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Ten Ways to Save on Car Insurance
If you are currently searching for a car insurance quote, you should know that there are many effective ways that will help you save money. At Save Today Auto Insurance, we are dedicated to helping you find the best quote available to you with our simple and time-saving quote finder. However, before you search for a quote, you should have a comprehensive understanding of the options available to you. Here are ten ways that you can save on auto insurance today.
1 .Get Auto Insurance Quotes Online
Car insurance comparison is the first step toward finding a good quote.
Shopping online for car insurance makes it easy to compare quotes from different car insurance providers. A little online research can go a long way in helping you to find the best deal to fit your unique needs. Provider websites usually list their own rates on their website, as well as the rates of other companies. By looking at the rates side by side, you can better understand what you will need to pay for car insurance.
You can also look for contact information online. Don’t be afraid to contact a company’s helpdesk or representative in order to get direct contact with someone to ask specific questions. Many websites now feature live chat options, which provide a faster alternative to email.
When it comes to shopping for an auto insurance quote, time spent researching is time well spent. Saving money means making the effort to find the best deal available. The internet is one of the most valuable tools you have wehn shopping for car insurance quotes, because it puts all the information you n eed right at your finger tips.
2.Ask About Discounts
If you have an excellent driving record, you may qualify for a “Good Driver” discount.
In addition to the Good Driver disocunt, you may qualify for one of these other discounts: Good Student Discounts, Retirement Discounts, Loyalty Discounts and Association and Group Discounts.
You may also want to ask your provider about “bundling” discounts. If your provider carries more than one kind of insurance, you can “bundle” insurance types together and receive a discount. For example homeowner’s insurance and car insurance can be bundled together in order to save you money
Never hesitate to ask your provider if you qualitfy for a certain discount. Oftentimes, they will not volunteer this information.
3.Get a Safety Upgrade
Regular tune ups and safety checks are the best kind of insurance you can have for your car.
Accidents due to poor maintenance often result in higher auto insurance quotes. By making sure that your vehicle’s safety features are up-to-date you can avoid the stress and hassle related to breaking down on the road, in addition to steering clear of unnecessary collisions and violations that may result in increased insurance rates.
In addition to keeping your brakes, fluids, belts and hoses in check, make sure to buy a car with safety features like anti-lock brakes, an alarm and air bags. If your car has these safety features, an insurance company is more likely to give you a low auto insurance quote.
4.Improve Your Credit Score
A person’s credit score says a lot about them, and insurance companies are increasingly using credit scores as a major factor in determining an auto insurance quote.
If you are in debt, or have a very low credit score, insurance companies may see you as a high risk driver. While your driving history, age and gender play a factor in what kind of quote you receive, your financial history will also play a part.
A good credit score means that you will get a lower premium rate. Even if you have other risks, having good credit will play a major role in lowering your car insurance qutoe, because insurance companies have typically experienced fewer losses with applicants that possess good credit scores.
5.Increase Your Deductible
A deductible is the amount of money you pay out of pocket after making a claim, before your insurance company pays for the damage of your vehicle.
A deductible applies to both comprehensive coverage and collision coverage, althought it does not apply to liability coverage. It specifically covers any damage that is done to your car during a collision.
You can lower your premium by increasing your deductible. In fact, paying $1,000 more on your deductible can end up saving you 40%.
6.Take a Driving Class
If you have the time, take a defensive driving course.
Often these courses are offered at discount prices, and provide certification. Becoming a certified defensive driver shows insurance providers that you are lower risk, and can lead to a lower auto insurance quote.
7.Buy Minimum Insurance
If you are very concerned about saving money on car insurance, you always have the option to buy only the minimum amount required.
Minimum requirements vary by state, so make sure that you do some research before buying. If your car is not worth as much as the amount you are expected to pay in surance, then you may want to forgo collision and comprehensive coverage, which, together, account for about 40% of your premium. These coverage plans cover the value of your car in he case of extreme danger; however, if your car is not worth anything, it doesn’t really make sense to buy this insurance. If you are unsure what your car is worth, you may want to consult the Kelley Bluebook.
