3 Factors That Can Help Reduce Your Auto Insurance Premiums
Insurance providers take many factors into account when determining auto insurance rates. Some, such as age and gender, drivers have no control over. Others, like marital status, drivers can control but likely don't want to change just so they can save on auto insurance. There are still other factors that drivers can control. If you're looking to save on auto insurance, here are some factors that insurers consider and you can use to your advantage.
Your Credit Score
In all but three states, insurance companies are allowed to consider your credit score when calculating your auto insurance premiums. (Massachusetts, California and Hawaii are the states that ban this practice.)
While this can hurt drivers with poor credit, you can also use it to your advantage. Pay your bills on time and pay down outstanding debts to improve your credit score. As you do, you'll likely qualify for lower auto insurance rates.
Alarms Installed on Your Car
Many insurance companies consider what anti-theft devices are installed on a car when calculating comprehensive coverage premiums. (Comprehensive coverage protects against theft, along with several other perils.)
Your insurer may offer you a discount if you have an anti-theft device put on your car. Insurers normally offer larger discounts for active devices, like alarms, than passive ones. A discount, however, is helpful -- and discounts sometimes are more than a device costs.
Where Your Car is Stored
Where your vehicle is stored when it's not in use can also impact your comprehensive coverage premiums. A car in a driveway is less likely to be damaged than one that's parallel parked on the road, because it's further removed from passing traffic. A car inside a garage is more protected still.
If you have a garage, ask your insurer whether parking in the garage would reduce your auto insurance premiums. It may, and the discount would certainly be worth spending a day clearing out a space in your garage.
Even if you don't have a garage, you might still be able to get your premiums lowered by better protecting your car when it's not in use. Ask whether your insurance company would offer a discount for parking your car in a carport. A carport doesn't offer as much protection as a garage, but it still can shield your car from hail falling tree branches -- and some insurers may offer premium reductions for having such protection in place.
Check with an auto insurance company like Crowel Agency, Inc. for more information.