As a fully fledged student life is more about pinching pennies than preparing for classes. With that in mind most insurers accept that the average student may feel insurance of any kind is a luxury and would much rather spend the money on lubricating their gullets and partying as hard as is humanly possible. Unfortunately for students car insurance is a legal requirement and not a luxury, so if you have decided to take your beloved four wheeled baby with you to university or need a vehicle to get to your venue of studious activity you are going to have to take out the appropriate cover.

Insurers should endeavour to tailor a policy that will offer you the best fit for your needs and your budget. Some go as far as to offer special money saving deals to students, great news for the 22% of students who own a car.

Some are tempted to not seek out insurance if they feel the value of the car is worth less than a year’s cover, even if your vehicle barely makes the grade of a car it still needs cover, if not for you for the other road users. Whether it's got three wheels or four, insuring your precious Betty is a must and if money is a huge factor then you can opt for a lower level of cover. The lowest level of cover you can legally obtain is third party only, in the event of an accident, your insurance will pay out for any damages caused to the other vehicle and some insurers will cover and medical bills incurred by the other party as a result of the accident.

The next level up covers you in the events of; third party damage, fire or theft. This is considered the middle ground for car insurance as it offers some form of cover for you while fully protecting the other person (as long as the accident was your fault). The highest level of cover comes in the form of a fully comprehensive policy; such cover protects your car in most instances as well as fully covering the other party in the event of an accident (caused by you).

Thinking about your purse strings alone may mean you are under-protected, both your budget and your needs must be covered before settling on a policy. Most policies will have an optional extras section that can include breakdown cover, legal expenses and some go as far as offering road rage cover!

Hopefully your driving etiquette is such that you will not need such cover, there are some free optional extras that do need to be considered. If having a roadworthy car at all times is essential for you and your studies then the option of a free courtesy car should not be frowned upon. In the event of an accident regardless of fault, some companies will provide you with a courtesy car so you can continue carrying out all your necessary daily tasks. Others may not offer you a courtesy car, they may instead come to some form of an agreement with your college or university. This may be in the form of a detailed letter excusing you from certain activities related to your studies that require your car being functional. Imagine if you will you are studying media arts and you are working on an assignment that requires sound and camera equipment, as well as props and cast members. Any filming on location will require the use of your car, a letter highlighting that your car is not roadworthy could buy you extra time for your assignment. Such a gesture would provide you with a level of comfort that is priceless to any student.