Top 5 Ways To Save Money On Your Auto Insurance

Auto insurance is one of those must-haves in life. In most states, it is required by law that you carry at least the minimum coverage. There’s no way around this, so you might as well take advantage of the money-saving tips below to make the most of your insurance experience.

Tip Number One: Consider Your Vehicle’s Value

Let’s face it, automobiles depreciate (or lose value) very quickly. When you drive your vehicle from the car lot brand new, the new value goes down suddenly to a used value. No matter how well you take care of your car, the value will decrease tremendously over a short period of time.

If you’ve paid off all debts owed on your vehicle, find out from your previous lender the estimated book value. If this amount equals the same or less than what your collision insurance premium is going to cost you, then there’s no reason to carry collision coverage. You would basically be paying the total value of your car each year, whether you have an accidentor not. You can save tremendously on your auto insurance premium by leaving off the collision if this is the case with your vehicle.

Tip Number Two: Avoid Traffic Tickets

Speeding tickets or moving violations are the number one causes of high insurance rates. When you drive at high speeds or disregard traffic rules, you are considered an at-risk driver, and your insurance rates are raised for several years as a result. Driving safely and following the rules of the road will keep your insurance rates at a low and enjoyable amount.

Tip Number Three: Know Your Coverages

There are some coverages that may not be necessary, depending on where you live or the type of vehicle you own. For example, if you live in a large city where auto theft is common, then theft insurance coverage might be wise. However, if you live forty miles from the nearest town on a high mountain where theft is very rare, then there’s no need to pay the additional premium for this type of coverage.

There are many coverages which are optional, but still helpful. You’ll need to carefully examine each coverage to decide if it’s needful or not. If your insurance company offers you full coverage, find out exactly what’s included. It might be cheaper to pay for only a few of the options separately if you don’t need all of the included coverage. This will depend on your needs, car value, etc.

Tip Number Four: Auto Insurance Deductibles

Although high deductibles often get a negative response from consumers, they can actually work to your advantage and save you tons of premium money each year. The concept behind a deductible is to place more of the responsibility on the driver and less on the insurance company. In turn, your premium can be substantially less each year.

A $1,000 deductible amount seems extremely high, but if it saves you $200 per year on your insurance premium, it’s well worth it! Keep in mind that the deductible will be due only if you do have an accident where insurance is needed. Otherwise, you get to enjoy the lower premiums year after year.

If you select a policy with a high deductible, you might want to put some of your premium savings into an emergency fund, so you’ll have some or most of your deductible if an accident does occur.

Tip Number Five: Insurance Comparisons

Another way to save money is to make comparisons before signing on for insurance. You’ll not only want to compare policy options, but also insurance companies and pricing.

Note of Warning: Be careful not to sign up too quickly if a very low price is being offered. Get some references if possible, or ask around to find out if someone else has had experience with the company. Some companies who boast low prices offer the worst customer service, and take a very long time to process claims, so use caution at all times.

Utilizing online resources is a great way to compare California insurance companies. You might also find discount offers online which provide additional savings.

When choosing an insurance company and selecting your coverage, use these simple tips to save money on the premium while also getting a great plan to meet your needs.

Written by Kelly Jensen for CompetitiveAutoInsurance.com, where you can find information on cheap car insurance, and auto insurance quotes. The following article will also show you how to save on car insurance.

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2 July

Those Hidden Car Insurance Coverages

This article is not only for someone getting auto insurance for the first time, it’s for anyone paying for auto insurance. By the time you get through this article, you should have a basic understanding of the types of auto insurance coverages available. You can then add or delete certain coverages to your policy based on your needs.

Don’t you remember that as you approached the legal driving age, you heard, sometimes very loudly from your parents, how expensive auto insurance was. If you have kids that already are or will be driving soon, you’ve likely made this same comment to them. Most of us have had terror struck in their hearts about what the insurance company might not cover. And especially, what would happen if you did get in an accident. However, what you rarely have heard are the subtle little provisions that could save you BIG money if you need it.

