The top two biggest money saving auto insurance tips are to first shop around. There are numerous providers of insurance and generally speaking you can save a great deal of money on your policy if you take the time to find the right provider.

The second biggest tip to lower your rates is to simply raise your deductable. In some cases you can reduce your annual premium by 10 percent or more if you increase your deductible by a few hundred dollars. USE CAUTION HERE: You want to make sure you can actually afford the amount that you raise your deductible to or you’re no better off then before.

Other factors raising the cost of your policy include the amount of mileage you drive annually and the type of vehicle you own and operate.

Did you also know that where you live can determine rates and keeping your car in a garage can lower your rates. Cars parked in garages are less likely to be stolen, vandalized, or struck by other vehicles. Using a garage to store your car may entitle you to a slight premium reduction.

If you have multiple cars and drivers then you could qualify for a multifamily discount. Sometimes your children’s insurance premium can be lowered based on their school grade point average.

Other discounts may be available if you meet certain criteria. Examples may include discounts for taking a defensive driving course, being a AAA member or staying with the same auto insurance company for a number of years. These discounts vary by company.

Finally try using an anti-theft device. This helps to reduce your insurance cost.

Thanks for taking the time to read our money saving auto insurance tips. We hope our free tips and save you some of your hard earned cash.

About the Author

Timothy Gorman provides more insurance information and free money saving insurance quotes that you can research in you pajamas on his website: Best Free Insurance Quotes.

Why change to a new Auto insurance carrier?

You need to regularly review your auto insurance coverage to make sure that you are receiving the best insurance value for your money. You will discover that it pays to shop around. In some states, premiums for identical policies vary widely among different auto insurance companies. The reasons for this price variation can be very complicated, but they boil down to a company’s claims experience with policyholders in a coverage group (e.g. people of similar age, number of accidents, type of vehicle). For example, if a large number of people in a coverage group files claims during a given year, their rates will likely rise. When this happens, better discounts and lower overall premiums may be available at other insurance companies. When you decide to switch your auto insurance to another company, you’ll find that it’s fairly easy to do so.

How to cancel your old Auto Insurance policy

Generally, all you need to do to cancel your auto insurance policy is to inform your insurance company in writing, specifying the date you want the policy canceled. In some states, the new agent must notify the previous agent of the policy change. Some auto insurance companies ask the policyholder send back the actual printed policy. The insurance company will send a cancellation request form that will need to be signed and returned. Examine the form carefully to make sure that all information regarding the policy is correct. If the form is not received within two weeks of sending the letter, call the agent or company immediately to check on the status of the cancellation. Don’t just walk away from the old policy without formally canceling it. Each state requires that auto Insurance policies be cancelled with notice, thus the insurance company might assume one wished to continue the coverage, and it might eventually terminate the policy for failure to pay premiums and report the lack of coverage to the state Department of Motor Vehicles. This can hurt your credit rating and ability to get a new policy.

Always have a new policy in place before canceling the old auto insurance coverage. Otherwise you might have a gap in protection for a day or more! Most states require all drivers to carry a minimum level of auto insurance and most insurance companies require policyholders to present proof of new coverage before they will cancel an active policy. The new company will be able to time the beginning of the new policy to coincide with the cancellation of the prior coverage.

When to Change Auto Insurance policies

At Renewal:

Renewal is a convenient time to change auto insurance policies, as you don’t have to wait for a refund from your current carrier. A renewal notice will be sent to you approximately 30 days before a new policy begins, depending on the regulations in your state. Should you decide to switch companies, you’ll need to have a new policy by the time the current policy renews. Though a company might say there is 10-30 days to get your payment in before a policy terminates, you do not have coverage until the carrier receives the payment. If you have an accident during this time period you most likely will have no coverage since the premium wasn’t paid!

Anytime:

All Auto insurance policies contain a provision allowing you to cancel your policy with proper notice at any time. In a few states auto insurance companies “short rate” the policy that means one pays a penalty for canceling before the policy renews. Most insurance companies pro-rate their policies so there is no penalty. The advantage of switching before the renewal date can save you a lot of money. For example if you have a policy that runs from Jan 15th to Aug 15th and you have an accident or ticket that will be over 36 months on March 15th. By switching Auto insurance companies on March 16th, you get a discount for having a clean driving record. Your current carrier won’t apply this discount until the policy renews on August 15th! This can save you Hundreds of dollars immediately!

How long does it take to change Auto insurance?

When you change auto insurance companies, the new agent or insurer can generally change carriers while you wait! Generally they’ll just need a copy of your current declaration page, driver’s license and down payment to get the policy issued.

So why not get started today and get free auto insurance quotes from top companies.

