The price you pay for your auto insurance is affected by a whole set of factors, each of them being able to influence significantly the annual premium. On average a typical American driver spends about $850 on auto insurance each year. But this is only the middle point with extremes being far higher and lower from that number. You can get an extremely cheap or very costly auto insurance, and the final price you pay is strongly affected by the following six factors. Knowing how to control and evaluate them is the key to managing your auto insurance expenditures:
1. Driving record.
Your driving record is the primary factor for the insurance company to determine your overall risk grade. The And the more risky you are considered as a driver, the higher your rates will be. If you have a good driving record expect your rates to be lower. Each accident, no matter whether you are at-fault or not, affects your driving record and you can expect your insurance company to modify your rates. You can also expect to pay a higher price in case you were driving with no insurance for a long time – this also contributes to the risk factor from the insurer’s point of view.
2. Annual mileage.
The number of miles you drive each year strongly affects the price of your policy. It is considered that the more you drive the ore likely for an accident to occur. So driving less, if possible, will help you some extra money on car insurance rates. Some insurance companies actually offer low mileage discounts to drivers who drive less than a specified number of miles each year.
3. Place of residence.
The place you live also affects the price of your policy. Insurance companies analyze the statistics concerning the traffic, number accidents, car theft rates to determine the final rates in a particular area. The costs of repair and medical services are also taken into account, so expect to pay more for auto insurance in a city with heavy traffic, high theft rates and costly repair services.
4. Age.
Insurance companies tend to evaluate younger drivers (teenagers in particular) as very risky drivers. On the contrary, mature drivers are perceived as safe and experienced. Of course there are exceptions from these stereotypes but the statistics support such a point of view. And the prices vary correspondingly. Younger drivers can face insurance rates twice as high as compared to senior citizens. Of course other factors like driving record will correlate to this element, but the general trend is regard teenage drivers as the most risky and decrease the grade of risk gradually with the increase in age.
5. Vehicle.
The car you drive sets a fair part of the price you will pay for auto insurance, simply because some cars are much more expensive to insure (repair, maintain, reimburse if stolen) than others. All the cars are evaluated according to their safety, ease and costs of repair and the likelihood of getting damaged in an accident. The safer and cheaper the car is, the less you will pay for your insurance.
6. The amount of coverage.
The rule of thumb is the more coverage you have in your policy the higher will be the premium you pay each year. Although, some insurance companies offer discounts on certain type of coverage as well as amount discounts, so make sure to check with your insurer on that.
http://www.autogismo.com/price-determining-factors.html
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
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