Arkansas, like all but a few states, requires everyone who drives a car or truck on Arkansas roads to have auto insurance. In Arkansas, a driver must have at least $25,000 in bodily injury insurance per person and $50,000 per accident, plus an extra $25,000 in property insurance.
If your car is new or very expensive and you are paying for it with a loan, your lender may require you to have more insurance than the state minimum.
Arkansas also has a way to keep track of every registered vehicle in the state. If a vehicle is not insured, the state of Arkansas can take away its registration, making it illegal to drive.
In other words, Arkansas is serious about making sure drivers have car insurance. And since you have to have car insurance to drive on public roads, it makes sense to shop around for the best rates on car insurance in Arkansas.
But before you go online to look for good car insurance rates, there are a few easy steps you can take to make sure you get the good rates you need.
Start by following the rules and driving safely. In other words, tickets for speeding and other moving violations are going to send your car insurance rates through the roof. And if you are found guilty of Driving Under the Influence (DUI) or Driving While Intoxicated (DWI), you can forget about getting good car insurance rates for at least three years.
Since younger drivers are seen as a bad risk, their insurance rates are usually higher than those of most other drivers. But if you are under 25 and still in school and have at least a 3.0 GPA, you can get a Good Student Discount on your insurance and save anywhere from 5% to 15% every month.
Drivers who are over 65 can also get a break. If you are 55 or older, you might be able to take a special driver's refresher course and save up to 10% on your monthly premium. Check with your agent because not all insurance companies offer this discount.
Talk to your agent about a Low Mileage Discount if you only drive a few miles a week. It doesn't make sense to pay for car insurance if your car is just sitting in the garage.
Also, if you have a garage where you can park your car at night, you might be eligible for a further discount.
Is your car an older model? If your car no longer has any Kelly Blue Book value, you may want to stop paying for comprehensive and collision insurance since your insurance company won't pay out on those coverages anyway.
And before you buy that expensive new muscle car, be sure to ask your agent how much it will cost you each month in insurance premiums. Not all cars are the same when it comes to how much they cost to insure. Some cost a lot more to insure than others.
How much can you put down as a deductible? When you file a claim, your insurance company will charge you less each month if you can pay more out of pocket. This is because your insurance company will pay less if you pay more out of pocket.
Okay, now it's time to go online and look at how much different insurance companies charge for car insurance. Remember that no one website compares all of the different insurance companies, so if you really want the best rates on auto insurance in Arkansas, you will have to spend a little extra time and compare at least 3 different sites.
The extra time you spend will pay off in the long run because you'll save money on your car insurance every month.