8.Ask about Low-Mileage Discounts
Some auto insurance companies offer special discoutns to drivers who accrue a lower than average number of miles in a year.
Carpooling to work every day can also lead to low-mileage discounts. As stated in our second trip, you should always ask an auto insurance provider about what discounts are available to you. if you don’t ask, they may not tell you.
9.Seek Out Programs for Low-Income Families
There are options available that may help lower income families find reasonable auto insurance quotes.
Some of these are state implemented programs that help lower income families obtain car insurance. One such program is the California Low cost Automobile Insurance Plan. A program like this is invaluable for families in need of low car insurance quotes.
These programs often require some verification of eligibility, so you should be prepared to show proof of income and a clean driving record. If you have any doubts about your eligibility, check with your state’s Department of Motor Vehicles to see if you qualify. It’s important that anyone who drives has car insurance, both for their own protection and for the protection of other motorists on the road.
10.Insure Family Members on the Same Policy
If there are mutliple vehicles in your family, put them all on the same policy.
Oftentimes an insurance company will offer discounts to households with more than one vehicle.
California & SR-22 Insurance
I like to imagine that everyone who is told they will need an SR-22 feels the same waves of shame and worry wash over them that I felt when I discovered I would need this form. Being a poor college student and a relatively new car owner at the time, I had managed to allow my car insurance to lapse due to lack of payment during the same period of time I received some of my very first speeding tickets. The combination of those events (especially receiving multiple speeding tickets), lead to my need for a California SR-22. And I thought I was the very worst of the worst traffic offenders because of it! As with many of the things we learn in our youth, not everything is exactly as it appears.
There are quite enough dirty words that exist in the English language without laying another negative connotation at the feet SR-22 insurance. When I was first told I would need one, I thought it meant that I was both a horrible person and that I would never be able to get affordable car insurance again. I was wrong about those things.
Two Things About SR-22 Insurance in California
First, being ordered to get an SR-22 does not mean you are a horrible person… or driver. SR-22’s are simply formal documents that inform the state DMV that you have the appropriate required level of auto insurance. In my case, my license had been suspended (for unpaid speeding tickets and not having current insurance) when I was pulled over again in the process of receiving another speeding ticket. This resulted in my need for CA SR22 insurance. It is more common that you would need SR22 insurance after getting a DUI or after committing repeated reckless driving offenses in s short period of time.
Second, while you are required to carry CA SR-22 insurance for at least three years, once you have met that requirement, you will no longer need SR-22 insurance. The SR-22 itself is not the cause of the higher rates you can expect after being required to have an SR-22; the cause of the higher rates is what caused you to need the SR-22 in the first place. Whether you need California SR22 insurance or not, being convicted of serious traffic offense like DUIs and accidents while you are uninsured increases your premiums. Insurance companies consider you a “high risk” driver when you rack up these kinds of offenses and that is what causes you to pay more. Therefore, if you adhere to the SR-22 requirements and you do not have any additional negatives hits to your driving record during that time, you can expect to your risk profile to lower of time along with the insurance quotes you will get moving forward.
Cheaper Insurance for High-Risk Drivers
In general, the title of ‘high-risk’ pertains to the risk that an insurance company faces with certain types of drivers. This is usually based on the claims experience of a particular motorist and whether they are more likely to have chargeable claims. High-risk coverage also typically implies higher premiums.
Drivers who are newly licensed, young, and over the age of 70, or those who have bad credit or histories of insurance claims from accidents or moving violations are usually labeled as high-risk and have higher auto insurance quotes. Additionally, if you drive a high-performance vehicle as opposed to a standard, economical one, your insurance company may find the car to be a greater risk and put you into the high-risk category.
Yes, it is going to unfortunately cost more than standard liability insurance, but it does not have to cost a ton, as long as you take the time to compare your options and find ways to offset the increased cost of having high-risk car insurance.
The first thing to do is to use a comparison tool to locate all of the high-risk car insurance policies that match your situation. Lucky for you, there is one of these right at the top of this page. It is a good idea to use an independent comparison tool, like the one we offer, rather than one that is provided by a large insurance company because with an independent site, you’re going to be searching through a larger number of comparisons. This means that you will have a larger number of high-risk car insurance policies to choose from.
