Travel Insurance 24

According to Laurent Belsie’s article in The Christian Science Monitor, the five states where you will spend the least amount of your median income on car insurance are not necessarily the states with the cheapest car insurance rates.  In “Insurance rates: Top 5 states to insure a car for less,” Belsie lists the five states where companies like Esurance will insure your car for less of your median income than all other states.  The national average for car insurance payments is $733 per year or 3.5% of one’s income.

Although insurance rates are relatively high in Massachusetts, the median income is as well so residents of the Bay State pay the least percentage of income towards their car insurance.  The average cheap car insurance payment of $509 a year equals out to 2% of the annual income in Massachusetts.  Minnesota is the second place state, even though they have very harsh winters filled with loads of snow, ice and sleet.  Drivers there spend about 2.4% of their median income on their average car insurance payments of $563 per year.  Maybe it is because they spend so much time stuck in their houses in a snowdrift!

Hawaii comes in third place, even though they pay the most insurance of all the top five states at $602 a year.  They also make much more on average than Americans in other states.  Companies like Allmerica car insurance don’t have to worry about snow and ice since residents are driving in beautiful weather year round.  The fourth place state is New Hampshire, partly because there are so many less drivers per square mile than neighbors like New York City.  Residents pay $595 a year, which is 2.5% of their median income.  Utah rounds out the top five with residents paying 2.4% of their income for car insurance of $573 per year.  They have a lot of open space and far fewer residents than many other states.

As Robin Thompson left her job as a school nurse in Atlanta, Ga., she waited for the customary call from her 16-year-old daughter, Ashley, telling her she was home from school.

The call never came.

“As I neared our home I saw a road block. Police and rescue workers were everywhere and a car that looked all too familiar was wrapped around a tree,” Robin Thompson wrote on the website SafeTeenDrivingClub.org. She founded the organization after Ashley’s 2003 death in a single-car accident that did not involve drinking or distractions from friends or a cell phone.

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Car salesmen are trained to sell.  They want to sell you not only a car, but an unlimited number of extra options as well.  According to Bankrate, Inc.’s article “5 costly car dealer options to skip,” Kamil Skawinski recommends avoiding certain options.  Not only will they not help get a lower Estrella Insurance quote or other car insurance, you will pretty much be wasting your money.

Rust-proofing your car is the first unnecessary option.  Most new cars today have excellent rust-proofing already and you can actually void the factory’s corrosion-perforation warranty by having your car rust-proofed by an outside source.  Skipping this service can save you anywhere from $200-$1,200.  The article recommends avoiding fabric protection services as well.  You can be charged $100 or more for this service that costs the dealership next to nothing and your vehicle really doesn’t need it.

The purchase of paint protection can cost $200, but actually shouldn’t be done on most new vehicles.  Your best bet for protecting your paint is performing regular washing and waxing duties on your vehicle.  While insurance companies like Dairyland Insurance do recommend etching your VIN number on a car window, it doesn’t seem wise to do it at the dealership.  At home kits are less than $50, but you could pay up to $300 getting it done at the dealership.

The thousands of dollars for extended warranties charged by dealerships can be avoided by purchasing a highly rated vehicle and performing its recommended maintenance.  Many experts agree that extended dealer warranties are not worth the cost if you simply take care of your vehicle.  By avoiding unnecessary options car salesmen try to offer you, you’ll save money to put towards car insurance, maintenance, or parking costs.

Kelley Blue Book put together their list for the best “green” cars in 2008 and they are still some of the most fuel efficient vehicles today.  There has been an increasing interest in environmentally friendly cars because gas prices are high, the economy has been weak, and people are more environmentally conscious than ever before.  While “green” cars have unique challenges for insurers like Eastwood Insurance, it doesn’t mean that they will cost you more to insure.  They might actually cost you less.

While coming up with their top ten list, Kelley Blue Book looked at fuel efficiency, price of the car, performance, comfort, the utility, and its updated technology.  They compiled their list for new car buyers looking for the total package, not just the fuel economy.  There are “green” cars in just about all categories of vehicles now, even large SUVs.  Compare car insurance offers and you can find great deals for the purchase of a new environmentally friendly car as well as available government incentives.

The Toyota Prius with its 46 mpg is not only the best selling “green” car, it is the most fuel efficient and Kelley’s number one choice.  Honda’s Civic Hybrid is the second most fuel efficient at 42 mpg and is popular with many consumers because it looks like a more traditional sedan.  The third, fourth and fifth vehicles are the smart fortwo at 36 mpg, the Nissan Altima Hybid at 34 mpg, and the Mini Cooper at 32 mpg.  The Ford Escape Hybrid is the first SUV on the top ten list and boasts a respectable 32 mpg.  Honda’s Fit with 31 mpg, the Mercedes Benz E320 BlueTEC at 26 mpg, Toyota’s Highlander Hybrid at 26 mpg, and Chevrolet’s Tahoe Hybrid with 21 mpg round out the rest of the top ten.