How To Get Cheap Car Insurance on Your Next Free Car Insurance Quote

In my first hub about saving money when obtaining cheap free car insurance quotes, I felt that I didn't adequately cover all that one needs to do to reduce the prices that you get from online insurance quotes. Especially now that I've discovered that auto insurance premiums soared by nearly 20% during 2009, and according to the latest figures, it has become even more important than ever before to get the right quote. I thought that instead of updating the previous hub that I should instead, give it another go. Here are a few of my personal tips based on experience and by sharing the topic with others. And if you have any other car insurance money saving tip to add, just put it in the comment section at the bottom and I will publish it also.

Do a thorough search

For me, searching for cheap auto insurance around you, is the most important way of finding the cheapest car insurance quotes, but I find it very surprising that very few drivers bother to spend quality time to do it.Especially when it is mostly free auto insurance quotes both online and offline, Spending ample time on comparison sites, calling up your local auto insurance company or even, casually walking into one of their local offices could potentially save you a fortune. And because prices for car insurance are not fixed but, change with time, one should always regularly research new offers as they come. So learn and practice the key words here: read, browse, call, and ask questions (lots of questions). The more informed you are, the better your decision will be

Keep your car in a garage

I mean stop using your garage for extra storage or whatever! Use it for your car to keep it safe from nature and thieves. This informs your insurers that your car is safe, and that is kept in a locked, secure place. This will certainly to reduce your premium. If you don't own a garage but have a driveway, then be sure to inform your auto insurance company that you intend and will be parking your car in it. Though it isn't a garage, it is viewed as more secure way of parking than being left on the road outside your house. Do this and watch your auto insurance quote premiums drop.

Extra driver training Helps (New & Old drivers)

New drivers will most likely get discounted car insurance quotes if they take recognized and approved driving lessons. For older drivers, they can benefit from this by getting bargain reductions on their auto insurance quotes. if they are prepared to take further advanced training and pass one of the many advanced driving tests available. Advanced driver training are generally short, so that you can quickly obtain one before your auto insurance requires a renewal. Generally, insurance companies view advanced drivers are less likely to be involved in an accident. So look up on your local driver training service providers and see what can benefit your quest for a cheap car insurance.

Be prepared to increase your excess and reduce your mileage

Car insurance excess means the amount of money you will have to pay in the event of a car insurance claim. Agree to pay a higher excess and your insurance quotes will drop. This will tell your insurance company that you are prepared to put your money where your mouth is, meaning, I am prepared to pay this because I know that I'm not or will do my damndest not to be involved in an accident. Accepting to reduce the total mileage covered by your car means the less time your car will be spending on the roads exposed to the possibility of being involved in an accident. This should also result in a cheaper car quote.
If you cover a very low mileage, then inform your insurance broker. Many offer discount deals, because (as i already said) less time on the road means less chance of an accident. A good example are classic cars or sports car which are surprisingly cheap to insure, provided you keep it well secured and in a garage.

Protect your no-claims bonuses or discounts

Insurance companies offer a no claims bonus by reducing the amount of premium that is charged to a customer that has maintained a no claims on his insurance over a period of years of driving. Drivers should protect their no-claims discounts by not, claiming unless you have to; minor repairs are often times more economical to get fixed out of your own expense in the long run.

Secure your car

A standard feature of most modern cars is to have burglar alarms and immobilizers factory fitted, but if they don't then get one professionally installed. The ,ore expensive the car, the more you should be prepared to splash out on more advanced stuff like tracker devices which have been found to be hugely successful in allowing stolen cars to be found. Fit one and your premium should definitely do a nose dive.

Maintain a clean driver's licence

To keep it short and simple: the older your license, and the less points or none at all that you have on your licence, the more Insurers will give you a cheaper auto insurance quotes. It assures the insurers that you have a good reputation and shows that you are careful, law abiding driver.

Be Observant about your car insurance band

No, it's not Abba or Kings of Leon. Before you purchase a car, take a look at insurance bandings. This gets many confused when asked what band our car falls under when it comes to car insurance. There is an Insurance Group Rating Panel that places all vehicles into 20 insurance groups/bands, band 1 is seen to have the lowest risk and band 20 the highest. The higher risk your vehicle has, the higher your car insurance quotes will be.
The size of your car's engine capacity usually is a good sign of the band your car will be categorised in. Or to put it in shorter terms, the bigger the engine, the higher the band and
consequently the higher your quote will be. Other criteria for determining banding are, car security, weight, top speed, power and the price of spare parts.
Here is a place where you can check your car's band: CHECK YOU CAR'S BAND FOR FREE

Move house or change your job

Your postal or zip code affects your quotes because, your insurance company (more than you) does a lot of home work and will dig up demographics about where you live. They will find out, If you live in an area where car theft is rife and wether homes in that area have garages or not, this will surely increase your quotes. Similarly your profession or job has an impact on your insurance quote and eventual premium payments. For instance if you are seen to be doing a job that will keep you travelling and always road bound like journalists and professional sportsmen are among the high premium paying category

Choose the right type of insurance policy

Comprehensive insurance or third-party insurance (with or without fire and theft insurance) are some of the options one has to choose from. This shoould be weighed against how much your car is worth in terms of age, current condition and market . And like I said in the last hub, the newer the car the more likely that it should have a comprehensive insurance, anything older than five years (unless it's a vintage car) should be considered for a third-party insurance. And, if it's really that old, you should consider avoiding theft insurance. If you are in a household with access to two or more cars, then you should consider having a double auto insurance policy which will give a far less quote than when you have seperate ones.

Driver's gender matters

Typically I have found that women pay lower premiums than men. So it will be wise to put the family car to be insured in the woman's name. Why? 'Cause insurance companies do their math. They have discovered that men are more likely to be involved in an accident or get a parking fine than women. Sorry guys, the women rule this time!

No fancy stuff

Avoid modifications. spicing or 'pimping' the performance or looks of your car will make your car a prime target not just for the gals, that head turner will also attract theives. Which (yep, you guessed right)make you end up paying more insurance. Fancy lights,expensive wheels, def rims, 22" tyres, that mean paint job and fancy stereos make you and your car the toast of town and even more attractive to those with itchy light fingers, which insurers will not take lightly.

Auto club memebership

Join the AA or any local car club and check to see what kind of specialist discount deals that they have with an with an insurance company (insurance companies love auto club). Insurers generally believe that mostly committed and careful drivers are the ones that join auto clubs for the maximum enjoyment and maintenance of their cars.

Get a low-mileage deal

If you do very low mileage, then let your broker know. Many offer cut-price deals, because less time on the road means less chance of an accident. These special policies are ideal if, for example, you only use your car for the occasional trip to the local shops. They can also make a classic car or sports car surprisingly cheap to insure, provided you keep it in a garage.
A note of warning though, just be sure to stick by the information you provide while quering for a quote or you could invalidate your policy or be subject to additional charges. That will take you back to where you started or even worse, result in you having to pay much more for your auto insurance than you did before.

So you see? You can get cheap car insurance quotes and pay cheap car insurance premiums. You just need to know where to get it, who to ask for it and, how to ask for it. However, you must constantly be aware that, nailing a cheap automobile insurance quote is dependent on certain variables like, your past driving record, how long you have been a driver with a valid licence, your address and, your car's security features, to name but a few. So good luck chasing down that bargain car insurance quote.