Risk Factors and its Effects on Car Insurance Premiums

The premium that drivers pay for auto insurance depends on certain factors, specifically called risk factors. Based on previous driving records, miles driven per year, age, etc, a driver’s risk factor is evaluated and is directly proportional to the insurance premium he or she must pay. To make sure you pay the lowest premiums possible, think about these factors and what you can do to make them advantageous for your situation:Driving Violations and AccidentsInsurance companies have one thing in mind: a significant number of accidents or moving violations equals to greater accident risk. Some insurance companies even penalize drivers with a bad record, which usually lasts for a number of years. Bottom line is, the more driving violations you have, the higher the premium. If you want your premiums to decrease, keep your record clean. Vehicle TypeThis is where insurance companies and car owners understand each other’s demands. Car owners of the latest, most expensive models usually get insurance with better coverage, which means higher premiums. Cheap cars cost less to insure because car owners have the option to disregard other types of coverage that are not applicable to their vehicles. OccupationNo, they don’t check your salary. Not yet, at least. For insurance companies, a significant relationship exists between the business use of your vehicle and the premium you must pay. If your job description includes long hours of driving such as being a door-to-door salesman, expect a higher premium. Credit RatingA better credit rating will save most drivers from higher premiums since many insurance companies believe that poor credit history is susceptible to higher risks. GeographyThe place where you reside can also dictate your insurance premiums. Living in congested cities or areas with a lot of traffic prone to vehicular accidents raises the risk factor of drivers. High crime rate, specifically of vehicle thefts, also leads insurance companies to charge higher premiums. EducationDrivers with higher educational attainment are charged with lower premiums. OthersYears of driving experience, lower miles driven each year, theft protection devices and multiple cars and drivers also offer opportunity for premium discounts. Some factors which cannot be adjusted, such as age, gender, and marital status can also affect a driver’s risk factor. Most insurance companies see drivers under the age of 25 with higher potential risk of being in an accident. Women are also considered as safer drivers than men, while a married person has lower premiums compared to a single one with the same driving record. By calculating your risk factors, you can easily get lower premiums which could save you a lot for the years to come. Just remember though, each insurance company has a different take on insurance premiums, so it’s always best to compare the rates of multiple companies for your particular situation.

New Car Insurance

Best Value New Car Insurance
You need new car insurance as soon as you own a new car. Even while your new car is still on the lot, if an elehant drops from the sky and crushes it in place, and you don't have insurance, you are the proud owner of a very expensive pancake of scrap metal. Get your new car insurance in place before you finalise the purchase of your new vehicle. Your new car insurance won't be cheap. As with any major financial decision, you should think carefully, do your homework, and weight your options, to make sure you end up with the new car insurance best suited to your circumstances. Figure out an approximate cost, and set aside the money for the new car insurance before you buy your new car.
Factors Affecting Your New Car InsuranceWhen pricing their new car insurance, insurers will consider a wide range of variables. The market is competitive, so they want to hold premiums as low as possible, but at the same time, they are in business to make a profit, so they need to charge you enough to cover their overall risk.For these reasons, insurers will look at the statistics, and try to identify any factor which influences the likelihood of you making a claim, or the size of the claim.This is why the cost of the vehicle is a major consideration, along with obvious variables like your driving record, and the ages of the regular drivers of the vehicle. If you vehicle has safety features, which make a personal injury claim less likely, or reduce the likely size of a claim, it will reduce your new car insurance premium accordingly. And if your new vehicle is a make or model which is particularly likely to be stolen or damaged, you will, unfortunately, be paying a whole lot more for your new car insurance.Some insurers consider credit score, hopefully on the basis of statistics, although it is not immediately obvious that there is a direct connection.There are also factors which you can control to some extent. Many insurers will allow you to choose the amount of your deductible, or excess - this is the contribution payment you make when you make a claim. Some insurers charge you the deductible for every claim, while others will only charge you if you are at fault. The higher the deductible, the less the claim costs the insurer, so choosing a higher deductible can reduce your new car insurance premium.
How To Get New Car InsuranceIn many cases, you can get temporary insurance cover when you buy a new car. This temporary insurance is called a "cover note". Most major insurers will issue a cover note over the phone. You then have anything from three days to 30 days to complete the paperwork required for your proper new car insurance. It is important to shop around for your new car insurance. Make sure you read the fine print on your new car insurance policy before signing. Some insurers lower their premiums by excluding certain things, like fire and flood damage, which you would expect them to cover.In the state of California, a citizen-initiated referendum put a ceiling on car insurance premiums. The result of this was that many insurers cut back dramatically on what is covered, to keep costs down. If you move to California from another state, you can't assume that new car insurance will be anything like what it was back home.You will have to live with your new car insurance for along time. Usually, you won't discover any problems until you try to make a claim. By properly reading the fine print, you protect yourself from unpleasant and expensive surprises.This article is an extract from Mark Bennett's comprehensive guide on finding new auto insurance, which is available from AllFinanceAdvice.com.Mark Bennett is a staff writer for AllFinanceAdvice.com, and contributes regularly to other authoritative financial websites and publications.

How to Get Cheap Auto Insurance

How to Get Cheap Auto Insurance
‘If it isn't broken, don't fix it' is a maxim that can make insurance companies a lot of money. Although everybody would like cheap car insurance, people tend to stick to the company that they are with rather than shop around for the lowest price for auto insurance. This can cost you hundreds of dollars a year.
There are a number of ways of getting cheap auto insurance, regardless of your current company and driving status.
Shop Around
Check for Discounts
Select a higher insurance deductible
Reduce coverage on older vehicles
Shop Around
Only by shopping around for auto insurance coverage and getting quotes on premiums from several insurance companies will you be able to know for certain you are getting the lowest price for auto insurance. Be sure to compare like with like. Cheap car insurance should not mean little or no insurance, or bad insurance. Ask about how insurance claims are approved and processed, and how quickly they're paid. Look into each insurers' financial stability (there are independent rating services that can help you with this).

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Check for Discounts
Insurance companies like market share, and in order to increase or maintain their market share many companies offer discounts to drivers. You might be eligible for a discount if you have a good driving record or if you have taken a ‘Defensive Driver Training Program'. There may be discounts available for antitheft or other safety devices on the car. Most companies offer low mileage discounts.
Select a higher insurance deductible
When you file a claim, a deductible is the amount you pay first before your insurer pays the remaining balance. Often people select lower deductibles, so when they have to submit a claim, their out-of-pocket expenses are minimal. But the truth is, the higher your collision and comprehensive deductibles the lower your auto insurance premium. The savings by increasing your deductible to say $1,000 from $250 are significant—you can save hundreds of dollars off your insurance premium.
Reduce coverage on older vehicles
If your car is an older model, you may want to think about dropping the collision or comprehensive coverage (or both) on your policy. You need to weigh the cost of the collision and comprehensive against the value of your car and your chosen deductibles. For example, if you had a 10-year-old car that's worth about $1000, and your deductible was $1000, the coverage is not actually going to help you. This is one of the best means of getting cheap auto insurance.
No matter how you are now insured or how much your premium costs, there are means of getting the lowest price for auto insurance. Check out you local insurance brokers. They will be able to find cheap car insurance by finding insurance companies that are a match to your strengths.