Not too long ago, deals were made by shaking hands and making a promise. People didn't care much about things like insurance because they trusted that if they did something wrong, their neighbour would pay them back. Auto insurance quickly became an important thing for responsible people to buy, especially as the speed of cars and the cost of car accidents went up. Not long after that, the federal government made it so that all car owners had to have at least some auto insurance. In the last 10 years, the number of people who need auto insurance has grown. This has made insurance more complicated and made it even more important to be cost-conscious when buying auto insurance.
Today, it takes as much skill to buy car insurance as it does to buy a car. It's important to know what an auto insurance company looks at before giving you a quote. This will let you, as a consumer, know what steps you need to take to get a lower quote. Here are the five simple steps to getting a lower insurance quote:
- Make yourself look like a "safe" candidate: Insurance companies want to keep risks in check. So, they give lower insurance quotes to drivers who are less likely to get into accidents or whose accidents aren't as bad.
-Don't get any tickets or claims for accidents while you're driving.
-Fit your car with anti-theft devices.
-Go to a programme for driver safety training.
-Buy a car that is "safe." The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety both collect information about how safe different vehicles are. Buy a car that is labelled "safe" by the government.
-You should park your car in a garage.
- Show your creditworthiness. Insurance companies are also worried about getting paid on time because they are in the business of managing risks. If you can show that you have good credit, there is less chance that you won't pay your bills on time. This means that you should get a lower rate.
-Make sure you have a good credit score and fix any mistakes on your credit report.
-Cut down the number of credit cards you have out to 2 or 3.
- Be smart with your money: The way you set up and pay for your policy can make it less risky for the insurance company to have you as a customer. You get a lower insurance quote and policy if you take steps to lower their risk.
-If you want a lower rate that stays the same for a year, buy an annual policy instead of a six-monthly one.
-If you don't want to be charged for mail payments, choose to have your payments taken out of your bank account or credit card automatically.
-If you want to lower your rates, raise your deductibles on your comprehensive and collision policies.
Buying your home and car insurance from the same company can save you money.
- Be honest about what kind of insurance you need: It goes without saying that the more coverage you want, the more it will cost. Add-ons are the death of an insurance policy, so get rid of everything you don't need.
-Pick minimum liability only if you don't use your car much or if it's an old car with little market value. It will be cheaper.
-Once you've gotten the minimum car insurance required by law, get insurance based on your own needs.
- Other things you can do to be smart: Your insurance quote also takes into account a number of other things. Some of them are not reasonable steps to take, but others can be done with little effort and can save you a lot of money.
-If you only use your car for one thing, let your agent know. This will keep your costs down.
-Students who do well in school are often able to get a discount.
-If you stop smoking, you can get better quotes.
-If you can help, change your job. The risk is higher for a delivery boy than for a storekeeper.
