The average car insurance premium has almost doubled over the past 10 years according to The AA.

The latest AA British Insurance Premium Index shows that the average annual car insurance premium jumped by a massive 4.35% over the last quarter of 2006 to nearly £806, its highest ever level. The average third party, fire and theft premium rose again but only very slightly, to nearly £1,000.

Comprehensive car insurance premiums are now almost double the average quoted when the Index was launched in July 1994. The previous highest average quoted premium was £777.57, in January 2004.

Kevin Sinclair, managing director of AA Insurance said “Over the past three quarters, premiums have risen by nearly 6% and I believe this trend will continue.” He added that he expects third party, fire and theft insurance premiums will also continue their upward trend. “Young drivers account for a quarter of all road fatalities and are five times more likely to have an accident than a driver aged 35-plus. Premiums reflect this shocking record while many insurers will no longer cover young drivers.”

The AA Insurance Premium Index

The RAC is warning motorists about rocketing theft from cars, with a 23% rise in the number of smashed side windows reported last year due to opportunistic thieves grabbing expensive gadgets left in clear view in unattended cars.

Research carried out by RAC Auto Windscreens reveals that despite a car theft taking place every 22 seconds, over 40% of motorists regularly leave valuables on show when their cars are unattended, making rich pickings for thieves who are increasingly smashing side windows to bag booty.

Not only are motorists enticing thieves to their cars by leaving valuables on display, but they also stand to miss out on being able to make an insurance claim if they have not secured their valuable.

From RAC News.

The DVLA are warning motorists to be on the lookout for stolen V5 vehicle registration certificates when buying a used car. Thousands of the faulty logbooks have been stolen from the DVLA and it is believed that several hundred are already in circulation.

Motorists who are looking to buy a car are urged to check the serial number that appears at the top right hand corner of the registration certificate. If it bears the prefix BG and falls within the range BG 9167501 to BG 9190500, they are advised not to purchase the vehicle.

These V5C certificates could be used to sell stolen vehicles that have had their identity changed to match that of a legitimate vehicle, a practice is known as cloning. The cloned vehicles are sold on to unsuspecting members of the public who suffer significant losses when their vehicles are confiscated by the police.

The stolen certificates have a different background colour on the Notification of Permanent Export (V5C/4) tear off slip on the second page, which looks mauve on the front and pink on the reverse. On legitimate documents they should be mauve on both sides.

If you are concerned whether a certificate is genuine ring DVLA’s helplines on 0870 241 1878.