Some people may be tempted to go without car insurance in an attempt to save money but automobile insurance is now required in nearly every jurisdiction in the United States. However, you can save a large amount of money by shopping around and comparing quotes. The amount varies wildly based on your personal situation, but you can save hundreds a month by choosing the lowest quote.
There are many other ways you can save on car insurance as well. Here are 10 tips that will allow you to save a great deal of money on car insurance. To learn more about these tips, read on.
Student Discount
If you’re a high school or college student, your car insurance is probably quite high. However, you can get a significant discount by maintaining good grades. The grades that are required for a good student discount vary from insurer to insurer. However, you usually must maintain a 3.0 GPA or better. Although not all insurers offer such a discount, make sure to check whether a prospective insurer does offer this discount before purchasing car insurance.
Traffic School
If you have points on your license from a past incident or have recently received a ticket, it’s a good idea to go to traffic school. Most jurisdictions have a program and by enrolling you may be able to remove points from your license or if the incident is quite recent, the points may not be added in the first place. Many municipalities even allow you to take the traffic school course online.
It’s no surprise that having points on your license can greatly increase your insurance premiums, so you certainly want to enroll in a traffic school to avoid this if you can.
Selecting the Right Car
You probably already know that sports cars have very high insurance premiums. However, there are more factors regarding the selection of a vehicle that will affect the insurance. Newer cars generally have cheaper insurance than older cars. Also, cars that are popular with young people, such as Honda Civics, often have more expensive insurance payments because the average driver is more likely to get in accidents and get more traffic tickets. If you’re choosing between several different vehicles, try to get insurance quotes for each and see how much you could save.
Having a Clean Driving History
There are many benefits of driving in a safe and responsible manner. One of these benefits is that you’ll end up having much lower insurance premiums in the end. Most insurers will offer a good driver discount if it has been more than three years and you have not had an accident or a ticket. Of course, some accidents are not your fault. Depending on the laws in your state, you may still be able to get a good driver discount if you were in an accident but not at fault. However, nearly all insurers will offer a significant discount to drivers that have a clean driving record.
Comparing Quotes
As previously mentioned, you should compare quotes from a wide variety of different insurers when you are in the market for car insurance. There are several websites that can help you compare quotes from multiple insurers, although many of these websites are not reputable. Some of these websites are owned by car insurance companies that ensure their quote always looks the best. It’s a good idea for you to simply go to each insurer’s website and get the quotes one at a time. This may be time-consuming, but it’ll help you save more money in the end.
Installing an Anti-Theft Device
Another common discount for insurers to offer is an anti-theft device discount. If you have LoJack or another similar anti-theft device installed in your car, you can usually get a discount from your insurer. Although this discount is not usually very large, even saving a few bucks a month can add up over the term of a car insurance policy. If you can find a good deal on an anti-theft device, it is likely worth it, not just for safety but also to save money on your car insurance.
Installing a Monitor from Your Insurer
Many insurers these days will offer you a significant discount if you let them install a device that monitors your driving habits. Although some jurisdictions may not offer this option. If you’re a safe driver, the device will report this to your insurer and you will get a large discount. As with many of the other discounts on this list, the amount can vary widely. However, if you make a point to always drive in a safe and responsible manner and you don’t mind having such a device in your car, this may be a chance for you to save a significant amount of money.
Financing Instead of Leasing
One little known way to save on car insurance is financing instead of leasing. If you’re looking into getting a car, you no doubt have researched the pros and cons of financing and leasing. What you may not know, however, is that lease contracts often will require more insurance than financing contracts. If you have specific finance and lease offers, make sure to research information on the car insurance aspect to see if you can save a little money.
Paying Off Your Car
If you’ve paid off your car, you’re no longer subject to the insurance requirements for the financing contract. Financing contracts usually require you to carry collision insurance. If you’ve paid off your car, it may not be required to pay this insurance anymore. This can save you a significant amount of money.
Staying with The Same Insurance Company
If you’ve been with the same insurance company for several policies in a row, they will often give you a discounted quote. Some insurance companies will give you discounts only after a second policy in a row — with others, it may take longer.
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