Reader’s Question:

I am a graduating student and one of the best from my class. I know that getting good grades is one sure way of getting lower auto insurance rates. Also, I’ve been keeping a clean driving record from the time I started driving. Those are just two things that I do to get cheap student car insurance. What other things should I consider to ensure I’d be paying lower auto insurance rates?

Anna

Brooklyn, NY

Congratulations on your upcoming graduation! I’m hoping you’ll graduate on top of your class.

I’ll give you something that’s so easy to do to keep cheap student car insurance – you choice of car.

Since, you will be graduating soon and you’ve studied hard, I’m guessing that your parents will reward you with something big – a new car!

The type of car you will be driving is one of the factors that affects getting a cheap student car insurance. Insurance rates for vehicles differ by the car’s model, make, and year. If you consider getting a sports car, then expect higher auto insurance rates. Consider this before buying a car, how much will it cost your car insurance company to repair your car if it’s been damage? The higher the cost of the repair, the higher your car insurance premiums will be.

Normally, a fancy sports car or any expensive cars require higher amount to be repaired. That’s why, car insurance companies charge higher amount for car insurance premiums.

For more information on how you can choose the right car to get lower auto insurance rates, you can check with your car insurance agent.

Reader’s Question:

My brother is a bad driver. He’s been ticketed several times for different traffic violations. Because of that, our family has this huge problem on how to get car insurance for high risk driver like him. What can you say about our problem?

Sarah

Allentown, PA

When my boyfriend became a high risk driver because of his bad driving history, we asked around to know exactly what we should to get car insurance for high risk driver. These are just some of the tips I’ve remembered that I got my friends:

First, make sure to check with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PENNDOT) about your brother’s driving record to give you an idea on his driving history;

Second, forced your bother to pay for fines for every single violation he had in the past and also in the present;

Third, check with PENNDOT and ask around on how your brother can improve his driving skills;

Fourth, if your brother is driving a fancy car, get a cheap car for him to get lower car insurance rates;

Fifth, ask the help of auto insurance agent so he or she could help you find better deal for car insurance for high risk driver;

Sixth, enroll your brother in a driving class to improve his driving skills;

Seventh, install anti-theft and security devices in your brother’s car (this may qualify him for an auto insurance discount);

Eighth, get car insurance for high risk driver from auto insurance company that gives the most coverage at a very reasonable price, learn to bargain;

And ninth, carefully study the auto insurance policy before your brother signs the contract.

Reader’s Question:

I’m a college student from the University of Southern California. My dad promised to buy me my first car next month as an advance graduation gift. As early as now, I’m checking on different auto insurance rates to get an idea on how much I need to pay on my car insurance premiums. I need help on getting car insurance for college student. What are the things I need to know?

Katrina

Los Angeles, CA

Advance Happy Graduation Katrina!

Getting car insurance for college student for first time buyer is usually confusing. But, it’s a good thing that you’ve mentioned you’re a college student because in fact you may qualify to get discounts from your auto insurance rates for being a student.

If you have good grades then you can get a car insurance premium discount. From what I know, good-student discount is available in your university. I heard that if you do have an average of B (or better), included in the top 20% of your class or made it on the dean’s list then you definitely qualify for this discount.

By the way Katrina where do you live? Do you live near the campus? Do you often drive or not? The reason why I’m asking you these questions is because your driving miles has to do with your car insurance rate. Driving miles is directly proportional to your car insurance rate. The higher the driving miles, the higher the auto insurance rate will be.

Also, have you enrolled in a any defensive driving class? Or are you considering in enrolling? If you do, you may also qualify for a discount from your car insurance company.

For additional information about car insurance for college student, you may ask your car insurance agent.

Reader’s Question:

My friend was recently involved in a car accident. She’s been asking me too many questions on how to file for car ins claims. But I don’t know anything about auto insurance claims since I’ve never been involved in any accidents and I’ve been keeping a spotless driving record from the start. Can you help me with this?

Catalina

Metropolitan Government, TN

Sure Catalina! I do hope your friend is ok.

As to your question on filing for car ins claims, this usually involved the following:

First, you must call your auto insurance company the soonest possible time. But before being involved in a vehicular accident, its better that you’ve already familiarized yourself on what’s included in your policy. This will give you a heads up so as to know what to expect from your insurer.

