Most people know they have a consumer credit score, but few realize there is a similar ranking used by auto and property insurance companies to rate a customer’s potential liability and it is key to getting affordable auto insurance.

Affordable Auto Insurance

Fittingly, this is called an insurance score, but it takes into account more than just how promptly you pay your bills. It also incorporates data such as how many claims you’ve made on past policies, how frequently and how costly they’ve been to previous insurers.

This score has a dramatic impact on the cost of your auto and property insurance premiums. According to Robert Hartwig, president and founder of the Insurance Information Institute, a nonprofit agency designed to help consumers with insurance questions, “These scores are basically credit information that an insurance company uses from your credit profile, but they then take that and relate it to actual information regarding your claims history or your legal history.”

In other words, do you have a habit of suing people? Fair or not, those things factor into your insurance score. There’s almost nothing you can do about it, other than keep your credit in tip-top shape and try to avoid making multiple claims.

“People with poorer credit tend to be associated with relatively higher losses to insurance companies,” Hartwig says. “That group . . . can incur more claims or more costly claims, or both.”

Hartwig says this is different than a credit score because of the manner in which information is used. “Insurance companies don’t need all the information that’s in a credit score. The insurer only takes information that correlates with what it needs to determine. They’re looking to maximize the correlations between credit information and loss information. If [people] tend to be financially responsible, they tend to not be reckless behind a wheel, they tend to maintain their homes, things like that.”

Perhaps the most interesting thing about insurance scores (and the most disconcerting) is that you can’t change them at least, not in the short-term because your ranking factors in cumulative information over a period of years. Moreover, you can’t find out what your score is because each company considers the method by which it ranked you to be proprietary.

“You can’t find out because each company makes their own insurance score,” explains Jeanne Salvatore, senior vice president of public affairs at www.iii.org. “Each insurance score also uses credit differently some might just use it in applications and some give it greater weight than others. Underwriting (how a company determines who to insure and for what price) is very proprietary. That is how insurance companies compete by being able to price the product better than the next guy. If they gave that away (how they rank individuals) they’d be giving away some part of their trade secrets.”

So, what exactly can a person do with this new fact of insurance scores? Is your collision coverage too high because of it? Why do you need high risk car insurance?

“As a consumer, what you should be doing is shopping around, shopping for a good rate, because that ultimately is what you want to do anyway,” Salvatore says.

And it’s the best way to ensure you get the most affordable auto insurance possible.

That and drive safely!

The global economic issue is throwing up some stuff that is both funny and disheartening. People want to save money and if I may add, are ready to save it anyway and anyhow. Certain actions by some car owners has raised a question in my mind. Do people actually understand what auto insurance is and the consequences of certain actions they take?

Affordable Auto Insurance

Affordable Auto Insurance

The key to saving in your auto insurance is not reducing your cover or like some, doing anything to reduce what they pay even if it means under valuing their cars or supplying insurers with false information like where the car is parked, the mileage you cover and all other such falsehoods.

Can you imagine undervaluing your car? You might as well not have a coverage because if you are to make a claim what would you get? Compensation on a wrong value and besides you would be making things very difficult for yourself if you have supplied falsehoods as this could totally nullify any claims.

Do you really desire to reduce your claims, then there are ways to do this without jeopardizing your auto insurance cover.

To get affordable auto insurance cover, you need to look for ways to make your car more secure. You may ask your insurers for some suggestions to this effect. Be sure that you would save funds legitimately this way.

You could also decide to pay your premiums annually (if you can) as a way to reduce your rates.

Other option would be to train in defensive driving, take a higher deductible and take time to find out what discounts you qualify for and what you can do to qualify for more.

Lastly, you may need to begin to shop around for other insurers. You may be surprised to see that you can get much lower rates from another insurer.

Take some time and compare quotes online and you would discover more options available to you.

Whatever you do, do not jeopardize your auto insurance just to save on rates. Save the right way.

Affordable Auto insurance

It can sometimes put people in such a situation that they might not be able to pay some of their bills or even medicines that they should be taking. Finding affordable car insurance should be high on the to do list. For some it is critically important.

One way to find affordable auto insurance is to first call the company that people presently have. A situation in the home or with kids moving out should be brought to their attention. Many times, just letting the company know about a new situation might drop the rate a lot. If a person isn’t happy with the new quote from their current insurance, start calling around for quotes.

