When getting car insurance, there are some basic things that you need to keep an eye out for, and certain things that you should know about that go into the determination of what kind of car insurance you should get, and how much it will cost you. Premiums are not just an arbitrary thing, they are based on many factors in your life – things you wouldn’t necessarily think about.

When determining how much you should pay for your auto insurance premium, insurance companies look at your age, where you live, how old your car is, what you do for a living, how long you have been driving, if this is your first insurance policy under your name or not, how powerful the car is that you will be driving, where you keep your car, how many claims you have filed (if any), and finally, if you have any sort of qualifications that make you a better driver (such as classes taken, etc.).

One thing that will help your numbers is not making any claims. The longer you go without making one the more your insurance will drop – as much as 30-60% of your annual premium so it really is worth it. Careful driving includes trying to watch out for other cars so that they don’t hit you as well.

ULR or Uninsured Loss Recovery is one more thing to think about. Every driver carries it and it claims back some or all of the expenses that you might have incurred by being in an accident with someone else when it is their fault and/or they don’t have insurance of their own. Also ask what sort of excess each policy offers – which is the amount you have to pay after you make a claim. The smaller the excess, or sometimes called the deductible, the more your policy will end up being.

Back to March 07 Archives