Most car insurance companies like to know how many miles a year you drive your automobile because the longer you stay on the roads the more likely you will be involved in an accident. Also, a few carriers like to know if you are using your vehicle for commuting and the distance between your home and your work to calculate the yearly mileage. If you are living closer to work, this may reduce your vehicle insurance rates slightly with some companies and it may not make any difference with other carriers.
You will normally know from the questions during a quote process if the insurer you apply takes the commute distance into account or not since they will ask about it. Keep this in mind and give them a call if you move closer to your work or change to another job near home as this may actually reduce your premium. Typically, you will need to inform your insurer if you change your address but it is generally a good idea if you let them know of change of jobs as well.
The longer you stay on the roads the chance of an accident increases. Even if you are a good driver, you are exposed to careless, bad and even uninsured drivers on the roads and they may cause damages to your vehicle or injuries to you and your passengers. Some companies place more weight on this point and adjust auto insurance premiums according to whether you commute or not, your commute distance and yearly mileage. But each company looks at things differently and some companies like Farmers may not use your annual mileage to determine your premium.
Insurance companies generally consider any regular activity as commuting and therefore it may include driving oneself to work or college, providing transportation for a family member to and from work, or even daily transporting children to school.
If you are taking public transport to work, your employer provides transportation or you are working from home, you may have the option of choosing pleasure only automobile insurance that may be cheaper. This option and car insurance savings for choosing it changes depending on the insurer as well. Some companies may allow occasional commutes while others may be stricter.
Keep in mind that a short commute, such as less than three miles, is unlikely to have a significant impact on your insurance premiums. Conversely, a much longer commute may lead to a slight increase in your automobile insurance premium initially, but the effect on rates tends to level off after a certain distance. For instance, having a commute longer than three miles could result in slightly higher rates, but this influence may diminish and become negligible after reaching a distance like twenty miles.
These subtle nuances can lead to savings on premiums. However, you should know that automobile insurance discounts for low mileage, short commutes, or pleasure use might be relatively modest, ranging from 2 to 5%, depending on the insurance company. Some insurers may not offer any discounts regardless of your reported low mileage. The primary reason for this caution is that companies are hesitant to provide substantial discounts solely based on customer reporting, as they don’t verify the accuracy of the reported mileage.
If your annual mileage is less than 8,000 miles and you genuinely wish to save on low mileage insurance, considering usage-based programs or pay-per-mile insurance with telematics or apps might be a wise choice. Some insurance companies offer low mileage car insurance, even with periodic odometer readings if you prefer not to use telematics. These solutions allow insurers to precisely track the number of miles you drive each year and adjust your vehicle insurance premium accordingly. By driving less, you stand a better chance of saving more through these alternatives.
Each insurance provider assesses data differently, and there are alternative options to explore, such as pay-per-mile insurance. Therefore, it is strongly advised to conduct a yearly comparison to stay informed about market trends, pricing, coverage choices, and potential savings with different insurers.