By Deanna McCarty on May 8, 2020 in Insurance Basics
How to Lower Your Car Insurance Premiums
Do you feel like you’re paying too much for car insurance? We have some steps you can take that might get you a lower rate in the future. Here at Say, we value transparency and reasonable rates, and we want to share those with you!
Ways to Get Your Car Insurance Down
While we all wish lowering your car insurance premium was as easy as snapping your fingers, we know that’s not possible because of the different factors companies look for when providing rates. Driving record, driver age, vehicle make, model and age, marital status, and more play into your rate calculation! We break each down a bit more here.
Driving Record – Less risk can equal lower rates. Driving violations like tickets for speeding, illegal passing or turning, DUIs, or hit-and-runs can affect your rate in a negative way. Say Insurance® looks to see if you’ve had any moving violations in the 36 months prior to your quote or renewal. So, our first tip is to always drive safe!
Driver Age – Here’s the scoop. Younger drivers are often considered “new” and “inexperienced”. This isn’t case-specific because insurance companies have no way to know you have had experience with four-wheelers or golf carts for YEARS before you got your license. We base our knowledge off actuarial justification for age. The averages slowly decline from teens to 50s. Once you’re 50, you’re likely in the peak of your car insurance rate life, but after that rates begin increasing again. We chat more about the average car insurance rates by age and state here!
Vehicle Make, Model, and Age – We love swanky upgraded vehicles as much as the next guy. The vroom-vroom when you push the gas pedal is something that you just can’t beat. However, new and/or fancier cars typically mean more expensive repairs and that would be calculated into your rate. At Say Insurance, we offer a discount for vehicles that have certain anti-theft features which are often included in these newer models.
Marital Status – “Ring, ring, ring!” Oh, the lovely sound of wedding bells. Lucky for you love birds, “getting married can reduce your car insurance rates by about 6%, saving about $98 per year” according to The Zebra. Consider this statistic an extra wedding present! Marriage also means that your spouse’s driving record and vehicle are added to the equation, this could be a perk or could just raise your rate!
Get Your Insurance Score
Insurance score, a way of predicting how likely you are to have an accident or claim, goes into calculating your rate. Higher scores could mean lower rates, which is why it is an important part of the quote process. Don’t confuse this with credit score, because while credit score and insurance score both analyze your financial history, credit score is based on how likely you are to pay off your debt. Insurance score looks for things like: Have you held accounts steady for a long period of time? Did you make all of your payments on time? How often did you reach your credit limit?
Conclusion
What you need to know is that many factors go into calculating your insurance rate. This can be overwhelming, or it could be a motivator to try to improve your statistics, one at a time. We are more than happy to help break down the elements of your rate if we are able.