I want to help my dad find cheap car insurance for his second vehicle. What can we do to get a low car insurance rate?

Eleanor

Charleston, SC

Lucky dad. We’ll cut to the chase, here are six (6) excellent tips to help your father get low car insurance rates for his second car:

1. Bundle Your Policy – Most car insurers today give discounts for insuring multiple vehicles under the same policy. While you’re at it, you may be interested to taking your other insurance needs with the same company for additional discounts.

2. Get a Bigger Deductible – Choosing a bigger deductible will get your premiums lowered. This is one effective technique to get low car insurance rates without sacrificing coverage. As long as you don’t raise it too much then you’re good to go.

3. Go on an Annual Payment Plan – Check if your father’s provider is offering a yearly payment plan for their policies. Oftentimes insurers who offer this give discounts or lowered premiums for customers who pay a year upfront.

4. Find Discounts – Discounts are a great way to reduce how much your father will pay on car insurance. Like the one mentioned above, there are many other discount options available (e.g. AARP discounts, good driver discount, safe car discount, etc.). Ask your father’s insurer about discount options.

5. Leverage Excellent Credit – Your father might not know this but if he has excellent credit he can actually qualify for cheaper rates.

6. Check-Out the Latest Rates – It is still a good idea to shop around and check-out what other companies are offering. Car insurance comparison websites (like this one) can come in quite handy. You can obtain a free quote to see and compare the latest rates coming from a wide-variety of insurers out there.

When do insurers check my driving records? What other factors that are being looked at?

Henry

Detroit MI

Your car insurance company can check your driving history anytime. They typically check your record when:

• you initially apply for car insurance coverage
• you request a change to your car insurance policy (add/remove drivers, change coverage, etc.)
• you add a car to your car insurance policy or change the covered automobile
• your car insurance policy comes up for renewal every 2 renewal cycles

Few insurers randomly check driving records. This isn’t common, but it may happen with some car insurance company.

Here are some of the factors that is being looked at by your car insurance company.

Age
Gender
Marital Status
Geography
Driving Record
Claims History
Vehicle Type
Occupation
Education
Miles driven each year
Years of driving experience
Type of vehicle use (business, personal, commuting, etc.)
Current insurance and current insurance limits

What should I look for when choosing the best car insurance company?

Jane

San Francisco CA

When looking for the best car insurance company, you need to search for an insurer that you can trust. This company has to have a rating and has to be reputable. You can do this by doing your own research online or you can ask your friends and relatives which company they think is good and fair.

You may also contact the state’s Department of Insurance which publish consumer complaint ratios for the insurer’s licensed to do business in that state. You will be able to see the ratio of complaints this certain insurer received.

You may also check with J.D. Powers rating. They collects data from people and rate them according to coverage options, price, claims handling, satisfaction with company representatives and the overall experience.

You may also check with the at A.M. Best and Standard and Poor’s ratings.

I heard about this diminished value of a car after an accident from someone here in New Jersey. Are car insurance companies responsible for the diminished value if the policyholder files a car insurance claim?

Paul

Passaic, NJ

The discussion about diminished value has been in frenzy for years since majority of car insurance policies were mum about the subject matter whether car insurance companies are responsible for any or believed decrease in car’s value after an accident, even if the car has been fixed to its pre-accident condition. Car insurance companies fight that diminished value would not be covered, but policyholders don’t agree. And there have been a lot of court cases in which the policyholders battle with their car insurance companies about diminished value compensation.

However, the Insurance Services Office or ISO, the agency that gives insurance forms and data, has written a policy language that car insurance companies could now use in 45 states (New Jersey included) and Washington, DC that legitimately takes car insurance companies not liable for diminished value compensation in bodily damage coverage car insurance claim. In some cases, auto insurance policies work this way — the ISO puts forward sample property or casualty guidelines to state insurance departments all over the US that make it easier for car insurance companies to change and simplify their car insurance policies. A number of state insurance departments should authorize the report of the ISO prior to a car insurance company taking on any guidelines suggested by the ISO.

I live in California and I would like to know if my automobile insurance company will send notification if they will decide not to renew my automobile insurance policy.

John

Los Angeles CA

California automobile insurance company are required to send notification if they are not going to renew or will cancel your automobile insurance policy.

According to the California Department of Insurance (DOI), an automobile insurance company is only required to provide you 10-day notice of cancellation due to non-payment of automobile insurance premium. Therefore, if your automobile insurance premium is not in their office and applied to your account by 12:01 a.m. the day that it is due, the automobile insurance provider will then notify you of a 10-day cancellation notice.

