Graduates, Time to Save on Car Insurance!
Congratulations, graduates! It’s time to throw that cap in the air and dive into the rest of the world. Some individuals may be continuing on to further their education, while others are starting their first full-time position. Regardless of where you are going after graduation, it is always a good time to consider ways to save on your car insurance.
Listed below are 10 items that have a significant impact on an auto insurance premium.
Deductible
The amount you are willing to pay out of pocket in the event of a claim is one of the major element contributing to the price of your insurance. It is important to place your deductible at a limit you know you will be able to attain if you have a claim. For those who do not have the funds or resources to cover a higher deductible, this is a change that you may not want to make. For others, increasing your deductible from $500 to $1000 can lower your yearly premium significantly.
Bodily Injury Limits
Although lowering your bodily injury limits as low as the state minimum will decrease the overall premium, the small savings does not compare to the thousands of dollars of additional coverage you will receive for having higher limits. Lowering your bodily injury limits is an option if you are looking to save. However, it is not suggested.
It is imperative to know that if you are involved in an at-fault accident, any bodily injury imposed on people in the other vehicle must be covered by your bodily injury limits. Otherwise, the burden of any uncovered medical bills will fall on the at-fault driver. Considering higher limits is highly recommended.
Vehicle Type
If you are looking to purchase a car soon and are stuck deciding between a few choices, you may want to get insurance quotes to determine the varying auto insurance premiums for coverage on the different vehicles. Insurance can differ greatly depending on the year, make, and model of the vehicle. For example, car insurance on a 2010 Honda Accord will be much cheaper than insurance for a 2015 BMW 328i because it will cost the company more to repair the BMW than the Honda.
Affinity Discounts
Depending where you work, attend school, or are a member, you may be eligible for affinity discounts on your auto insurance. For many companies, this can save you 5% on your yearly premium. You can find out about possible affinity discounts available by speaking to an agent.
Good Student Discounts
For those who are planning to continue on with their education, a good student discount can be a possible way to save on insurance. By maintaining a B average, keeping at least a 3.0 GPA or higher, students can save 10-15% on their yearly premium.
Mileage
Many drivers are unaware of the amount of driving they do in a year. Mileage has a huge effect on an auto policy premium. The more a car is driven, the higher the chance of an accident taking place involving that vehicle. Many insurance companies today have systems to verify yearly mileage. For those who do not drive a lot, this can be a huge benefit in helping lower the overall yearly premium.
Homeowner
Many companies offer discounts on auto policies if your home is owned, even if the home insurance is not with the same company insuring the autos. While this discount is usually fairly small, every dollar of savings counts.
Multi-Line policies
Bundling insurance policies is a great way to save on auto insurance. Some multi-line policy discounts include:
- Multi-car: By having more than one car on a policy, the average savings is a 10% discount. This applies regardless of if both cars have full coverage or liability only.
- Auto/home: For those who own homes, bundling auto and homeowner’s insurance with the same company can possibly offer discounts on both policies. This discount can save a customer up to 20% on their auto policy premium alone.
- Auto/renters: Many individuals who rent do not think home insurance is necessary. However, in the event of a loss from theft or other perils, personal belongings in the home will not be covered. Renters insurance is an inexpensive policy that can be added to cover personal property, and often times, the discount received on the auto insurance for bundling pays for the renters policy.
Driving Record
An individual’s driving record depends on many aspects such as:
- amount of time they have been licensed
- amount of time they have been insured
- number of at-fault accidents
- number of tickets
Although accidents do occur and sometimes are unavoidable, keeping them off your record can save you a huge chunk of cash on car insurance. As for tickets, it is highly recommended to complete traffic school, if possible, whenever a ticket is received to keep insurance from increasing. Keeping a clean record, free of all tickets and accidents, can save a driver up to 30% on their yearly auto policy premium.
Garaging Address
Many people do not realize how much their insurance depends on where they are living. This is a big factor in price because of rates of vandalism, accidents, and theft in the area. Also, people living in higher populated, urban areas pay higher premiums on insurance than those in rural areas.