Category Archives: Car Insurance

Buying Car Insurance For The First Time

Buying Car Insurance For The First Time

When it comes to buying car insurance it can be a very daunting task. For those buying car insurance for the first time this is especially so, any type of insurance can be confusing to the majority of people and car insurance is no exception. Not only are the policies hard to understand but there are many different components to them and for the majority of time these aren’t always clearly explained. For example one of the types of insurance is called “fully comp”; the very title of this is confusing because not everything is included in this type of cover.

When buying car insurance for the first time it is essential that you shop around for the best deal and cheapest premiums, car insurance premiums are always cheaper when bought online because the overheads are cut down, along with the staff needed to run them.

Of course when it comes to buying your car insurance you will first have to decide on the type of insurance that will be more suitable for your needs, the three main types of car insurance are fully comp, third party, fire and theft and third party only.

Third party fire and theft will cover you if you should be in an accident and this causes damage to the other party’s car, it will also cover your car in the event that it is stolen or should be damaged in a fire.

Fully comprehensive is misleading but while it doesn’t cover everything, it does include all that the third party cover does, along with accidental damage to your car and will also cover any belongings, personal accident cover and medical cover.

Third party only as the name suggests will only cover claims made by others against you, for example any damage that is made to their property or injury to themselves.

Of course these aren’t the only types of insurance you can take to cover you and your car and those buying car insurance for the first time have to take this into account. What you also have to take into account however, is that if you choose to add extra cover then this will of course boost up your premium.

Ways that you can cut down when it comes to saving on your car insurance include making sure that you have a clean driving record. This is essential and can save you a huge amount of money; you should also make sure you have equipped your car with the latest security features such as window etchings, alarms and steering locks.

How To Get Cheap Car Insurance Online In West Virginia

How To Get Cheap Car Insurance Online In West Virginia

If you simply go online and find one of those price comparison websites for car insurance in West Virginia and you play around with it for a while you will probably save some money each month on your car insurance.

However, you might be able to save even more money by first learning some of the steps you can take to reduce the cost of your car insurance even before you get online.

For example, did you know that parking your car in a garage at night can save you money?

Did you know that paying your premiums automatically each month out of your checking account also saves you money?

Did you know that some insurance companies will give you a break on the cost of your insurance if you buy and use a simple steering wheel locking device?

Did you know that your car insurance agent may know of other simple and inexpensive anti-theft devices that you can install on your car that will save you money every single month?

Did you know that if you were to use public transportation as much as possible and leave your car parked at home that you might be able to save a considerable amount on your car insurance? It’s true. If you can reduce your monthly driving to below 500 miles your insurance company may give you a substantial Low Mileage Discount.

Did you know that if you join (or set up) a carpool at work that you can save money every month on your car insurance? Part of your monthly premium is based on the number of times you drive back and forth to work in rush hour traffic every month. If you can cut that number in half then you can save a nice chunk of change on your insurance every month – plus you’ll be doing something good for the environment and saving wear and tear on your car.

Did you know that paying for collision or comprehensive insurance on an older car that no longer has any Kelly Blue Book value is a total waste of your money?

Did you know that young drivers can save at least 5% a month on their car insurance simply by staying in school and maintaining at least a “B” grade average?

Did you know that you can save on car rental coverage if you have a credit card that provides automatic coverage on rental cars?

Did you know that if you have a health insurance plan you may be able to reduce or even cancel the Personal Injury Protection portion of your car insurance, saving you quite a bit of cash each year?

Did you know that if you are married you can save money each month by listing the wife as the primary driver and the husband as the secondary driver on your car insurance policy?

Did you know that if you don’t make small claims against your insurance company that you can save money on your premium every month? Most companies offer some sort of discount after six or twelve claim-free months.

Did you know that some places of work and many clubs, organizations and associations offer their members low-cost group car insurance? If you don’t belong to any group or club that offers its members group car insurance ask friends and family if any of them belong to such a group. Then join.

Did you know that increasing your deductible will drop your cost of insurance overnight? Obviously you’ll need to review your financial situation before deciding on a deductible since you don’t want to agree to pay more if you file a claim that you can actually afford.

And did you know that if you buy your car insurance online you can save over buying your car insurance from most brick and mortar locations? Don’t get lazy, however, and only check out one of the websites that permit you to compare the prices of car insurance policies from a variety of different insurance companies here in West Virginia.

