TOP 10 Tips for CHEAPER Car Insurance - How to get Lower
Auto Insurance Rates in 2020
hello I'm Kevin hunter author and publisher of the 13 car buying mistakes posted on
YouTube to help car buyers avoid common car buying mistakes here are my top 10 tips on getting the best auto insurance rates number 1 don't assume any one company is the cheapest some companies spend a lot of money on commercials trying to convince you that they offer the lowest car insurance rate you've likely heard them all the truth is that prices people pay for the same coverage at the same company vary widely
and no single company can claim to be the low price leader the insurance company that's cheapest for one person in one place might be the most expensive option for a different driver in another state some insurance companies also have developed complex predictive models that may charge you higher rates if they show that you're unlikely to switch providers this might sound unethical but this practice is called price optimization and while it's banned in 16 states that leaves 34 states who engage in the practice there's quite a bit of savings at stake a recent analysis found a difference of eight hundred
and fifty nine dollars a year between the average insurance quote and the lowest available quote at any given time again the only way to ensure you're getting the best deal is to shop around there are several independent sites that you can use to do comparing just make sure that you're not using one put out by the insurance company itself because you can guess where that might lead you number two don't ignore local and regional insurance companies just for company's control nearly half the nation's car insurance business that's Allstate Geico progressive and State Farm but smaller regional insurers often have higher customer satisfaction ratings than the big names
Compare Car Insurance Plans
and they may have lower rates too here's another suggestion look for the insurance agencies that represent multiple companies not only are they happy to help you shop but they aren't spending the big bucks like the four I already mentioned they put a lot of emphasis on helping the little guy number three check for the discounts insurance companies provide a variety of discounts including price breaks for customers who have the following a good driving record it's no secret that a good driving record will help lower your rate also consider bundle insurance with other policies such as homeowner's insurance bundling generally reduces rates on one or both policies consider insuring multiple cars with one policy you have to buy insurance for the others anyhow so see what they can do on the other vehicles you own pay your entire annual or six-month premium at once payments might be the only way to go for some people but you definitely save money when you pay in advance agree to receive documents online own a car were certain anti-theft or safety features now I'm not talking about the bogus theft edge system sold by car dealers I'm talking about the legitimate anti-theft systems installed by manufacturers or aftermarket installers of anti-theft equipment
and the final discount you might consider is being a member of particular professional organizations or affiliate groups you'd be surprised how many organizations out there have some affiliations with the insurance companies and being a member actually saves you money check it out discounts can vary by company
and location so check insurance company websites or consult with agents to find out which ones might apply to you number four be aware that your credit is part of your calculation your credit is a significant factor in the car insurance quotes you'll receive there are only three states Hawaii California
Be A Good Driver
and Massachusetts which don't allow insurance companies to use credit insurance companies say that customers credit has been shown to correlate with the risk of filing a claim you might scoff at that with 47 states allow insurance companies to use it in their calculations so you need to be aware of it here's what I suggest improve your credit first make sure you pay your bills on time you don't need your credit report filled up with frivolous negative dings
and if you do have damaged credit that need some help contact a local credit union in your area and consider taking out a small personal loan even if it's just $200 and even if you have to put the $200 on deposit in the credit union in order to get the loan put the money on deposit at the credit union and then let them take the payments out of it you'll be surprised how much a small loan like this will improve your credit in a short period of time when you've paid off the loan take out a little bit larger one
and do it again by paying your bills on time and using the strategy that I just suggested with a local credit union your insurance premiums will go lower too don't forget that you get one free credit report a year so use it and track your progress number five consider insurance cos when buying a car did you know that some makes and models are much more costly to insure than others I am personally stunned by the number of people who go car shopping without Oh insurance as an afterthought yet I've seen situations where a person went home to find out that their insurance rates are doubling or even tripling a little tough to get out of it then you should also consider that insurance premiums vary widely between given models and talk to your insurance agent before you go car shopping for example a review of rates done by an organization called nerd wallet on best selling vehicles in 25 cities found that the Toyota Camry cost an average of a hundred
Comparison Shop for Low Rates
and eighty-seven dollars more per year to insure than the comparable Honda Accord similarly a Toyota rav4 costs an average of 201 dollars more a year to insure than a Honda CRV that's the difference you need to be aware of number six if you own a clunker car consider dropping your collision
and comprehensive coverage on that vehicle here's why collision covers the cost of repairs resulting from damage your vehicle receives involving another car or an inanimate object comprehensive pays to repair vehicle damage caused by weather animals or vandalism or reimburses you for your car if it was ever stolen but both will only pay up to the value of your car if your clunker is old with a low market value it really makes no sense to be paying for a policy that includes collision
Reduce Coverage on Older Cars
and comprehensive number 7 consider a bigger deductible you need to carry comprehensive in collision if your car is a later model or if your lender requires it but you can save a substantial amount of money by raising the deductible studies have shown that customers who increase their deductibles from five hundred to a thousand dollars saved about two hundred dollars per year in premiums while those who increase them from five hundred to two thousand saved three hundred sixty two dollars a year just remember that the increase in deductible also means that you'll pay a little bit more if you have an accident but I suggest you keep that extra money in a savings account somewhere anyhow if you have an accident you have the money if you don't you have extra savings that you started in advance
and extra money you're saving on your policy to boot number eight consider an insurance plan that is calculated on your personal usage especially if you don't drive much if you're an infrequent driver or a safe driver who doesn't like very many miles consider a usage based insurance program such as all states of drive wise or progressive snapshot or state farms drive safe and saved I can tell you from personal experience that they work well by signing up for these programs you allow your insurer to track your driving electronically and exchange for possible discounts based on how much you drive when you drive
and how will you drive a little word to the wise don't be driving your car hard during this time I noticed on a few occasions when I had to brake hard that the under dash device beep I did receive a discount later but I thought it was interesting that the device noticed when I had to stop rapidly for those of you who drive less than ten thousand miles per year you might be able to save money with a mileage based insurance program such as Metro mile or assurance pay per mile Metro mile is currently available in seven states while assurance pay per mile is only available in Oregon these last two points are specifically for car buyers but that's pretty much everybody so number nine if you're buying a new or used car at a car dealer ask your insurance provider about gap insurance first there are plenty of drivers on the road who don't need gap at all that's the covers that pays the difference between what you owe on the vehicle
Buy Home and Auto Insurance from the Same Company
and what it's actual market value is that's where the name gap comes from however this happens to be one of the most common products sold the car buyers Wilder in the finance office and it sold anywhere from 400 to as much as $1,000 for a single car meanwhile it's very likely you could have purchased the same policy if you even needed it at thirty dollars a year from your own insurance provider make sure you talk to a neutral party about gap insurance before you go car shopping in number 10 be very cautious about any other products that sound even remotely like insurance while in the finance office at the car dealer if you're offered any insurance products like extended warranties theft protection policies window edge programs roadside hazard coverages wheel or tire coverages etc tell the finance man you want to go home
and sleep on it in the morning call your insurance provider and also go online to do a little bit of homework yourself look these products up you can always go back and add them to your car deal and most dealers will hold onto the paperwork for as much as a week if they know that you're serious about doing this homework and you may potentially come back take your time a lot of money is made off of people who pull the trigger on that stuff the day of the car sale
and by the way if you were one of those people who bought a bunch of these extras on your car deal it's never too late to get it cancelled you can always go back well after the fact after you've signed everything it doesn't matter if it's a week it's a month a year or go back and get this stuff cancelled on your car if you decided you didn't want it after all thanks for joining me on this top 10 tips for cheaper car insurance look for the other great videos we have out on car shopping like to 13 car buying mistakes