How you use your vehicle can seriously impact the auto insurance premiums you pay. It turns out that a mile spent commuting is riskier than a mile of pleasure driving, and using your car for business is riskier still.
Pleasure Use
If you have a vehicle that is not driven for commuting or business, your auto insurance company may rate it for “pleasure use only” and charge you a reduced auto insurance premium. The savings can be significant, so be sure to ask for it.
Pay Less for Car Insurance
Like a lot of people, you might be paying too much for your car insurance. The only way to find out is to get car insurance quotes from a lot of companies, but these insurance quotes take time and require personal information. Not everyone feels comfortable giving out that information – and a lot of people just aren’t interested in taking the time to get quotes in the hope of seeing low car insurance rates. Some people also worry that low cost car insurance might not come from a high-quality company and might not be there for them to rely on if they really need it.
J.D. Power & Associates’ 2009 National Auto Insurance Study rated numerous car insurance companies in terms of five categories. The accompanying press release, “Lower Premiums at the Onset of the Current Recession Drive Significant Increase in Overall Satisfaction With Auto Insurance Companies, But a Hardening Market Could Eradicate 10 Years of Progress,” explains the results in detail. Amica Mutual had the highest ratings for the tenth year in a row, with the highest marks in all five categories. The factors measured were overall satisfaction, contacting the insurer, policy offerings, billing and payment, and pricing. The overall rankings for the car insurance industry were at a five-year high in 2009, partly based on lower premiums because of the economic recession.
State Farm car insurance ranked “better than most” in overall satisfaction, “among the best” in contacting the insurer, and “better than most” in two of the remaining three categories. USAA and New Jersey Manufacturers Insurance Co. were the other two sta
For many people, paying up front for a six-month or annual insurance policy can be difficult because of the outlay of cash. However, paying for your auto insurance in full can help reduce your premium significantly and give you low car insurance that you’ll really love. A paid-in-full discount is offered by many insurers for those who can manage to pay their premium this way.
If you can come up with the cash to pay in full, it’s well worth doing. If you’re trying to get insurance, be sure you ask any company you get car insurance quotes from about a discount for paying in full, to see how much you’re really saving.
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