The Best Route to Cheap Auto Insurance

By Rob Gormly

With the economy in the dumps like it's been lately, we all need to save money wherever we can. It might be time to look for a better deal on our car insurance.

Don't assume that all insurance companies have the same prices. Insurance companies have certain guidelines imposed by the state they're in, but they have a lot of leeway to interpret their auto insurance rates. Because of your particular record, the car you drive and other variables, the cheapest car insurance for someone else, like your parents and neighbors, might not be the cheapest for you.

You are one of the most important variables for getting cheap auto insurance. Your driving record is the primary influence on the expense of your automobile insurance. The best way to get great, cheap auto insurance is to have a great driving record.

I know people who scoff at a single traffic ticket. That is, until they get their next insurance bill. One traffic ticket can cost you hundreds of dollars a year, for years to come. So if you like to put the pedal to the metal, back off. Or you'll find that that there are plenty of insurance companies that want you as a client at their new triple lousy driver rate.

To get the cheapest automobile insurance prices, you have to continuously demonstrate that you are a safe driver. The insurance company needs to make money to stay in business, so they know that you're going to be an expense them, they're going to charge you more. It's as simple as that.

The insurance company is probably not going to volunteer to give you a lower rate. So don't hesitate to call and ask what you might be eligible for. Things change with age, driving record and family situation, for starters. You might also be able to get a better deal, if you have your home insurance with the same company. Many of them like the bundle different policies together.

Every company is different so it pays to shop around and get some new quotes, once in a while. The companies' policies themselves can change as company fortunes change. Sometimes this will cause them to raise or lower rates. Also ask about different discounts that you might be eligible for an experiment with different deductibles. Raising your deductible by hundred dollars might make a dramatic change in your insurance rate. If you're safe driver, a higher deductible is probably a good idea. That way both you and the insurance company are betting on your good driving record.

You can't afford to just sit around and wait for your insurance company to lower your car insurance rates. They will probably conveniently forget until you remind them that you should be paying less. Spending an hour, a year researching automobile insurance rates on the Internet could save you a bundle of cash. That's even better than getting a raise, because you don't have to pay taxes on it.