Most of us are aware that there are many factors that can affect the cost of our auto insurance policy. That’s why no two people’s auto insurance costs the same. These factors are hard to pinpoint and even harder to put a dollar amount to. But, the insurance companies have certain guidelines that they use to calculate the value of the factors to come up with your premium amount. Some of these factors are set in stone, and some of them are flexible depending on other things, and others are truly flexible.
The ones that can’t be changed are: 1) your age; 2) your gender – women have proven to be safer drivers; and 3) marital status – you can change this but not usually just to get lower insurance rates. The factors that can affect your auto insurance rates are: 1) your geography – living in the country versus the city can make a huge difference in your rates; 2) driving violations – speeding tickets, running red lights, etc., all count against you; 3) your vehicle – if you drive a hot, flashy car your rates will be high for sure; 4) accident claims – your future driving record can help your insurance rates; 5) credit rating – a bad credit rating makes you look irresponsible; 6) your occupation – this is a hard one to accept, but the insurers say it does matter.
Some of the other things that may affect your auto insurance but can vary: 1) miles driven per year – you could adjust this by taking public transportation or joining a carpool; 2) distance to work – you could change jobs or move; 3) years of driving experience – this will change with time; 4) business use of the vehicle – you could stop using your car for business reasons; 5) whether or not you currently have auto insurance discounters – this could go against you if you had a car at the same time; 6) theft protection devices – if you have any put on your auto you may receive a discount; and 7) multiple cars – if you insure more than one auto you will get the multi-car discount.
All of the above can be really overwhelming when you’re trying to choose which options you can afford and which ones you really need for your car. As usual, the best way to start off on your quest is to get on the internet and do some comparison shopping. The internet will gather all the information for you, but it in order, and present it to you in an easy, understandable way so that you can make the right decision.