Many people go for years without comparing rates or adjusting their policies, which often leads to overpaying. Here are five easy ways that you can reduce your auto insurance rates:
1) Bundle your insurance. Many insurers give big discounts to customers that bundle their auto insurance with either their homeowners or renters insurance policy. Some offer rates up to 20% lower when combined, while others only 5%. If your current insurer doesn’t have a bundled rate, call an agent or do some quick online quotes to see if a competitor can do better. You’ll also see very low rate increases on a second (or third) car on a single policy, so check that any vehicles you are insuring are together in one policy for added savings.
2) Drive a safe car. Not necessarily a boring car, but one that is considered safe by the insurance industry. Check with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (http://IIHS.org), who do crash testing and safety ratings specifically for the insurance companies. Sometimes you’ll be surprised by the results, so when shopping for a car, it’s a great place to start.
3) Take a class. This goes for young drivers and more experienced drivers alike. Driver training courses are a great way to get your auto insurance rate reduced and are available all over the country, and for every skill level. Programs for young drivers are often offered by schools or local communities at very low cost.
4) Pay for the whole year. I know that it’s sometimes difficult to pay the large sum of your auto insurance up front, but you can save a bundle over the year if you do. Most insurers have long-term payment options, but push for monthly payments that can add $5 or $10 fees per payment. Doesn’t sound like much, but by the end of the year it’ll be nice to have that $60-$120 in your pocket instead of theirs.
5) Remove distractions. We’re all guilty of driving distracted these days, but do what you can to reduce distractions in the car. Talking on the phone and texting alone cause about 30% of traffic accidents, and some studies show distracted driving to be responsible for up to 80% of all crashes in the US. There’s no easier way to reduce rates than keeping a clean driving record!
With these few tips, you should be well on your way to saving some money on your car insurance policy.
Source
Showing posts with label car Insurance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label car Insurance. Show all posts
7 Car Insurance Secrets
7 Car Insurance Secrets
Dealing with car insurance companies can be tricky business. Knowing some of the auto insurance industries best kept secrets can help you level the playing ...
AXA Launches Car Insurance Claims App
As just a third of drivers admit to knowing what to do should they be involved in an accident, AXA Insurance, one of the UK's largest insurers, has this week launched a motor insurance claims iPhone app to help.
The application, available now from the Apple iTunes app store, will help motorists involved in an accident get through the stressful and often confusing process of dealing with details at the scene of the crash as well as help the whole claims process run more smoothly.
The innovative and easy to use app is one of the first of its kind in the UK and is available free to both AXA customers and non-customers. It can be used to store personal and policy information, capture photos of any damage following an accident, enter details of any witnesses and exchange details with other drivers. Using GPS technology, the app will record key information about the accident such as the location and the time.
For AXA customers, it has the unique feature of locating and contacting the closest approved repairer to come collect the customer and their vehicle if it is un-drivable. Customers can also notify the claim there and then by emailing the info to the claims team who will then call the customer back within 2 hours (during normal office hours). For those interested in obtaining insurance with AXA, the app also has a quote function.
Understanding the claims process
Consumer research from AXA shows that motorists are confused about the correct procedures following an accident with only 34% claiming to be confident they know exactly what to do.
Around a quarter of drivers (27%) would not think to swap name, address and phone number with the other driver or take down their registration plate.
Although 84% say they would swap insurance details with the other driver, in reality this is less likely to happen with only 15% of drivers having their insurance details on them. A worrying 3% of motorists admitted to not having insurance.
Around 13% would apologise to the other driver - something insurers advise against - and 5% said they would automatically blame the other driver!
Two thirds (66%) of people would think about getting witnesses to the accident, while just over a third would phone the police.
When it comes to the detail of the accident, which can help settle a claim quickly and effectively:
Only two thirds (68%) would consider noting the date and the time
Less than half (45%) would note the weather, visibility, lighting conditions
Just 57% would take photos of the accident
Less than half (41%) would get the name, address and phone numbers of any passengers
Source
The application, available now from the Apple iTunes app store, will help motorists involved in an accident get through the stressful and often confusing process of dealing with details at the scene of the crash as well as help the whole claims process run more smoothly.
The innovative and easy to use app is one of the first of its kind in the UK and is available free to both AXA customers and non-customers. It can be used to store personal and policy information, capture photos of any damage following an accident, enter details of any witnesses and exchange details with other drivers. Using GPS technology, the app will record key information about the accident such as the location and the time.
For AXA customers, it has the unique feature of locating and contacting the closest approved repairer to come collect the customer and their vehicle if it is un-drivable. Customers can also notify the claim there and then by emailing the info to the claims team who will then call the customer back within 2 hours (during normal office hours). For those interested in obtaining insurance with AXA, the app also has a quote function.
Understanding the claims process
Consumer research from AXA shows that motorists are confused about the correct procedures following an accident with only 34% claiming to be confident they know exactly what to do.
Around a quarter of drivers (27%) would not think to swap name, address and phone number with the other driver or take down their registration plate.
Although 84% say they would swap insurance details with the other driver, in reality this is less likely to happen with only 15% of drivers having their insurance details on them. A worrying 3% of motorists admitted to not having insurance.
Around 13% would apologise to the other driver - something insurers advise against - and 5% said they would automatically blame the other driver!
Two thirds (66%) of people would think about getting witnesses to the accident, while just over a third would phone the police.
When it comes to the detail of the accident, which can help settle a claim quickly and effectively:
Only two thirds (68%) would consider noting the date and the time
Less than half (45%) would note the weather, visibility, lighting conditions
Just 57% would take photos of the accident
Less than half (41%) would get the name, address and phone numbers of any passengers
Source
Car Insurance A High Price To Pay For Drink Driving This Christmas
Motorists who are convicted of drink driving could find themselves unable to get car insurance in the future, so they should avoid driving after a festive tipple this Christmas, moneysupermarket.com has warned.
If being convicted of driving having had too much to drink does not leave the driver completely uninsurable, then they could find that their car insurance premiums double, the price comparison website said.
As many as one in eight drivers admitted to driving after drinking what they thought was 'over the limit', a study from the Home Office found.
Some of the UK's biggest car insurance companies will still offer cover to convicted drink drivers, research carried out by moneysupermarket found, but they will pay the price for their crime as the average car insurance premium of a convicted drink driver increases from £300 to £578 a year – a £278 difference for the sake of having that drink.
Meanwhile, other car insurance providers said that they would refuse to even offer a quote to drivers who have been caught drink driving, and others will not cover motorists for five years after they have been banned from driving.
Source
If being convicted of driving having had too much to drink does not leave the driver completely uninsurable, then they could find that their car insurance premiums double, the price comparison website said.
As many as one in eight drivers admitted to driving after drinking what they thought was 'over the limit', a study from the Home Office found.
Some of the UK's biggest car insurance companies will still offer cover to convicted drink drivers, research carried out by moneysupermarket found, but they will pay the price for their crime as the average car insurance premium of a convicted drink driver increases from £300 to £578 a year – a £278 difference for the sake of having that drink.
Meanwhile, other car insurance providers said that they would refuse to even offer a quote to drivers who have been caught drink driving, and others will not cover motorists for five years after they have been banned from driving.
Source
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