It really helps if you know the basic coverages that are in your auto insurance policy. For example it’s important to know that the bodily injury and property limits are your LIABILITY to the other driver if you are ruled to be at fault. You will collect nothing under this coverage. And we all know that collision coverage is for your car if you damage it, less the deductible that you’ve elected to pay yourself. Comprehensive auto insurance basically covers what happens to your car while you are NOT driving it. But what about Medical Payments? The auto insurance company pays your Medical bills ONLY, if you are injured. BUT, it also covers you if you are injured near your car, on your way to your car, or from your car to your house. Many states offer Personal Injury Protection (PIP), which pays the medical bills. But it also covers the ‘little’ things, like hiring someone to clean house, cook, do the things you usually do but now can’t do because of the accident you were in. In some states you can even buy BOTH Medical Payments and PIP on the same auto insurance policy.

Who pays for the personal things that you have in your car? I can tell you from personal experience and from talking to my insurance company recently, the auto insurance company won’t pay for personal things in your car! Unless an item in your car can be considered an accessory, or something only to be used in the vehicle, you will have to look to your homeowner’s policy for reimbursement. However, I strongly recommend that you DON’T call your homeowner’s insurance company unless you are SURE that the loss is more than your deductible. Trust me, sometimes it seems like the insurance companies are making a list, checking it twice and then grabbing as much of your paycheck as possible.

Why is it important to know what you don’t get with your auto insurance policy? Did you know that you can get a rental car when your car is in for repairs after an accident? Well, this is true, but only if you have ‘Rental Reimbursement’ on your policy. If you don’t have this coverage, you get no rental car. A good insurance agent or company will point this out to you, oftentimes a telephone operator might not! More and more cities are enacting ‘mandatory towing’ laws. If you break down in a high traffic area, you will be towed whether you want it or not. And in most cities, you will be billed. So who pays? If you selected ‘towing and labor’ coverage, then your auto insurance company will. Otherwise, you will have to cough up the money yourself. This is why I carry AAA. AAA provides for free towing for a limited distance (usually to the closest service station).

Let’s face it. Auto insurance is just like exercise. Painful, but necessary. And if you don’t do your own homework, you may be caught short because someone wanted to give a low rate instead of making sure you were fully covered. Read what you are purchasing. Consider your options, and what will happen without a particular auto insurance coverage. Then pray that you will never have to use your insurance!

Dan Lyne has been driving cars and insured for 25 years. He’s been in a few accidents and had to use his auto insurance, so he’s learned all about the coverage he currently has. You can find more information about auto insurance and personal finance issues, by clicking on the previous links and checking out the sites he frequently contributes to.

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2 July

How To Find If You Are Paying Too Much For Auto Insurance

With the arrival of online auto insurance quote, there has been a drastic fall in the rates of car insurance policy. With some time spent on searching on the Internet and little homework you can end up getting a cheap auto insurance, which might free you from the nagging thought that you are paying too much for your auto insurance.

Earlier, you chose the insurance provider in your neighborhood and stayed with them without even bothering about whether there is any other better option. But the scene has completely changed with the arrival of online car insurance policy.

Why are people on the hunt for cheap auto insurance quote online? The answer is obvious to save money. When you compare a number of auto insurance quote on a single website you get an idea what is on offer and you end up getting cheap auto insurance. Since there are several players online the cost of auto insurance is also dropping considerably.

When you are directly dealing with a broker, he will be always trying to influence you to buy from him. In the process you don’t get to know about the auto insurance quote of other companies. But through an online car insurance policy provider you get to know about a whole lot of auto insurance quote. This saves time and also you can get an auto insurance quote at your convenient time. Once you decide for online car insurance policy you can keep annoying agents at bay.

Get as many auto insurance quote as you can is the key to know whether you are paying too much. Compare it with traditional auto insurance quotes, refer some online reviews, and talk with your friends and family members soon you will be seeing a difference. Different types of car have different type of insurance quote, which you will be easily able to know through online car insurance policy. Age and value of a car also matters when it comes to cheap auto insurance quote. There a lot of hidden costs, which you come to realize only when you compare quotes from different insurance providers. This can be easily done on a website which provides information on a host of insurance companies. All this and a lot of other points, which you might have never thought of is easily available when you opt for a cheap online insurance policy. Most online insurance companies give you a lot of information other than just cheap insurance quote, which at the end of the day saves your valet and makes you wise.

Ms.Grace Navas is an insurance agent and regular contributor to Super-Value-Insurance.com. Super-Value-Insurance.com offers consumers multiple instant online insurance quotes.

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1 July