Friday, February 13, 2009

Cheaper Auto Insurance -- Seven Ways To Pay Less

By Chimezirim Odimba

Even though you can pay less by downgrading your auto insurance coverage, it is not advisable if it compromises you and yours. Nevertheless, you can pay much less for better coverage if you know the things that matter and take necessary precautions. Let's look deeper into this...

1. There is something known as "good driver discount." This for drivers who have not make claims for three years and more. But don't be surprised if your agent tells you your auto insurance provider does not offer this discount.

If your agent says they don't offer this discount let him or her know that you will switch to another insurer. With this kind of history getting a far lower rate is certainly very easy since claims-free policy holders are every insurer's dream.

Most insurers will do all within their powers to ensure they don't lose you and this should lead to some compromise on their part.

2. A multi-vehicle discount is a smart and simple way to get cheaper rates. Nevertheless, there are a number of cases where you'll save more by insuring each car with different insurance carriers. You can ensure you are making the right choice by doing extensive comparison shopping. Insuring more than one vehicle with the same insurance company will always result in a decent discount.

3. You'll also get a reasonable discount if you have more than one policy with the same insurer. All you have to do to qualify for this is to buy your auto policy from the same insurer who is providing, say, your home insurance.

However, bear in mind that you may be better off if you buy your different policies from different insurers who offer the best rates for each policy. Shopping around for quotes and comparing offers out there with what you'll save are highly recommended steps. Thereafter, you'll not be guessing as you make your choice because you know for sure which saves you more.

4. Although most people will question the wisdom behind this, your credit rating is used to decide whether you're a good a bad risk. Some experts will tell you that experience has shown a predictable pattern between the two. They maintain that experience and statistics show that a poor credit rating means irresponsibility which also plays out behind wheels.

5. One good way to ensure you get lower rates is being careful every time you're behind wheels. You'll be making a good resolution to stay away from the wheels once you take alcohol.

Driving with more than the permissible amount of alcohol in your blood stream will make you get exorbitant rates if you're lucky or be forced to be without auto insurance if you're not so lucky. Even little things like speeding tickets do add up to make you pay more expensive rates on the long run. You'll be helping yourself by obeying all traffic laws always.

6. We all know that no age range pays as much for auto insurance as those who are below 25 years of age. If you fall into this age bracker you can get cheaper rates if you maintain good grades at school. It's known as the good student discount.

The good student discount is for students who get A's or a minimum of B's. For young drivers who meet this eligibility requirement, you can get discounts of about 5%. This is so because insurers claim there is a connection between good grades and a young driver's behavior while driving. Reckless students are very unlikely to maintain excellent grades.

7. Make out some time to visit a minimum of five insurance quotes sites that offer quotes on auto insurance policies. It should take you around 25 minutes.

As you visit each site, make sure you input the same details. Doing otherwise will return misleading results. After you've received your auto insurance quotes, compare them to see which serves your interest best both in price and value. - 15224

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