
Pay annually rather than monthly
Choosing to pay annually is cheaper than paying monthly. This is due to the interest that insurers add to your price when you arrange monthly insurance.
Add a named driver
Particularly if you're a young driver. Having a named driver with a good driving history on your policy can reduce the cost of your policy.
Increase your voluntary excess
Typically, the higher you set your excess, the lower your premium will be - although make sure you set it to a level you can afford to pay in event of a claim.Shop around and compare quotes
We've found that the best time to buy your policy is around 18 days before your renewal date2. Compare prices early to make sure you're getting the best deal for your cover.2Based on Confused.com data January - March 2024.
What insurance can I get for my smart car?
There are three levels of car insurance you can choose from:
- Third-party
- Third-party, fire and theft
- Fully comprehensive
The history of smart car
While smart cars may only have appeared on UK roads in 1998, the history of the company behind the car goes back to the late 1980s.
The makers of Swatch SMH were the first to develop the idea. The CEO of SMH, Nicolas Hayek, believed that the automotive industry had ignored customers who wanted a small but stylish car.
Initially the car was referred to as the ‘Swatchmobile’ – though not surprisingly this name was scrapped further down the line.
In order to develop the concept further, Hayek approached several manufacturers about a collaboration on his new ‘city car’.
He finally reached an agreement with Volkswagen. However, this partnership was short lived as VW decided to terminate the project with SMH in 1993.
Hayek then approached other potential suitors including Fiat and Renault – with no joy. Eventually in 1994 he reached an agreement with Daimler-Benz AG, the makers of Mercedes-Benz.
By allying with Daimler-Benz, the Swatchmobile suddenly had a future even though the German car giant didn't like the name and instead proposed ‘smart’, an acronym for Swatch Mercedes Art.
The first smart car was launched in October 1998. However, Hayek was disappointed in the debut car’s design. While he wanted it to be a hybrid, the first smart car was instead a fuel-powered car.
Since then, smart has continued to pioneer cleaner energy in car design and all the current models of vehicles it manufactures are electric cars.
In 2019, Daimler established a joint venture with Chinese car maker Geely which will start production on the next generation of smart cars. Their first vehicle design, called Concept #1, was unveiled in 2021 at the Munich Motor Show.
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