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Tips for Reducing your Car Insurance Costs

Have you ever had to make a claim on your car insurance? If you can answer yes to this question then I bet there is a good number of you that were disappointed with their auto insurer. Perhaps many of you will have had to do alot of the groundwork chasing the insurance company to get things done, some of you will probably have had to fight with your insurance company about the costs, and no doubt most of you will have found it stressful.

Those cheap car insurance deals are quite often not worth the paper the certificate is printed on, the inefficiency of the insurer, the small print that you didn’t read, this all adds up to a surprise for most people when it comes to making a claim (and I’m not talking about a nice surprise financially). All things being even (sorry I was at the casino las night) it generally pays to go with a reputable firm when looking to renew you auto insurance. These firms do not always provide the cheapest deals but thats because you are getting what you pay for.

Alot of people do not realize that they do actually have considerable control over how expensive their car insurance quote is going to be, and that is the focus of this article. Keep it in mind that your auto insurance costs are related to the level of risk you pose to the insurance companies’ investment in you, or your car more specifically. Based on this, here are some straightforward tips for helping keep your car insurance costs down:

1. Type of car you drive The model of your vehicle has a big impact on your insurance premium – performance cars, SUVs,and those that have a high theft rate are a bigger risk to the car insurers so naturally attract a higher premium. If you are in the market for a new car research which models are in the high insurance groups and consider removing them from your list.

2. Be a safe driver Drivers who have been handed speeding tickets and who have made insurance claims recently should note that they will fall into a high drivers risk profile with the insurance companies and so will find that they do not qualify for cheap auto insurance. Driving convictions and claims made in the last few years again make you a bigger risk to the insurer. Drive safely and you will be rewarded with lower insurance quotes at the end of the day.

3. Consider increasing your deductible How much deductible do you pay? The deductible is the amount you are required to pay toward a claim before your insurance company begins to pay. The cost of your policy WILL go down the more you are prepared to pay. If you consider yourself a careful, safe driver (do you have a clean driving record?) then it may be to your advantage to agree to pay a higher deductible – this can significantly lower the cost of your car insurance policy.

4. Car Security Car theft also has a big impact on car insurance costs. Make your vehicle more difficult to steal with anti-theft devices such as an alarm and immobilizer – this is most important if you own a make and model that has a high theft rate. Be sure to mention these security devices that you have installed on your car when obtaining an insurance quotation.

5. Loyalty Rewards Some insurers will cut a deal if you have more than one policy with them so consider taking out your home insurance with the same company. When it is time to renew your policy check with your insurance provider about any loyalty discounts and ask if your risk profile got better – if you have had a clean driving record over the past year then this may help reduce your car insurance somewhat.

Teri lives in Las Vegas and is an insurance actuary. She writes about how to find cheap car insurance in las vegas and writes other insurance articles about las vegas auto insurance at the insurance guide.