Sunday, November 7, 2010

4 Ways To Reduce Your Auto Insurance Costs

By James Spacey

For many years car insurance premiums have been going up substantially. You'd now expect to pay several hundred or even a thousand dollars a year. But the rate you pay for your premiums depends a lot on the insurance company you go with, as well as your age, the type of car you drive, your claims history and possibly where you live.

The majority of drivers on our roads want to be comprehensively insured but the cost of premiums are becoming increasingly prohibitive. Third party personal insurance is compulsory for every car on the road. It is paid when you register your vehicle. But CTP insurance does not cover you or your own car. This is where you have to compare insurance companies to try and get a good deal.

Saving money on car insurance is usually a matter of doing your homework on the way insurance companies operate when it comes to comprehensive cover. To help you let me share with you 4 tips for saving money on car insurance.

The first thing you must always do is compare policies. Some premiums can differ from comparable cover by hundreds of dollars. You have to shop around and get several quotes before you commit to a policy. In some states your state insurance department can be of assistance. Where insurance is state regulated the department will have information available about the kind of coverage you can get and the rates you can expect. Then you should start talking to friends and family about their cover. There are also lots of online consumer resources about insurance companies and policies for car insurance. Some even compare different policies so you can see straight away where you can save.

Besides cost there is also a very important service element associated with choosing insurance. Not all companies respond in the same way when you make a claim. This is very important. You don't want to have to fight to get a broken taillight fixed. You want action. So after you have narrowed down your choices to the three best go and approach these insurance companies and talk with them about what they are willing to offer you service wise.

The next way to save money on insurance premiums is by choosing a higher excess. The excess is the amount of money you're willing to pay before filing a claim. In many cases it is about $200 as a standard, but if you increase this you could save up to 25% a year. Just make sure that whatever amount you choose as your excess is an amount of money you could comfortably pay if you had an accident.

All insurance policies aren't the same. Some include more extras than others, like collision, uninsured motorist cover, accidental damage and property theft. If you can tailor your policy by picking and choosing some of these extras according to your circumstances you are possibly going to save more and more.

Tailoring your car insurance policy to your individual circumstances is something everyone can do. Don't be satisfied just to take the policy off the shelf. This is always the most expensive option. You need to compare price, service and extras to get the best deal on your car insurance. If you do you are going to find your premiums are much more manageable. - 42574

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