Why Is My Car Insurance So Expensive, And What Can I Do
Most drivers are on the prowl for cheaper auto insurance, and spend a lot of time looking at side-by-side comparisons on the Internet. They could save a lot of time by simply moving to Maine.
Insure.com recently released a list ranking states by average annual cost of car insurance.
Topping out the list was Louisiana, where the average premium is $2,510.87 (this compared to Maine’s $902.85).
Virginia came in at number 37, with an average of $1,233.36 (this is slightly under the national average of $1,429.26). Washington, DC ranked number 7, with typical costs of $1,753.19.
So aside from leaving the state, how do you keep your rates low? The formula for calculating your rate is only slightly more complicated than cracking the Da Vinci Code, but here is a typical breakdown: Tier I: Primary zip code, age, gender and marital status Tier II: Driving record, credit history, make and model of car
Let’s break it down. It’s hard to change the first-tier factors (and if you are willing to make those changes over car insurance rates, then… you must just have terrible coverage to begin with). Some may be wondering why zip code matters. To begin with, all states have different laws pertaining to vehicle insurance requirements. Additionally, remember the first rule of real estate: location, location, location! Factors such as urban vs. rural and number of uninsured drivers on the road with you will affect the overall “risk factor” of living in certain areas. As far as the others in this category, we’re all familiar with the magic birthday of 25, and know that only drastic measures can change gender or marital status.
Now let’s look at what you can change. Insurance companies assign a different risk rating to each individual make and model. Different insurance companies will have different systems in place to estimate this, though it’s possible to find good examples online (check company websites and services like MSN).
While it’s still being debated in most states, your credit history can weigh in on what you pay for insurance. Something like this will also vary from company to company.
Lastly, your driving record. In terms of factors you can impact, this is the big one. Speeding tickets, traffic tickets, reckless driving charges, DWI/DUI charges, are just SOME of the things that can increase your premiums, now or further down the road. Did you know that even no-fault accidents (accidents in which you were involved but did not cause directly) can cause your rates to increase?
The best thing to do if you receive a ticket or charge or are involved in an accident is to contact an experienced attorney in your state to discuss your options, and how best to deal with insurance companies. If you are involved in an accident, it is usually better to contact your attorney before you give a statement to your insurance company.
Copyright (c) 2010 James Parrish
Buying Car Insurance Online A Smart Choice
Car is your most precious and desirable asset and needs to be handled with utmost care. Though it is mandatory to buy Third Party Insurance but your car deserves more than just a basic cover. So, go for a comprehensive insurance that covers your car and third party insurance too. Once, you have decided the comprehensive policy for your car, buying car insurance is pretty easy.
In the techno friendly world, you can buy car insurance online. Just get the insurance quotes from various service providers, compare the premiums, go through the list of inclusions and exclusions and buy the car insurance online.
Key advantages of buying car insurance online:
Immediate issuance of the online policy
Road side assistance
Cashless facility of car servicing at network garage
No Claim Bonus discounts on premium
Accidental coverage for self and co-passengers
General Exclusions of car insurance policy
Electrical/mechanical break-down
Depreciation of the car
Wear and tear of the vehicle
Damage caused while driving without licence
Damage caused if driving under influence of alcohol/drugs
Third Party Insurance Vs Comprehensive Coverage
Third Party Insurance: It is a basic insurance that covers the damage caused by you to the third-party, third-partys vehicle and third-partys co-passengers. Your car is not protected under third party insurance cover.
Comprehensive car insurance: This insurance includes third-party coverage and in addition covers the damages to your vehicle and your co-passengers. It also extends coverage to your vehicle from the damage resulting because of theft, accident, fire and natural calamities.
Both types if insurance come with the validity of one year and have to be renewed every year. The premium would vary every year depending upon several factors.
Factors affecting car insurance premium
Deductibles: The higher the deductible the lower the premium.
Type of car you drive: If you have installed safety devices in your car, it may help you avail discount on your premium. Also, if your car is highly rated for its performance and protection for driver and co-passengers then it can directly help you lower your premium.
NCB: NCBs help you avail maximum discounts on your car premium. It is simply a reward for your safe driving skills. If you have not claimed within one policy year, then you can avail NCB on renewal premium.
Your demography: The place where you live and drive also determines the premium. If living in urban city the premium would be higher as the risk of theft, accidents and collisions is more.
[Top]How Auto Insurance Premiums Are Calculated
Once an insurance company provides an auto insurance coverage, it takes responsibility of meeting the cost of the actions of the policy holder or damages otherwise happened to the car. Insurance companies have to to determine the premium they must seek to insure each risk. Really, they get no problem, only periodic checks from one driver forever or nothing but losses from the other. It is their main job to select out the better risk out of poor ones.
The main determinant is the age and experience. They ask sizable money from a younger driver because they have no record of his driving capabilities. Other than that they look at the age groups. This is where they go through the figures to evaluate if one age group is a better liability than the other. For example, while some companies provide quite favorable premiums for drivers with several years clean history, they might decide to quote expensive rates for young and inexperienced drivers.