This cancellation notice provides you the chance to make the payment for the automobile insurance before your automobile insurance policy is terminated. If the automobile insurance company does not have your payment, you do not have the automobile insurance coverage, and they will not send out another notification informing you that your automobile insurance policy has been canceled. You can see why it is essential to be sure your automobile insurance payment been made in plenty of time.

I’m looking to get car insurance here in Georgia, what kind of discounts can I get from auto insurance companies?

Donald

Roswell, GA

There are definitely many kinds of auto insurance discounts that you can get there in Georgia (or anywhere, actually). You just have to be knowledgeable about which ones you are eligible to get. Most people underestimate the power of discounts to significantly reduce their car insurance premiums. Below is a common list of auto insurance discounts that are normally offered.

1. Defensive Driving Classes – discounts for completing state accredited defensive driving courses that will teach you how to become a safer driver.
2. Good Driver Discounts – usually provided to individuals with a clean driving record for a certain period of time, usually three to five years of their driving history.
3. Drivers Education Course Discount – usually given to new drivers or student drivers who just completed their driver’s education program.
4. Discounts for installing additional safety features – putting extra air bags, anti-lock brakes and anti-theft devices on your car would qualify you to get this kind of discount.
5. Multi-Policy Discounts – a form of loyalty incentive if you choose to put all your insurance needs with one company.
6. Multi-Vehicle Discounts – discounts given for adding another car to an existing auto insurance coverage.

Additionally, the Internet is a great way to shop around and uncover the cheapest rates available. Go to auto insurance portals like this one to help you compare rates from many kinds of auto insurance companies.

I had an accident before and unfortunately filing a claim is a strange thing for me that I used my own money to do the repairs even if I have car insurance. The thing is, I don’t know how and what to do, if and when an accident occurs to me again, what are the things I should do to report a claim and what are the things I should expect my insurers to do here in Missouri?

Sam

Columbia, MO

Many people are no experts regarding car insurance claims especially when a driver doesn’t usually get an accident for fun. But then again, everybody whose car is insured is definitely informed what to do but when an accident happens almost everything we know about our policies are forgotten due to shock or pressure but definitely you will remember your car insurance especially when the expenses are flooding in.

If a driver had an accident here in Missouri, the first thing they should do is to call or inform their insurers in which you should know the car insurance companies 24-hour hotline or log in to their website where there are preliminary questions you will be answering. And after that a claim representative will call you within two hours upon your claim report in which you have to schedule the assessment of your car and don’t be shy to ask anything regarding your deductibles and your coverage. Your insurers will be inspecting your car the day you have agreed and they will help you with the repair service. Other car insurance companies usually let you choose your own repair facility and they will also help you rent a car when you really need it.

Are there any hidden fees that car insurance companies charge that I have to be careful about? I also need to know some tips on how I can be able to save some money for my car insurance here in Washington.

Nicholson

Tacoma, WA

You may encounter some instances wherein car insurance companies give the lowest cost for car insurance but add up to their costs in some other means. Some car insurance providers charge yearly percentage rates for monthly insurance payments of almost 40 percent. Other car insurance companies are making up for the losses on their too low cost insurance rates by charging an extra fee every time a client travels out of the country in their vehicle. In other words, you don’t have to trust the publicity of the car insurance companies and do your part in researching for the best policy that suits you from different car insurance companies.

There are a number of ways that you could be able to save on your auto insurance. First is that you could keep your no claims bonus so that this way, you may save up to 70 percent on your insurance costs after five years in case you don’t have any accidents. A lot of people discover that their insurance costs increase harshly following the first renewal period once they have lost their no claims bonus, so keep being accident-free as long as possible. Another way to save money for your car insurance in Washington is keeping your vehicle secure. You could put anti-theft gadgets and make sure that the garage where you store your vehicle is fully protected. It’s sure fire that you will have cheaper car insurance if your vehicle is less likely to be stolen.

What types of discounts do auto insurance companies usually offer and how can I take advantage of them for my auto insurance here in Florida?

Renz

Fort Lauderdale, FL

There are a lot of things that you have to consider when shopping around for auto insurance quotes in Florida and if you would want to get some discounts. These discounts mean extra savings on your pocket every year on your auto insurance premiums. There are certain features of your vehicle that auto insurance companies look into to be able to give you discounted auto insurance rates. Things such as front and side airbags, auto alarms, antilock brakes and other safety devices would prompt auto insurance companies to offer you discounts on your auto insurance premiums.

Other discounts being offered by auto insurance companies include multiple-line discount for having more than one policy under the same insurance company. If you have your homeowners, life and health insurances as well as multiple-car insurance policy under one insurer, you can qualify for this type of discount. If you have been a safe driver and not have been involved in any accident for a certain period of time, you may be well qualified to get a discount for displaying an excellent driving record. If you take up and complete a defensive driving course, it could also give you savings on your auto insurance premiums.