Car insurance is something we often need but hope we will never have to use.
Times are financially tight and finding affordable car insurance is something everyone covets.
Insurance companies often advertise that their insurance rates are the lowest, but often times this is not the case.
There are deals to be found however and knowing where to look for them can save auto owners a lot of money.
Nothing can take the place of comparison shopping and it should be the first thing to do on your checklist.
Even though there are tons of commercials for competing car insurance companies, all offering the best deals, independent research generally will give all the facts and real numbers to work with.
The Internet is a great tool as most car insurance companies have quote calculators right on their websites.
It takes but a few minutes to plug in some basic information and have a quote.
Seek out car insurance that is exclusively available online.
Often times these companies have great deals on affordable car insurance because their overhead is low.
In the world of car insurance, big names aren't always better.
Consider some of the smaller and new companies as well.
Just make sure that they offer all the same minimums and maximums of coverage you are looking for or need.
Expect to pay a higher premium if you are under the age of 25.
Historically, auto insurance companies charge higher amounts for younger drivers because they are considered inexperienced and therefore, a higher risk for companies.
Many car insurance agencies do however give discounts for driver's education classes or discounts for each year one is accident free so ask about these discounts.
Unfortunately many insurance companies will also charge higher rates if the driver resides in an area known to have high crime activity.
If moving to a less crime ridden area is not possible, research auto insurance companies that don't penalize in this area or still charge more but have competitive rates.
Additionally, consider installing an alarm system for the vehicle.
Many can be purchased at reasonable prices, and lots of insurance companies will give discounts if the vehicle has one.
The money spent on the alarm will probably pay for itself the first or second year.
Car insurance is often based on the type of vehicle owned.
Many people are oblivious to this.
Every year insurance companies spent hundreds of thousands of dollars researching which cars are most and least likely to be stolen or broken into, and they based their premiums on these findings.
Honda Civics notoriously makes the top 5 cars most stolen every year.
The same goes for high performance and sports vehicles.
Conduct some research about where the make and model of your vehicle falls on these lists; then consider trading in that vehicle for one less likely to be on the list.
Finally, know your driving record.
The local Motor Vehicle Administration will print you out a copy of your driving record if you don't know it for a small fee.
Violations such as speeding tickets and DUI's will almost always raise auto premiums.
There are competitive auto insurance companies out there that have accident forgiveness or are more forgiving particularly of older violations.
By being aware of what bullets need dodging on your record, you are in a better place to negotiate when searching for affordable car insurance.
Times are financially tight and finding affordable car insurance is something everyone covets.
Insurance companies often advertise that their insurance rates are the lowest, but often times this is not the case.
There are deals to be found however and knowing where to look for them can save auto owners a lot of money.
Nothing can take the place of comparison shopping and it should be the first thing to do on your checklist.
Even though there are tons of commercials for competing car insurance companies, all offering the best deals, independent research generally will give all the facts and real numbers to work with.
The Internet is a great tool as most car insurance companies have quote calculators right on their websites.
It takes but a few minutes to plug in some basic information and have a quote.
Seek out car insurance that is exclusively available online.
Often times these companies have great deals on affordable car insurance because their overhead is low.
In the world of car insurance, big names aren't always better.
Consider some of the smaller and new companies as well.
Just make sure that they offer all the same minimums and maximums of coverage you are looking for or need.
Expect to pay a higher premium if you are under the age of 25.
Historically, auto insurance companies charge higher amounts for younger drivers because they are considered inexperienced and therefore, a higher risk for companies.
Many car insurance agencies do however give discounts for driver's education classes or discounts for each year one is accident free so ask about these discounts.
Unfortunately many insurance companies will also charge higher rates if the driver resides in an area known to have high crime activity.
If moving to a less crime ridden area is not possible, research auto insurance companies that don't penalize in this area or still charge more but have competitive rates.
Additionally, consider installing an alarm system for the vehicle.
Many can be purchased at reasonable prices, and lots of insurance companies will give discounts if the vehicle has one.
The money spent on the alarm will probably pay for itself the first or second year.
Car insurance is often based on the type of vehicle owned.
Many people are oblivious to this.
Every year insurance companies spent hundreds of thousands of dollars researching which cars are most and least likely to be stolen or broken into, and they based their premiums on these findings.
Honda Civics notoriously makes the top 5 cars most stolen every year.
The same goes for high performance and sports vehicles.
Conduct some research about where the make and model of your vehicle falls on these lists; then consider trading in that vehicle for one less likely to be on the list.
Finally, know your driving record.
The local Motor Vehicle Administration will print you out a copy of your driving record if you don't know it for a small fee.
Violations such as speeding tickets and DUI's will almost always raise auto premiums.
There are competitive auto insurance companies out there that have accident forgiveness or are more forgiving particularly of older violations.
By being aware of what bullets need dodging on your record, you are in a better place to negotiate when searching for affordable car insurance.