When individuals move to the United States, their extensive history of accident-free driving, clean traffic records, and claim-free status in their home countries may not hold any weight. This is because car insurance companies in the U.S. typically only accept records that can be verified through the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), local sources, and…
Continue readingFactors Affecting Rates
How Is Car Insurance Impacted when Moving out of State?
When motorists permanently move to a new state, they need new auto insurance policies to comply with the minimum requirements and rules of the new state they moved in. Even if their current insurer is operating in the new jurisdiction as well and they want to stay with the same company, the carrier has to…
Continue readingHow Changing Your Address Affects Auto Insurance
Where you reside plays a crucial role in determining the cost of your car insurance. Underwriters take various factors into account when assessing your address, including the frequency of auto thefts, level of traffic congestion, population density within your zip code, state regulations, exposure to natural disasters, and even the competition among insurers in your…
Continue readingHow Does Auto Insurance Tier System Work?
Lately, personal lines insurers have been adding various new rating variables to price each applicant more precisely. Additional data allows them group drivers and differentiate rates for each group. These car insurance tier rating systems help to ensure that good drivers don’t subsidize bad ones. This fairly new underwriting structure distinguishes careful and considerate motorists…
Continue readingAuto Insurance Rates by Zip Code
The difference in quotes between two identical looking vehicle insurers can be as clear as day and night. Also, where you live can increase or decrease premium a lot. That is why it is usually the first question asked on a proposal form. These points highlight the importance of comparing car insurance rates by zip…
Continue readingDo Speeding Tickets Raise Insurance Rates?
Getting caught speeding can lead to various concerns, including fines, points on your license, and potential impacts on auto insurance rates. The specific premium increase resulting from a speeding ticket can depend on several factors. Typically, premiums start to rise from the next renewal after a traffic violation occurs. However, for the violation to affect…
Continue readingDoes Being Self Employed Affect Car Insurance?
Self-employment may not directly affect car insurance rates, but factors like mileage and coverage needs can indirectly influence the cost of coverage. If your private car is not used for business purposes, being self-employed should not directly impact your car insurance premiums. However, the nature of your work, how you adjust your vehicle or what…
Continue readingWhat Is SR22 Insurance?
Although it is widely referred to as SR22 insurance it is actually a filing to confirm existence of liability coverage. It is a certificate, which is usually provided to DMV by a vehicle insurer to confirm financial responsibility. It is also known as FR44 in some states. If you haven’t caused any accident or taken…
Continue readingAverage Car Insurance Costs per Month
Knowing the median monthly auto insurance cost in your zip code helps to see if the premium is too high and how quotes are lining up in relation. This information would also help you plan ahead when you are considering buying a new vehicle. Then you can start checking if its rates are high or…
Continue readingWhen Does Car Insurance Go Down?
Policyholders love to see premiums drop at renewals and this post explains what makes them fall. It is a fairly general question and we will try to break it down below. Rates may gradually come down in many stages and after specific events or changes in circumstances. That is why it is important to rephrase…
Continue readingDo Parking Tickets Affect Insurance?
You may have to pay fines, penalties and appear in court depending on severity of a traffic infringement. For a ticket to affect auto insurance it has to go onto Motor Vehicle Records. If there is nothing adverse in there a surcharge cannot be applied for it. To answer this question we need to look…
Continue readingWhy Is My Auto Insurance So High?
Automobile insurers look at the details closely linked with the possibility of a policyholder involving in an accident or submitting a claim while determining how much premium they charge. Several common factors like age, driving and credit history, particulars of the vehicle, other drivers and zip code explain why a driver has expensive car insurance….
Continue readingCheap High Risk Auto Insurance – Who Needs and Where to Buy
Most people may fall into the ‘high risk driver’ status at some point in their lives. As this designation refers to a variety of life and personal situations, understanding how you might be labelled a perilous applicant will be important. Firstly, it will help in avoiding it if you can. Secondly, you will learn what…
Continue readingHow Much Does a Claim Affect Car Insurance?
There are various elements that can impact car insurance premium increases following a claim, including the type of the claim, the amount of the payout, fault determination, the insurance provider, state regulations, your age, driving experience, and driving record. If you are responsible for an accident where injuries and significant damages occur, your premium can…
Continue readingHow Much Does Insurance Go Up after an Accident?