If you really want to see prices from every insurance company you are going to have to spend a little extra time and do your comparisons on a minimum of 3 different comparison websites. Also – and this is important – you need to use the information you have gleaned from this article and fill out the form on all 3 websites EXACTLY the same.

This is the only way for you to compare the same policy across all three websites and it is the best way to insure that you will end up with the best possible price.

Once you have completed all of your comparisons then the rest is a snap. Just choose the lowest-priced policy – and you’re done! This is how you become an expert and make certain that you get cheap car insurance online in West Virginia and save money for years to come.

Saving Money On Insurance For Your Wheels

Saving Money On Insurance For Your Wheels

Buying a car is an expensive proposition. Not only do you have to invest a large amount of money, you also have to service it regularly and fill up the fuel. Moreover, given that most of us lack the liquid cash to pay for a car all at one go, car loans are the popular choice for many. Even here, we have to do a decent amount of shopping around so that we find the best bargains. A car loan is a long term commitment. It helps if one’s debt burden is not too high. Few things are as stressful as struggling to repay existing loans.

A similar stressor is the car insurance that one goes in for. Given the number of accidents that take place on city roads everyday, people should be sensible enough to avail of car insurance policies for their vehicles. And accidents are not the only problems that are faced by car owners. There are also the rampant burglaries that weigh down on the minds of car owners. So, car insurance is no longer a choice. It has become a necessity.

Now, going to look for the ideal car insurance is very similar to looking for the perfect car loan. The best solution to the dilemma of finding a cheap car insurance policy is to shop around thoroughly. Do not settle for the first insurance plan that comes your way. There are bound to be other plans that are significantly less expensive. If you are trying to save money, you could try clubbing your home and car insurance together. Alternatively, you could consider procuring car insurance from the same company that provides you with your home and life insurances. This could help you benefit from lower interest rates.

You could keep your insurance problem in mind even before you buy your car. Remember that a higher-end machine is likely to increase the rates that the insurance company would otherwise charge. However, if you also purchased certain security devices for your car, you could benefit from a slightly lower interest rate. Also, if you agree to a higher deductible, you will end up paying a lower insurance premium. But in such a case you must take care to avoid accidents. The deductible amount has to come out of your pocket in case of an accident.

While on the lookout for insurance, you should keep an eye out for special discounts that you can avail of. You can save a lot if you only try.

How To Get Cheap Car Insurance Online In Arkansas

How To Get Cheap Car Insurance Online In Arkansas

Don’t drive without car insurance if you live in the state of Arkansas! The state of Arkansas has a special data base that keeps track of every single registered vehicle in the state and makes certain that every single registered car has insurance. The moment you cancel an insurance policy or your policy is dropped because you have failed to pay premiums, the state is instantly notified and if new insurance is not added to that vehicle instantly, the state has the right to cancel your car’s registration.

Arkansas is serious about forcing all drivers to carry car insurance, so the question for thousands of drivers then becomes how do I get cheap car insurance online in Arkansas?

There’s no shortage of websites that will let you compare policies and prices between different car insurance companies here in Arkansas. But if you really want to get the best possible deal that you can, then you need to spend just a few minutes making certain that you are answering all of the questions correctly before you jump online.

For example, make certain that you keep a clean driving record. No speeding tickets…no reckless driving citations…no moving violations of any kind. Any convictions for DUI (Driving Under the Influence) or DWI (Driving While Intoxicated) and you can kiss the best car insurance rates good-bye for at least 3 long years, maybe longer.

If you’re under 25 your rates are going to be high unless you can sign on under your parent’s policy or you stay in school and maintain at least a “B” grade point average so you can qualify for a Good Student Discount.

Over 55? Ask your agent if your insurance company offers a driver’s refresher course. If you car insurance company offers such a course and you pass it, you can save about 10% per month on your car insurance premiums.

Are you thinking of buying a new car? Before you do, ask your car insurance agent exactly how much that shiny new piece of chrome is going to set you back each month in insurance premiums. Remember, some new cars cost a lot more to insurance than others; check it out ahead of time to avoid any unpleasant surprises.

If you drive an older car, especially one that has no real Kelly Blue Book value, then you are basically wasting your money if you purchase collision or comprehensive insurance. The reason for this is that your insurance company will only give you the Kelly Blue Book value for your vehicle if it is damaged and if your vehicle has no Kelly Blue Book value then you won’t collect anything anyway in the event of an accident, regardless of how much you are paying for your collision or comprehensive. Save your money.

