Car insurance is as they say a necessary evil but there are things that you can do to lower the bill not the least of which is shopping around. Don't just take it for granted that the company you have had your insurance with a long time is giving you the best deal. Every company has different guidelines and what may be a risk to one company may not be to another. When you are buying insurance for your vehicle pay attention to the deductibles as the amounts you choose drastically affect the rate. I recommend that you go with a low deductible for comprehensive just due to the fact that if you have someone run into you in a parking lot and leave you don't want to be on the hook for the bill. When calculating how high to go on your collision insurance you should consider the value of the car as well as what limit may be set by the lender if you have the car financed.
I would suggest setting this as high as possible; I personally keep mine at $1,000 because if someone hits me I am going to require them to pay it. If your vehicle is worth less than $3,000 I would drop the collision altogether because the money you save over a couple of years could replace the vehicle. Stay away from sports cars and four-wheel drive vehicles. Both of these vehicle classifications are substantially higher than others especially if you are under 25 years old! If your vehicle doesn't have an anti-theft device have one installed. The cost for installing a system can be as little as $100 and insurance companies give big discounts for anti-theft devices.
Don't make frivolous claims! This may sound like common sense just like keeping a clean driving record but you would be surprised how many people make claims for petty things. If you have an issue that will cost you less than $300 or $400 pay it out of pocket. Many companies will reward you for staying claim free.
Don't exaggerate the value of your car. The more expensive you say your vehicle is the higher the insurance rate will be. Just give the amount needed to replace it and update this figure annually. Pay your insurance premiums annually instead of monthly or even quarterly if at all possible. This will save you quite a bit in the long run since the companies charge substantial interest rates for carrying the balance.
Shop for your car insurance on the internet, you will be surprised how much you can save by doing this. By doing it yourself you are saving the company the expense of a live person.
Gregg Hall is a business consultant and author for many online and offline businesses and lives in Navarre Florida with his 16 year old son. For quality car care products got to http://www.stopwaxing.com