An at fault accident is the primary tell sign that there is something wrong with a person’s driving. Do all auto insurance companies share the same view or some may be more forgiving after just one incident? This and many similar questions have been dissected below in order to figure out the effects of various…
Continue readingReasons Behind Sudden Auto Insurance Premium Increases
When policyholders receive notice of a sudden increase in their car insurance premiums, it can be both frustrating and bewildering. Reasons behind unexpected rate hikes can be the changes in policyholders details, external factors like inflation, regional reasons like natural disasters causing large losses, and even auto insurer-specific situations like a company undergoing repositioning or…
Continue readingHow Do Zip Codes Affect Auto Insurance Costs?
Zip code is often the first thing asked in a car insurance quote form because it affects your rates in two significant ways. Your Zip code shows which state you live in and where in that state you are located. Even in the same state, certain areas are as much as twice more expensive than…
Continue readingHow to Find the Best Car Insurance with Bad Credit History
Good driving records and no claims aren’t the only things that affect premiums. Lately, underwriters place a lot more importance on applicants’ credit score and can offer as much as 20% cheaper prices when it is good. It would be a shame to miss such discounts but motorists can still get affordable automobile insurance rates…
Continue readingPersonal Choices that Impact Auto Insurance Costs
Insurance is a necessity for virtually all vehicle owners, but the cost of premiums can vary significantly based on individual choices and circumstances. While some factors influencing rates are external and beyond our control, there are several personal preferences that can positively or negatively affect the cost of car insurance. By being aware of these…
Continue readingBasics of Car Insurance Premium Calculations
Automobile insurance premium calculations are devised to assess the risks involved in insuring a specific car with a group of drivers residing in a particular zip code, taking into account the requested coverage amounts. Each insurance company employs its proprietary risk assessment and premium calculation formulas, which lead to varying price offerings. Presently, these calculations…
Continue readingAm I a Homeowner if My Spouse Own our Home?
Does your name have to be on the title to be considered as homeowner? What if one of the spouses alone owns the home they live in? Can the other still claim homeowner and other related discounts when buying car insurance? Naturally yes. Most companies see married couples as one. For example, they may allow…
Continue readingAre Hybrid Cars more Expensive to Insure?
Companies consider model, safety, price and popularity while calculating quotes. And some offer eco-friendly hybrid auto insurance discounts. They are a bit different in several ways than the ones with totally petrol-operated engines. In time there would be plenty more information and statistical data about them. This could improve or worsen their position in terms…
Continue readingWhy Do Insurance Companies Ask for Social Security Numbers?
Social Security Numbers are unique identifiers as one given to each person. When auto insurance companies want to pull reports on you to verify the information you provided on a quote form or to an agent, check further into your eligibility for coverage and decide how much premium they should charge, they need your social…
Continue readingAm I Paying too Much for Car Insurance?
More than half of policyholders pay too much for auto insurance according to Progressive report. Another report shows that nearly 2/3 of policyholders don’t even know it since they never get alternative quotes. It is a good starting point to ask why you may be spending more on premiums than you should and this post…
Continue readingHow Far Back Do Insurance Companies Check Driving Records?
Most motorists are well aware of what is coming next when they have recent claims and traffic violation tickets, which influence auto insurance premiums for some time because they are recorded by DMV and CLUE and seen by everyone interested. Car insurance companies check accident and driving records going back three to five years before…
Continue readingWhat Happens If Car Insurance Lapses?
The moment you drop auto insurance or it is cancelled, you would be facing problems due to not having the legally required liability coverage and your vehicle isn’t insured either. Your state DMV will probably be informed by your insurer of the fact that you don’t have liability coverage. If this is not resolved quickly…
Continue readingAuto Insurance with Roommates
Roommates could be anyone like a friend, girlfriend, boyfriend, sibling or anyone else who is sharing the same living space with you, except spouses. Usually, you can add anyone on your policy even if they don’t live with you and you need to disclose to your insurance company who is living with you with their…
Continue readingHow Much Does my Insurance Go up after a Ticket?
These days, auto insurance companies look at every detail they can obtain. Essentially, they like to make sure that good drivers get decent rates while they sort out the risky ones and penalize them with higher premiums. What is a better indication than traffic and speeding tickets? These are great signs of negligence and disrespect…
Continue readingWhat If I Underestimate my Mileage when Buying Car Insurance?
Often motorists drive more or less miles than the figure they put down on automobile insurance proposal forms? Carriers know about this possibility and some may want to check and some choose not to waste resources on it but they can if they want to at any time. This post will have a look at…
Continue readingHow Much Does Switching Cars Affect Insurance Rates?
Type of the car is one of the key factors influencing insurance rates, which can go up or down when the vehicle is changed. People often get surprised or caught unprepared because you can end up spending double the amount on premiums or save 50% depending on the difference between the old car and the…
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