How Can I Qualify for Lower Car Insurance Rates?
Most car insurance companies offer discounts for certain behaviors and strategies, though they often won’t go through the effort of telling you which discounts you qualify for. Why would they, if it means you have to pay them less per month, right? If your car insurance rates seem high for no reason or you’re simply curious to see if you qualify for any of the most common car insurance discounts, continue reading. We’ll break down the qualifications necessary to save big on car insurance.
How’s My Driving?
Some of the most common car insurance discounts relate to how well and how often you drive.
- Good Driver Discounts: If you have no accidents or tickets of any kind for a certain number of years (the average is three, but it depends on the provider) you can likely get a reduction of your car insurance rates.
- Defensive Driver Discounts: Not a whole lot of people get this one, because it entails taking a defensive driving course. This may need to be repeated each year so that you can keep the discount.
- Reduced Mileage Discounts: Do you drive less than 10,000 miles in a year? Your insurance can probably go down!
- Driver Training Discounts: Car insurance rates for individuals under 25 can be steep. These discounts apply to drivers 21 or younger who are taking driver training course that’s been approved by the insurance company.
Your Car Can Save You Money, Too
So, you’re a great driver with no accidents or tickets in recent years. Perhaps you’ve taken some of the training courses that will knock down your car insurance rates. But your savings can go even further if your car meets certain qualifications. That’s right – the driver and the vehicle can earn some serious discounts.
- Green Discounts: If you drive a hybrid vehicle or any other kind of “green” vehicle, you may qualify for this discount.
- Safety Discounts: The addition of certain safety features in vehicles can drive down insurance rates. Such features include airbags, lights that automatically run and anti-lock brakes.
- Anti-Theft Discounts: If you install additional security features to your car, you can receive a small discount. Granted, this might not be a big enough discount to pay for the cost of the added security measures, but what’s the harm in making sure that your car is further protected from theft?
Your insurance provider may offer different discounts, or other ones that aren’t listed here. It is worth it, before you sign up with any insurance company, to have an understanding of what discounts you currently do qualify for, as well as which ones you may qualify for if you take some added steps.