Auto Insurance FAQ

We here at Best Auto Insurance Quotes want to provide you with auto insurance information so understanding automobile insurance rates isn't a great mystery that only agents and brokers can solve.  Learning from these auto insurance FAQ can lead you to the cheapest auto insurance rates available in today's market.  

What Factors Affect My Auto Insurance Rates?

There are many factors that affect your car insurance premiums and understanding them will go a long way to help you lower your car insurance premium. Each factor is a statistically-based risk for a specific population group.

The higher the risk associated with a person, the more he or she is likely to pay for coverage. We have elaborated on some of the risk factors below, but there are numerous others, including driver's gender, miles driven per year, purpose for using the vehicle (commuting to work, using for work, leisure only), etc.

Here are factors that you CAN change that affect your car insurance rates:

Your Location
Where you live and work makes a difference. Folks living in certain areas with little or no traffic are likely to spend less on insurance than those living in congested cities or suburbs because areas with a lot of traffic tend to see more accidents. Some neighborhoods also have a higher rate of vehicle thefts, which can result in a higher premium.

Your Driving Violations
Having an accident or moving violations on your record (speeding tickets, DWI, reckless driving, etc.) put you at a higher risk for accidents and will likely mean a higher premium. Some insurance companies will penalize you for your record for as many as five years from when the incident occurred. However, keep in mind, as your record improves, your premium will get lower.

Your Vehicle Type
A cheap car will cost less to insure than that status symbol SUV sitting on 24" rims.

Your Accident Claims
A driving record that is clean and free of accidents will hold fare better for you than lots of tickets and/or accidents.

Your Credit History
Many insurance companies view having a poor, or even no credit history as suggestive of higher risk and thus, charge you a higher premium.

Your Occupation
Insurers have statistically found a correlation between your occupation and risk of filing claims. For instance, a newspaper delivery person is most likely a higher risk than the personal banker sitting at their desk all day.

Does Age, Gender or Marital Status Affect My Auto Insurance Premiums?

Here are the factors you CANNOT easily change that affect your car insurance rates:

Your Age - Statistically, drivers under the age of 25 are at greater risk of being in an accident than those over age 25. Drivers between the ages of 50 and 65 generally have the safest records.

Your Gender - Women are statistically safer drivers (sorry guys).

Your Marital Status - A married person will generally pay less than a single person with an identical driving record.

What Other Factors Affect My Car Insurance Premiums?

Other factors that help determine car insurance premiums:

• Driving distance to work
• Miles driven annually
• Years of driving experience
• Rather or not you have taken safe driving courses
• Business use of the vehicle
• Whether or not you currently have car insurance
• Theft protection devices (often results in discounts)
• Multiple cars and drivers (another opportunity for discounts)

What Can I Do Right Now To Find The Cheapest Auto Insurance Rates?

Shop around and compare auto insurance quotes from different insurers. These top rated auto insurance companies in United States base their premiums on their claims experiences, which naturally differ. One company may see your area as a higher risk than others may.

Another may charge more because of your occupation. Shopping at an online agent makes it easier because you can quickly see multiple companies and their rates for your particular situation.

Where Do I Go For Cheap Auto Insurance Quotes?

One stop can take care of it all. Go to our car insurance quote request form (generally takes less than 5 minutes to complete) where you can receive multiple quotes, pick the best price, and then purchase your coverage. You can actually get covered immediately online for ultimate shopping convenience. It REALLY is the best way to shop for car insurance!

We hope that the answers to the auto insurance FAQ will make it easier for you to find and select the best and cheapest auto insurance to meet your driving needs.