Moreover, get as much details as you can regarding the accident. Know all the people involved – the witnesses and their contact numbers, and even the vehicles involved like the model and make of the car etc. You can even take pictures of the accident. Take note of the important details about the accident.

Make sure that you have kept all the records regarding you car ins claims. It’s also important to note that you’ve talked with the law enforcement officer present at the time of accident. Also, keep all the receipts or any bills you have paid that was incurred from the said accident.

It’s also important to review your policy again to know if you can file for another auto insurance claim.

Just make sure you give out just truthful information or else you may be denied of auto insurance claims because of insurance fraud.

Reader’s Question:

My daughter is turning 17 two months from now. Aside from buying her first car, I will also be adding her under my car insurance policy. I’m anticipating a very big increase on my car insurance premiums. From what I heard, adding a teen driver will surely increase my auto insurance rates. It’s my first time to add a teen driver so there are still a lot of things that I don’t know. Can you help me find ways on how to get cheap car insurance for teen drivers?

Millie

Birmingham, AL

Help is here so you don’t have to worry Millie.

Adding a teen driver on your car insurance policy will always result in getting higher car insurance rates. We all know that teen drivers are high risk drivers. Thus having them insured is somewhat pricy. But, there are still a lot of factors that affect car insurance rates. And with a little help from you daughter, you’ll surely get cheap car insurance for teen drivers.

You may be able to lower down your auto insurance rates if you will:

* Enroll your daughter in a defensive driving school;
* Demand her to get good grades, a B average or better;
* Have her under your policy, since getting separate auto insurance for her is more expensive;
* Purchase a low cost car for her, since fancy cars are a big no no!
* Teach her the importance of driving less, since driving miles is directly proportional to car insurance rates.

For additional information on how you can get cheap car insurance for teen drivers, you can always ask your car insurance agent or even the Alabama Department of Insurance.

Reader’s Question:

Hi, I just purchased a car. I am now searching for cheap car insurance, so I can start driving it. Anybody there who can help me with this?

Steven

Beaumont, NY

Often, if you find a cheap car insurance policy, you’ll notice that it only has the state-required minimum coverage. And if you are the type of person who is always on the road, you may want to reconsider more coverage than what this type of policy offers. Accidents can just happen anytime, and being unprepared is not the situation that you don’t want to be in. That’s why most companies advise you to get the coverage that you actually need, so you don’t end up paying for other damages out of your own pocket.

This is what I suggest you should do: search the internet for car insurance companies and get free insurance quotes from their websites. Make sure you give them correct and complete information about you because each detail is used to determine your car insurance policy rate. If you don’t give them the right information, the accuracy of their computation would be far from what you might actually get.

So if “cheap” is what you’re looking for, you should be aware of car insurance discounts. Companies offer different discounts, and it depends on the customer’s profile if he/she would qualify for it. In your case, you should be able to find a company that could surely give you a discount, so that you could lower your policy rate. However, make sure that even with the discount, your coverage remains the same. It is not logical to lower your cost by limiting the coverage or protection that your policy provides.

Reader’s Question:

Hello there! I’d like to know the cheapest vehicles to insure? I’m planning to buy one.

Manny

Atlanta, GA

We always think that a car’s price is the only factor car insurance companies look at to calculate premiums. Although it is true that the cheapest cars to insure are the inexpensive ones, there other many factors car insurance companies look at to work out your premium rates.

First, Car insurance companies check whether how much a repair is going to cost if ever a car acquires damages due to an accident. So in a nutshell, the cheaper and inexpensive your car is, the cheaper the parts are. And the cheaper the parts are, the cheaper the repair costs are so the lower your car insurance premiums will get.

Another thing car insurance companies look at when insuring cars is its top speed and rate of acceleration. The faster your car, the higher your premiums. So although a sports car may be nice to look at, expect higher car insurance premiums because fast cars have higher accident rates statistically.

The third important factor car insurance checks in your car is its security. You will find out that installing the latest car safety features will make your premiums a bit lower.

Here are the cheapest cars to insure last year:

2008 Jeep Patriot
2008 Pontiac Vibe
2008 Mazda 5
2008 Chrysler PT Cruiser
2008 Scion xB 10
2008 Jeep Compass
2008 Chevrolet Uplander
2008 Pontiac Torrent
2008 Jeep Wrangler
2008 Mazda Tribute