Affordable car insurance may take a little time to find, but with the effort and time, it will be found. Understand that the companies are not sitting around waiting to call people to lower rates. With persistence however, people can make changes that the insurance company wants to see and they will then lower ones rates.

Finding affordable auto insurance can be a challenge. Sometimes you feel that there are as many rates as people and you may wonder if you truly have found the best rate available. Several car insurance companies today offer quick online auto insurance quotes. Some of the larger, more well known companies are Geico and Progressive.

The cost of car insurance will depend on many factors. One factor includes where you live. In some areas the cost of auto insurance will be higher due to increased automobile theft, of a higher rate of traffic accidents. Another factor that will affect the cost of car insurance is your age. Young drivers generally have a higher cost for auto insurance than older drivers who have more driving experience.

What kind of car you drive also affects the cost of your car insurance. A bright red rare sports car may very well cost more to insure than the standard family mini van. Those who set the insurance rates may decide that the sports car is more likely to be stolen or in an accident than the mini van.

Your gender, marital status, grades (if you are a student) all affect the cost of auto insurance. Young men are statistically in more accidents than women and so they pay a higher price for car insurance. Married people statistically have fewer accidents and tend to pay less than their single counterparts. Young teenagers who have good grades are considered a better risk as well. Perhaps the adjusters feel that good grades mean more time studying and less time driving.

Your driving record will also determine the cost of your auto insurance as well as your ability to get car insurance. Good drivers with clean driving records will pay less than people with many speeding and other driving offenses on their records.

Many of these items, you cannot quickly change to make an impact on the cost of auto insurance. However, you can change the cost of your car insurance premium by adjusting the liability limits and deductibles on your insurance plan. A $500 deductible will cost less than a $100 deductible.

Some states have minimum amounts of auto insurance that you are required to have on your car. Your insurance agent should be able to help you decide which insurance plan is right for you. The online quotes are great, but if you have some unique needs for your car insurance, you may need to speak with an agent directly.

It’s easy to shop around and get price quotes from various companies now that most of this information is online. Insurance Information Institute (www.iii.org) suggests drivers get at least three price quotes. You can get an online auto insurance quote from an insurance Web site or call them directly. Sometimes, your state insurance department has charts to compare auto insurance (http://www.iii.org/media/companies/state_org/insur_departments). Be sure to compare quotes from different types of insurance companies. For example, some companies sell policies through their own agents, while others sell through independent agents who offer policies from various insurance companies. Sometimes policies are sold directly online or by phone. Depending on the sales method, prices may vary.

Remember, though, you shouldn’t shop by price alone. Make sure the company as a whole satisfies you. Do they answer your questions and handle claims effectively and fairly? Talk with friends, family, and co-workers, or check consumer magazines. State insurance departments also provide consumer complaint ratios for various companies.

Ask for Higher Deductible

A higher deductible can lower the price of your auto insurance considerably. According to www.iii.org, “Increasing your deductible from $200 to $500 could reduce your collision coverage and comprehensive coverage premium by 15 to 30 percent. Going to a $1,000 deductible can save you 40 percent or more.” These are substantial savings; however, you need the deductible on hand in case something happens to your vehicle.

Compare Insurance Costs Before Buying Car

The price of auto insurance depends greatly on the type of car you drive. Factors include the sticker price, costs for repair, overall safety record and the likelihood of theft. Often insurers offer discounts to drivers who take measures to reduce the risk of injuries or theft.

Purchase Home and Auto Insurance from Same Provider

If you buy two or more types of insurance from one insurer, you will often receive a multi-policy discount. You may also pay a lower price if you insure more than one vehicle with the same insurance company. Often, long-time customers are offered reduced premiums.

Take Advantage of Low-mileage and Safe-driver Discounts

Some motorists receive a low-mileage discount from their insurers for driving a lower than average number of miles per year. These discounts also often apply to drivers who carpool. And, if you’re a safe driver, and you have not had any accidents or moving violations in a number of years, many companies will reward you with a safe-driver discount. If you’ve recently taken a defensive driving course, you may also receive a price reduction.

To save money on, business auto insurance is something to ask about. You may be eligible for insurance through your employer, or through professional or business groups and other associations you are involved in. You should also closely monitor your credit rating because your credit may affect the price you pay for insurance. No matter what, always shop around and compare prices. This is the most effective way to save money on auto insurance.