Finding ways to counter the increased cost of high-risk car insurance is your best bet to saving your wallet. Have you been thinking about getting home owner’s insurance? Are you in the market for medical insurance? Perhaps there are other members of your family who also need insurance policies. Combining policies for multiple people or multiple insurance types is a great way to find solid discounts to offset the price of high-risk car insurance.
Other common discounts can still apply, despite your status as high-risk. For example, if you own a house or are married, you may be able to qualify for a reduced insurance price. Just be sure to add as much personal information as possible when searching or applying for high-risk car insurance so that you can capture as many discounts as possible.
Another strategy that can lower your insurance over time is to take care of any parking tickets or traffic fines as quickly as possible. Endeavoring to keep your driving record clean will lessen the time that you will be required to carry high-risk car insurance, so staying on top of things will help your to reduce your premium.
What can I do about my college student?
Many parents are faced with the decision of either keeping their child on their insurance or taking them off when they go to a college that’s not close enough to home. There are several factors to consider before making this decision:
• Will your student be taking a car to college?
If they are, there are two options: keeping them on your insurance or getting them their own. Though you can have your children stand separately with their own policies, in many cases, it might be better to keep them on yours. First, your college student probably does not have enough money to make insurance payments themselves, so you would have to end up paying more money for insurance overall. Second, having their names on your policies would give them more ‘insurance experience,’ which would translate to lower insurance costs for your children in the future when they do get their own policies.
• What if your children do not take cars to college?
In this case, you can either continue to keep them on your policy or remove them so that they will not be insured. Many parents may feel that maintaining their names on the policies just means an extra unnecessary amount of money paid every month, but just because your children don’t have their own car car does not mean that they won’t be driving someone else’s car. If your children get into accident without being insured and are sued, you as the parents must shoulder the responsibility and the costs.
• How about academic breaks when your children will be home? Can they be covered for only that limited amount of time?
This is something you should run over with your insurance company first, but many do have special cases for students, though they vary from company to company. Some may agree to charge you a fixed price for a limited amount of time while your child is home, and some are also known to have an annual limited number of ‘free insured days’ for students.
Car insurance for your student may be a bit pricey, but there are several ways to qualify for discounts with your insurer:
• Because insurance companies base premiums on mileage, you can ask them to consider your student as a low-risk driver, even if they do not have a car with them.
• Many companies will lower the cost of premiums if students maintain a grade point average of 3.0 or better.
• If your student voluntarily takes a driver safety seminar, this can also lower prices.
• A good driving record can always lead to discounts.
Before you make any decision, it is always best to talk with your insurance agent. Don’t be hesitant to ask for several car insurance quotes for multiple scenarios in order to find the best policy for you and your student.
Is it safe for my teen to drive another teen?
New research from the AAA Foundation of Traffic Safety has found that the risk of teen driver fatality alarmingly quadruples when young passengers (21 years old or less) are present in the car.
With each additional young passenger inside the vehicle, the fatality risk of a 16- or 17-year-old driver per mile driven drastically increases. The likelihood of death:
• Increases by 44% with one young passenger (and no older passengers)
• Doubles with two young passengers (and no older passengers)
• Quadruples with three or more young passengers (and no older passengers)
By contrast, the presence of at least one passenger who is 35 years old or older radically decreases the fatality risk of the teen driver by 62% and the risk of a police-reported crash by 46%. Parents evidently have a great impact on their teens’ quality of driving.
Passengers have always been known to be a greater risk when it comes to auto fatalities, and there have been many changes regarding the restriction of passengers within a car when a teen is driving. However, AAA’s study results are frightening.
In order to prevent the chances of a fatal car crash, parents are encouraged to spend more time with their teen when they’re driving in order to protect them. AAA lists several strategies that parents can use to improve their children’s safety.
The lives of teens may be at risk, but always remember that parents can lessen the risk by giving their children’s driving more parental attention.