Category: car insurance

Looking for auto insurance? It’s not a task any of us enjoy. It takes too much time wasting time in an agent’s office while he does who knows what (but we’re convinced he’s taking his sweet time since he’s there all day anyhow), we don’t understand it liability? Comprehensive? Collision? (Does anyone other than the agent get this stuff?), and it ends up costing us more than we anticipated, usually.

There’s not much we can do about the pains of getting a car insurance price quote, especially low price. We can do our shopping online, where most car insurance sites offer free price quotes. But then we may not know what we’re getting as well as in an agent’s office, where he or she would explain what we’re buying. And as for what it costs, can we do anything about that? What goes into figuring the rates, anyhow? We all know that a driver’s driving record has a part a huge part but what else affects your price quote for car insurance? Let’s take a look.

Gender Has A Big Role

Whether you’re male or female as a big part in determining a car insurance price quote. Statistics show that men tend to take more risky behavior, especially if they’re younger than 25 years of age. Sorry, guys, but the statistics influence rates as much as anything, and there’s not a lot you can do about that except get older.

Marital Status Helps

If you’re under 25 years old, your rate will usually be lower, whether you’re male or female. Statistics show that those who are married tend to drive more carefully than those who are single. Thus, getting married does have benefits when it comes to getting a car insurance price quote!

Pulling Your Credit

For most companies, your credit will influence your car insurance price quote. Studies show that there is a correlation between your financial responsibility and your driving responsibly. The better your credit, the more likely you are to be more careful in your driving habits. This is an area where you can do what you can to improve your credit, and it can help your rate in the long run. Another option is to find a car insurance company that doesn’t pull credit to use in determining rates. There aren’t a lot of them out there, but there still are some. If the company seeing your credit could pose a problem for you, look around for one where your credit won’t be a factor.

New Driver? Or Experienced?

Car insurance companies, in an effort to minimize their exposure to risk, will give a better rate to someone who is a more experienced driver. New drivers are much more likely to take risks and drive more erratically. So, as time goes on and you have more years of successful driving behind you, your rate will improve.

When you’re buying car insurance, you might be astonished at the price. Sometimes car insurance can be expensive! Especially if you are not a perfect driver, or fit in other categories (explained below) that puts you into a high risk group. What are these risk factors, and what can you do about them?

Male Versus Female

In the contest between male and female, there are many things males will win. Generally, in feats of strength, like lifting weights or arm wrestling, there is no contest men tend to be stronger. But part of the things that make them male, like the testosterone that courses through their bodies, are also the things that make them a higher risk to insure. Males tend to drive faster and more offensively, and thus are more likely to get into accidents. Insurance companies don’t like accidents, so they charge more for male customers. Sorry, guys!

There’s not really anything you can do about it if you’re male, you’ll usually have higher priced car insurance. At least until you’re a bit older.

Age And Experience

If you’re a young driver, your car insurance price quote will be higher. This is because of two factors: First, being young, and second, being less experienced. Both of these factors, taken by themselves, would be enough to make your rates go up. Taken together, as it usually goes, a higher price for car insurance is inevitable. Once you’re a bit older, typically 25, the rate will go down.

Are You Married?

If you’re a male (or female) and you’re under 25 years of age, but you’re married, lucky you! Your price for car insurance will be less, because studies show that marriage has a way of helping young adults drive more responsibly.

How’s Your Credit?

Some insurance companies check credit before they give you a price for car insurance. While you may not like it if you’ve got bad credit, there is something you can do. Shop for an insurance company that does not pull credit. They are still out there, but a bit harder to find.

Checking Your Driving Record

And, of course, taking a look at your driving record is something all car insurance companies do. They want to know what kind of history you have while driving, so that they know what sort of risk they are taking on when they price your car insurance. The best thing you can do for this aspect of the pricing is to drive more safely! Don’t get in accidents, and don’t cause them. Don’t get citations from the police most will affect your driving record negatively. Be more careful as a driver, and your record will improve.