Furthermore, every car has an insurance rating depending on the price of it, security level it has and the possible use of the car. For example a sporty car will obviously have much higher premium then a family class because of the assumed intention each car is bought for. The community of the insured and where the car is left overnight are the other variables.
Eventually, car insurance premiums are controlled according to the pay out the firms face to settle each year. A negative year of car insurance losses may cause premium jumps all over. So it is quite dynamic. Nevertheless, it is not a monopoly and some insurers could manage their liability superior and thus charge less for particular insureds. Few auto insurance companies might opt to be specialized in certain type of insurance like younger driver, multi car policies, women owners, more experienced owners and so on.
Simply, the only way to discover what an individual insurance company might ask for a given car and its individual driver is to ask for a quote.
Get Your Auto Insurance Quotes on our website fast and easy. Find the major Auto Insurance Companies in one place.
[Top]Know Your Car Insurance Companies
You may wonder why should you know your car insurance companies. One very good reason is that in the event of an accident you would be less likely to accept a false proof of insurance. How’s that possible?
A few months ago my car was hit while I was sitting at a stop sign waiting to turn left. The other driver coming from my right cut the corner before realizing there was a car there. Needless to say it was a head-on collision, but thankfully she was slowing to turn.When the time came to exchange insurance information, she handed me a letter on official letterhead that gave a policy number for auto insurance. The letterhead said DriveTime. I’d heard about DriveTime as being a place where one could easily get an auto loan. I never questioned the validity of the proof of insurance I was given.
I found out later, when I tried to file a claim for repairs with the other insurance company, that DriveTime insurance ONLY covers their car. It is a comprehensive coverage that protects DriveTime against any loss. However, it is up to the car buyer to obtain liability coverage from another source.
So before you get stuck with a proof of insurance that is no proof at all, glance at the list below just to get an idea of those real full-coverage auto insurance companies. These are American insurance companies with a strong regional and national presence.
* American National Insurance Company
* American Automobile Association
* AIG
* Allstate
* American Family Insurance
* American Farmers and Ranchers Mutual
* Amica
* Auto-Owners Insurance
* California Casualty Insurance
* CapitalOne
* Commerce Insurance Group
* COUNTRY Insurance & Financial Services
* Cuna Mutual Group
* Electric Insurance Company
* Esurance
* Expatriate Insurance
* Farm Bureau Insurance
* Farmers Insurance
* Frankenmuth Mutual Insurance Company
* GAINSCO Auto Insurance
* GMAC Insurance
* Geico
* The General
* GuideOne
* Hanover Insurance
* The Hartford
* Hastings Mutual Insurance Company
* Haulers Insurance Company
* Infinity Auto Insurance Company
* Liberty Mutual
* Nationwide Insurance
* National Interstate
* Metropolitan Life Insurance Company
* Mutual of Enumclaw
* OneBeacon Insurance Group
* Pekin Insurance
* Pemco
* Progressive
* Safeco
* Safeway Insurance Group
* Standard Insurance Company
* State Auto Insurance Companies
* Shelter Insurance Companies
* Solid Insurance Group
* State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company
* The St. Paul Travelers Companies, Inc.
* Trustgard Insurance
* Unitrin Direct Auto Insurance
* USAA
* Wawanesa
* Westfield Insurance
Of course, there are a lot more insurance companies that this, but this is a list of the most common. So if someone gives you a proof of insurance that doesn’t sound like a company name that you are familiar with, make sure you get all of the contact information, including their driver’s license numberjust in case.
[Top]Dedicated Car Insurance Companies Could Give Additional Savings
Definitely there are number of different routes to save money on car insurance. insurance providers provide specific savings for several reasons. The perfect reason might be that they are looking to enter into certain marketplace and therefore giving bold cuts.
Additionally many insurance companies select a particular field to get an edge against competitors in that area. For example, whilst some insurers are witholding from younger drivers at any cost, few companies may think that they could control their exposure well in such high premium industry.
Periodically you witness some insurance providers claiming to be specialist on certain fields like lady driver covers or multi vehicle insurance business. Sometimes, few of those may be just promotion attempts and they might really be more expensive on such areas than a few alternative firms. Nevertheless, there are specialized auto insurance companies that worthwile contacting if you believe that they have the edge on the categories you might economize on your auto insurance. Really there are a few companies that cornered a specific marketplace. Student auto insurance could be a good example. If you are a good student you might make the most of student auto insurance providers. Even though it would be expensive for you to get auto insurance, as long as you are an above average student several insurers may be willing to offer you fairly priced policy.
You might easily extend such examples. There are a few car insurance providers that have earned a reputation for themselves in one specific area or certainly they are letting known the type of insureds they prefer.
Remember to compare their prices with others to ascertain they actually are lower in that area. In fact plenty firms may wish the older motorists, nevertheless they are not willing to cut their rates to attract their business. Every time, have several auto insurance quotes before you eventually make your mind on the type of policy and certain insurance company.
Get your Auto Insurance Quotes on our website fast and easy. Find the major Cheap Auto Insurance Companies in one place.
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