What about your deductible? Be honest with yourself and determine how much money you can realistically afford to pay for the repair of your own vehicle if you have a claim. The more you can pay out of your own pocket – in other words, the higher your deductible – then the less your insurance company is going to charge you each month for your car insurance.

O.K. Now you know what you need to do to lower your monthly car insurance premium, so now it’s time to get online and compare policies and prices so that you can get the cheapest car insurance online in Arkansas.

Don’t think, however, that you can get away with only looking at comparisons on one website. Each website only compares a small handful of insurance companies. If you really and truly want to make sure that you are getting the very best deal possible on your car insurance, then you really need to bite the bullet and take the extra time to make the same comparisons on at least 3 different websites.

Once you have made your comparisons on multiple websites then you can pick the best rate and know for certain that you have gotten the cheapest car insurance online in Arkansas that you could possibly find.

Car Gap Insurance

Car Gap Insurance

Most of us know that a new or used car will depreciate by about twenty percent the minute we drive it off the lot. So unless you put 20% down on your auto loan, you stand to owe considerably more than the value of your car for quite some time. If you buy a moderately priced car of ,000, then your loan could be for ,000 more than the price your vehicle would be valued at. Cars are getting more expensive, and many of us are taking out loans for one hundred percent of the value of the loan!

However most insurance companies consider the value of your car to be your book value, and not your loan value. This may seem unfair since your loan may require you to keep comprehensive insurance! However, if you car is wrecked or stolen within the first year, and your insurance only reimburses you for book value, you could owe thousands of dollars on a car that you cannot drive. You will still be responsible for the balance of the loan no matter what amount your inssurance company pays if they choose to total your car.

To protect yourself against an insurance company decision to total your car, you should consider buying car gap insurance. This type of insurance will pay off the balance of your auto loan. However car dealers often charge 0 – 0 for this type of insurance. You do not have to buy auto gap insurance at the dealer! You can buy the very same sort of gap insurance online and direct for less than 0.

Gap insurance is available in the US, UK, and other countries. As cars get more expensive, people finance larger percentages of their auto purchases, and often finance 100%, so gap insurance is becoming a very popular option. If you want to protect one of your most expensive investments, you should consider automobile gap insurance.

The Costly Lure Of Free Car Insurance

The Costly Lure Of Free Car Insurance

Although not a completely stagnant market, selling new motorcars in the UK these days is hard work. Combating this, one very successful way that car manufacturers have found to attract new buyers to the motorcar market in the UK is to offer the first year’s car insurance completely free with the purchase of a new motorcar.

Wonderful, but before you jump in and buy that new car, consider this:

  • if you are under the age of 25, while the first year of your motor insurance is going to be completely ‘free’ (i.e. paid for as part of a sales gimmick by the car manufacturer), subsequent years won’t be! So, before you buy that brand new SUV, 4×4 or sports car, you may want to enquire what the insurance will cost you subsequent of year 1 – otherwise you may well find you have the nicest looking car sitting on a car driveway in your neighborhood!
  • if you are going to buy the car using one of the car manufacturers’ payment hire-purchase payment plans, read the fine print to see if you are contractually required to use the same car insurance provider throughout the term of the hire-purchase period. If so, you may want to reconsider the value of buying your new car this way as there is a very good chance you can find cheaper car insurance elsewhere.
  • remember that even if you are the perfect driver and have no accidents or need to call upon the car insurance company’s services, it is going to have no bearing on the insurance quote for year 2. This is the case because you’ll not be credited with any ‘no claims bonus’ for that period.
  • if you decide to go ahead with the deal, check carefully to see what the car insurance exclusions are as, in most cases, the car insurance being provided for the first year is fairly basic and won’t cover you for a number of circumstances and events that you may automatically have assumed they would.

    There is little doubt that the lure of a year’s free car insurance policy as a marketing tool has been extremely successful, but faced with this and the opportunity to try and negotiate some free extras or upgrades with your new motorcar, you may very well want to consider taking the option of negotiating for the free extras or upgrades because in the long run the free motorcar insurance being given to you by your car salesman is going to be anything but ‘free’ and will almost certainly end up costing you far more than if you had arranged the car insurance yourself online.