Think Ahead: 4 Ways to Keep Your Car Insurance Rates Low

The use of technology makes it much easier for consumers to shop and make purchases. This is true when it comes to buying items and acquiring car insurance. The internet is a valuable tool in this category. It allows you to search for affordable coverage for your vehicle. This can be done even prior to purchasing your car. The ultimate goal is to find rates that are low and budget-friendly.

There are things that responsible drivers can do to maintain their low rates. These involve the way that you drive and are aware of topics, such as traffic law assistance. The more that the average driver knows, the better equipped they are to find good coverage. Knowing the law and following it consistently is beneficial to all drivers. You will get the right insurance by conducting a bit of research.

Bargain Shop

According to Finder.com, the average driver is behind the wheel 13+K miles each year. This includes driving to work, as well as, for pleasure or vacation. Even people who drive fewer miles need to have good insurance coverage. 



Bargain shopping is a terrific way to get the rates that you want. There are many websites that provide qualified drivers with quotes for varying types of car insurance.

Drive Safely

One way to get low insurance rates and to maintain them is to be a safe driver. This considers those who have never receive driving or traffic infractions. These are just a part of the things that insurers use when approving drivers for coverage. Safety involves knowing and maintaining the law. 

The Insurance Information Institute also reports that drivers with good credit records are better able to get coverage. If you receive a traffic ticket, it’s a good idea to get traffic law assistance to see what can be done to rectify the situation and prevent damage to your insurance rates. 

Request Discounts

There is a list of things that drivers benefit from to get discounts on their car insurance. This often has to do with activities, organizations, and additional coverage. These are some potential things that could provide you with a discount:

• Course for Defensive Driving
• Academic Achievements
• Veteran Accomplishments
• Additional Insurer Policies

Increase Deductibles

It is possible to increase your deductible amounts in the pursuit of lower insurance rates for auto coverage. This simply means requesting that your insurer applies a higher deductible rate. In some instances, drivers ask for a $1K deductible, which can lead to a 40% savings in rates. The best way to accommodate this strategy is to set aside money in case you need to file a claim.

Personal Reasons that can Affect Your Auto Insurance

Has anyone of us ever thought of the essential personal factors that cause great on the rates of car insurance? We all know that in reality, there are many factors which affect these rates. Hence, it is important to understand what these factors are and how they affect insurance rates? Let us find out:

1) Driving record. Driving records comprise of things such as the total number of distance one drives every year, amount of accidents faced by you and other factors that contribute a lot in evaluating the insurance rate for your car. For instance, if you don't drive much then the chances of accidents even get reduced along with the opportunity of making claims. A car insurance company serves people that have a clean and efficient driving record which means free from all sorts of accidents and other violation.

2) Car you own: The type of car you are driving is also an essential factor. This consists of the built, model, security system and the theft checking devices, installed in the car. These security devices contribute in the reduction in the amount of the required insurance for your car. In addition, a few types of cars may be more costly to insure in case the spare parts of the car are costly to replace and difficult to find.

3) Age, sex and location: Young and less experienced car drivers such as teens are charged with high insurance rates than the experienced people in their 40s as they spent more time in driving on the road. Men get high rates as compared to women, as they are considered to as rash driver.New driver insurance rates are also high. Areas much prone to accidents and other damages are again quoted with high insurance rates.

4) Credit score: The insurance companies like to cover people that have a fine credit score. People with a fine credit score are given preferences, as they are considered to be more responsible. The credit scoring include whether you deposit the regular payments within the given time or not and have you ever fail to remember any payment. The people with a bad credit score might face difficulties such as higher rates as no company will offer an incentive for a person with a bad credit score report.

5) Marital status: The majority of companies offering insurance policies have an opinion that married insurance seekers have a tendency to pose a low rate of risk when compared to the unmarried ones. The reason behind this logic is, married insurance seekers will be more careful while they drive. They are relatively safer and not much risky drivers like the unmarried people. Hence, marriage can’t bring a great change in the rates yet it is an essential factor.

6) Work: Your work or job plays a great role in fixing the reasonable insurance rate for you. A person with a job that requires a lot of driving like in transport companies, etc. then you’ll get high insurance rates. But if you don’t have to drive much and work while sitting comfortably in your brick-and-mortar offices then low insurance rates are available for you.

Hence, with the right knowledge of the personal aspects that can affect the insurance rates for your car, you can select the best insurance for your car.

How to Find the Right Car Insurance for Your Teen

Teenagers are notoriously bad drivers. It's understandable. They're new at this. They don't have the experience you do. Still, it hurts the pocketbook when you get that premium notice in the mail and the bill is higher than you remember it being last month. Here are a few ways to lower the burden on yourself without having to truck the kids around yourself. 

Buy An Older Car

Teens don't need a shiny new vehicle. An old one lets them "cut their teeth" on something that isn't worth much money if it ends up totaled in three months. Plus, older cars are dirt cheap to insure. You don't have to carry collision insurance on them, and many older cars still have important safety features like airbags and a basic security system with keyless entry.

Raise Your Deductibles On Your Primary Vehicle

Raising deductibles on your primary vehicle is a smart thing to do if you have a good driving record. Odds are you can afford to pay a $1,000 deductible to get your car fixed if you're in an accident. If you choose to put collision on your kid's car, it's probably a mistake to raise the deductible there, though you can explore that option too if you're willing to front the deductible. Just realize that teens often have many more accidents than adults do.

Get Your Child A Tutor

School is tough. Your teen might not enjoy any of his classes - or he may not like, or excel in, certain ones. That can come back to bite him, and you, sooner than you think. Many insurance companies reward good grades in school. Consequently, they punish poor grades.

School performance is a good proxy for responsibility. If a child has good grades, it shows that the student is a responsible person, intelligent, and probably a good risk - all other factors being equal (even if the child doesn't have a lot of driving experience).

Likewise, if your child struggles with homework, has failing grades, or even skips class - don't expect any leniency from the insurer. Consider hiring a tutor to help him raise his grades.

After six months or so, call your insurer back, and ask for a discount. You may be surprised at just how much an insurer will discount your premiums. If your child is in college, he generally needs at least 12 credits to quality for discounts. In highschool, he needs at least a B average. 

Enroll Your Teen In a Defensive Driving Course

Defensive driving courses are an excellent way to save money on insurance. A defensive driving course will teach your teen the basics of defensive driving, demonstrate safe driving practices, and will require that your teen pass a test at the end of the course.

This isn't a substitute for driver education class, but it's an excellent way to supplement it. It often results in a direct discount on your premiums. While you're at it, you could also sign up for the course - take it with your child.

That way, you both get a discount.

Gillian Kearney has extensive experience as an insurance consultant. She enjoys sharing her insurance tips on various blogs. Visit Monkey for more ideas.