Two (or more) car household? Can multi-car insurance save you £1,000s?

Martin's rule: 'If you've multi-car check standalone first; if you've standalone policies, check multi-car first.'

Are multi-car policies worth it? Suzanne emailed: "Husband had three cars on multi-car, followed your guide and bought three [separate] policies, saving £1,400." Yet forumite BoredwithbeingIgnored says: "Over three cars (incl our 18yr old son's), we saved £4,600 as Admiral MultiCar policy reduced it to a much more manageable £2,600. Thanks MSE." So we can categorically say multi-car is the cheapest... for some... and costly for others. That, er, helps. Read on...

• Get the opposite quotes to what you've already got first. In a Facebook poll of 2,100 people yesterday, 40% said multi-car won for them, 60% said standalone policies did. What tends to happen is multi-car newbies get hot offers to suck 'em in, then that advantage erodes at renewal. That's the logic behind Martin's renewal rule of thumb: "If you've a multi-car policy, check standalone quotes first; if you'v e standalone policies, check multi-car first."
  
  
• The top multi-car policies (incl £70 Amazon voucher). Comparison sites don't do multi-car searches, so you have to check quotes manually as trial and error. Try as many of these as you can stomach...
  
  - Multi-car policies: Here all cars are on one policy. The big one is Admiral*. Go via this link and we've blagged you a £70 Amazon vch (it doesn't show on the landing page but you'll be sent an email to claim it, sadly that can take up to 90 days, so keep an eye out. You must claim your vch within 60 days of receiving the email). Plus Aviva* has up to 33% off multi-car policies and LV* up to 40%.
  
  - Multi-car discounts: Here you get separate policies, but you get a discount on the cost to insure each 'additional' vehicle. There's More Than* 15% | Axa 10% | Esure 10% | Privilege % varies | Sheilas' Wheels 10%.
  
  - Multi-policy discounts. Here the discount is for more than one policy, eg, it could be car or home, but two cars would also count. The discount is off each additional policy, ie, if you already have home insurance, you get the discount on your new car policy (and vice versa). For this, try Direct Line* and Churchill* - the discount varies.
  
  - Tip 1: For the multi-car and multi-policy discounts (not multi-car policies), use comparison sites below and just keep a note of these firms' prices for each vehicle (Direct Line doesn't appear on comparison sites, so go direct).
  - Tip 2: Insure the car with the cheapest premium first because you'll usually get the discount on the next 'additional' (and subsequent) cars.
  
  
• The cheapest standalone policies. For ease, just use a comparison site for each vehicle. Yet as they don't search identical insurers, and can have different prices for the same firm, it's best to do a few checks for a wider spread. Our current order's Confused.com*, MoneySupermarket*, Gocompare* and CTM*. (Why? See comparison order).
  
  After that, if you haven't already, do check multi-car policies. If you've still more time, check our list of hot deals comparison sites miss.

Of course it doesn't stop there. There's far more help in our full Cheap Car Insurance and Under-25s' Car Insurance guides, including bagging additional cashback, how comprehensive can be cheaper than third party, and how to haggle. 

Revealed: The credit score killers

Unique new analysis into what hurts and helps in your quest to become financially fanciable

Apply for credit and each lender scores you by its wish list of what it thinks makes a 'good' customer. The higher your score, the more it'll likely fancy you. Credit reference agencies tap into this by selling 'credit scores'. While somewhat meaningless - as each lender has its own system - they're an indicator of how you'll look, so worth checking regularly.

For over a year, we've given you a Free Credit Score and Report from Experian via the MSE Credit Club - which also includes your Affordability Score, Credit Hit Rate (your overall chances of getting top products), plus help on boosting them. Now we've dived into the data, in a secure and anonymous way, to uncover the credit score killers and helpers (all score changes are the average across Credit Club members, from a max 999)...

1. Filing for bankruptcy or getting a county court judgment on your credit file - 190 pt DROP. It's a key killer and will stay on your file for six years. There's help in our Credit Club if you're deep in the financial mire.
   
   
2. Missing card, loan, mortgage etc payments - 125 pt DROP (if you miss 1-3 in a month). This is a biggie most can avoid. ALWAYS set up direct debits to make at least the minimum payments (or pay IN FULL if you can). If you're set up for the min but want to overpay, you can do this manually.
   
   
3. Making 4+ applications in one month - 105 pt DROP. This can make you look desperate for credit. Making one application has little impact but if you suddenly add 1-3 more in just a month it can mean an average 15-point drop. Make 4+ more and it's a hefty 105 point hit. Beat this by using Credit Club's eligibility calcs which show the products you're most likely to get, BEFORE you apply.
   
   
4. Getting on the electoral roll - 25 pt BOOST. Not being on it can make it difficult for lenders to ID you when you apply for credit. Yet registering to vote boosts it by an average 25 points - or 55 points if you've a poorer score. If you want to keep your details hidden, you can opt out of the public register. Full help, incl if you're not allowed on it, in registering to vote.
   
   
5. Steer clear of credit limits - 30 pt BOOST. If you borrow too close to your combined limits, lenders may deem you over-reliant on credit. Drop from over 60% 'credit utilisation' to under it (excl mortgages) and you'd see a boost. So pay down debt (a good thing anyway) if you can, but beware automatically closing down old accounts.