It’s long been agreed that fossil fuels are damaging the environment and the emissions scandal highlighted just how bad they are for public health. There’s little doubt that electric taxis are the future, but when’s the right time to make the switch? Quoteline Direct looks at reasons for going green: More Business Reducing your carbon footprint is a moral responsibility and there’s plenty of evidence to suggest that it can help to drive your business. Public pressure is demanding that corporations tread with a lighter ecological footprint and switching to electric taxis is a step in the right ..read more

Holiday homes can be risky to insure, but it doesn’t mean your premiums need to go through the roof. We’ve been digging through the data to identify the most common claims and what steps you can take to keep your property safe and secure (and your NCD intact): Water Damage Escaped water is the single biggest cause of household insurance claims and payouts can be eye-wateringly high. Burst pipes are the most common culprit and can be avoided by ensuring that the water temperature doesn’t drop below freezing (keep the heating on low during the colder months and lag exposed pipes). As always prev ..read more

Most motorists assume that one of the easiest ways to drive down the cost of their car insurance is to bump-up their claims excess, but a recent report has revealed that opting for a higher excess might not make financial sense. Calculating insurance premiums is all about calculating risk and if the policyholder can shoulder some of the risk it stands to reason that they should be rewarded with lower premiums. Choosing a higher voluntary excess means you’re much less likely to make a claim and motorists have reasonably assumed they would get cheaper cover. However, researchers at a leading pri ..read more

After the long wet winter it’s hardly surprising that that country’s roads need a little TLC, but is the British weather solely to blame for the recent plague pf potholes? Quoteline Direct digs into the real reasons for the proliferation in potholes and asks why motorists are being given a bumpy ride. What’s the real state of the nation’s roads? It’s easy to look at the past through rose-tinted glasses, but few would argue that the glamour days of motoring have been well and truly consigned to the history books. Jump behind the wheel today and it’s only a matter of minutes until you hit a poth ..read more

Most van owners learn to drive behind the wheel of a car and already have good idea about how insurance works. However, van insurance can be a bit more complicated, so we decided to tackle some of the most common questions (and misunderstandings) about van insurance: What is private van insurance? Private van insurance covers domestic and pleasure use which includes everything from a trip to the supermarket for the weekly shop to a weekend away. While most car insurance policies cover commuting, most van insurance policies don’t. Even if you just use your van to get to work (rather than at wor ..read more

Easter weekend traditionally marks the start of the DIY season and it’s estimated that half of the country’s homeowners will be digging out their toolboxes and rolling up their sleeves to tackle long overdue jobs. Millions of Britons testing their home improvement skills will inevitably lead to some DIY disasters and research has revealed that one in five will need to get professional help to straighten out their botched jobs, costing an average of £3,200. To avoid adding to the statistics take the following tips: Research is Key In a recent survey, one in three homeowners admitted that they h ..read more

Finding sensibly priced home insurance with an adverse claims history can be tricky, but with expert help from a specialist provider it needn’t break the bank. What is an ‘adverse claims history’ and how does it relate to home insurance? An ‘adverse claims history’ is industry jargon used to label someone whose previous claims are deemed to pose an additional underwriting risk. Different insurers use different criteria when determining risk, which is why it’s important to choose a broker with access to a wide market, but reasons can include: making a large claim, making several small claims or ..read more

Budge over buy to let, it’s time for holiday homes to take centre stage. Changes to tax legislation have taken the shine off buy to let and holiday homes are now in the property investment spotlight. Quoteline Direct looks at whether holiday homes really are the new buy to let. Britain’s two million buy to let landlords are beginning to feel the financial pinch as changes to tax laws continue to be rolled out. The first blow came in 2016 with a 3% hike in Stamp Duty for anyone buying an ‘additional property’ followed by a 25% cut in mortgage interest relief the following year. Next month landl ..read more

Whether you’re giving your kitchen a makeover or planning major building works it’s essential to have the right insurance. Calculating insurance premiums is all about calculating risk and with tradesmen working on your property the risk can go through the roof. Not only are the chances of making a claim much higher, but claims tend to be costly. Nightmare stories of ‘builders from hell’ are never far from the headlines and damage to the fabric of a building can have catastrophic consequences.  Working with heat, electricity and water can be risky, plus there are security questions raised ..read more

Being the best taxi driver is all about going that extra mile (figuratively, not literally) and we’ve got ten ‘tried and tested’ tips to help drive your business forward: Mental Mapping Get to grips with the knowledge and don’t be a slave to your sat nav. Technology has come a long way in a short time, and real time traffic reports can prove invaluable, but for navigation it’s hard to beat the human touch. Listen Carefully Taxi drivers are known for having the gift of the gab, but not everybody wants a chatty cabbie. Reading your passengers is an essential skill and sometimes it pays to keep q ..read more