About the Author

Matt McWilliams is one of the co-founders of HometownQuotes.Com, an online insurance quotes web site. He is originally from Pinebluff, NC and attended Middle Tennessee State University. He is considered an expert in the field of online insurance shopping and finding new ways to help consumers save money on their insurance. For more information visit http://www.hometownquotes.com

Everyone knows that car insurance companies are not all equal. Cheap car insurance is wonderful when paying the bill, but make a mistake on the company you select and you could find that the cheap car insurance policy that you found may turn into a nightmare. Cheap car insurance may not turn out to be so attractive when making a claim.

So if you have found a discount car insurance broker don’t just take the cheapest quote that you get. You need to find out a little about the insurance company that is offering the cheap car insurance rates.

And there’s ways to reduce the cost of your car insurance even with the best of companies. Here are some tips for those looking for cheap car insurance to help reduce the cost of car insurance without compromising other things.

7 Cheap Car Insurance Tips

1. Look at your deductible amount. This is the amount that you pay first out of any claim. The cost of your policy is directly related to this amount. Many people, particularly those who have had their insurance policy for a long time, have never considered whether they ought to vary their deductible. If you have a good driving record and are prepared to increase the risk of paying a larger amount in the event of a (hopefully unlikely) claim you can save money by increasing your deductible.

3. Drive carefully. Although it sounds a little trite to say it, your car insurance cost is a factor of your risk profile. You won’t get cheap car insurance if you have had 3 speeding fines and 2 accidents in the last year. These things are all taken into account and you should take care with how you drive. It all adds up onto your bill. There are big safe driver discounts available.

4. Considering installing safety and anti theft devices in your car. Again these affect your risk profile. If you have a car that is safer and less at risk of theft it should be cheaper to insure. And if you have a car with certain safety devices now check that your insurance company is aware of these, if not tell them.

5. Look at your policy when it comes to renewal time, don’t just pay. There are some things that you can vary in your policy that will affect the cost. Often there are some things there which duplicate other insurance that you may have that can be eliminated. Be critical, look carefully and ask questions about all these before you renew your policy.

6. Have a look at who your other insurers are. Many insurers offer a discount for multiple policies. If you insure your house with a certain company then ring them up and find out if they do car insurance. Get a quote from them. Find out what discounts they offer.

7. Find a good online discount car insurance broker before renewing. The internet is a fabulous resource. Use it. There are all sorts of discount insurance brokers online where you can get fast quotes from a wide range of companies. Don’t just settle for the same company you always use. Car insurance rates vary all the time. Always get comparable quotes before renewing any policy.

So if you’re in the market for cheap car insurance there’s some ideas for you. Don’t just accept that car insurance is always prohibitively expensive, get out there and do something about it.

About the Author

For a website totally devoted to Car Insurance visit Peter’s Website Car Insurance Answers and find out about Car Insurance as well as Cheap Car Insurance and more, including Online Car Insurance Quotes, UK Car Insurance, Car Insurance Rates and Car Insurance Quotes.

1. Demand the legal policy minimums if you have no assets. Do you really need a lot of liability coverage if you have no money in the bank? Insurance companies will tell you that you do because you can be sued regardless. It’s possible. I can’t promise you that you won’t be sued and end up paying a chunk of your paycheck to someone for life.

However, honest insurance salesmen admit that people without assets are rarely sued. Lawyers work on a commission in these cases, and won’t take a case where there is no money to be collected. In fact, having a bigger liability policy can be an invitation to sue, and it won’t protect you from personal liability, because they always sue for more than the policy limit anyhow.

2. Claim diminished value. If you have a collision policy, your insurance company will pay for the repairs after an accident. However, is the financial damage really fixed? Not necessarily. A car that has been in an accident and had the body fixed may look the same, but it won’t sell for the same price. Would you pay the same for a car that has been in an accident?

A car that has been in an accident might be worth $2,000 less than a similar un-damaged car. This is called “diminished value,” and may be covered by your policy. However, diminished value is often not paid unless you push the point. Get a car dealer to do an estimate of the diminished value if necessary, and present this to the insurance company. You pay for insurance to have your losses covered, and they aren’t covered if you aren’t paid for this.

3. Lower your premiums by removing kids from the policy. You may have already discovered that you pay a lot for insurance as long as you have driving-age children at home. Even if they are off at school, if their legal residence is your house, you pay more.

However, there is a little-known exception to this rule. If your children are at a college that’s more than 100 miles away, you can have them taken off the insurance policy. This can dramatically reduce your premiums. The catch? They are excluded drivers, so you can’t let them drive the car when they come home to visit.

These are just a few examples of the auto insurance secrets that insurance companies probably don’t want you to know.

About the Author

Copyright Steve Gillman. You’ll find 11 more ways to save money on auto insurance secrets in “Money saving Secrets,” a bonus in the You Aren’t Supposed To Know – A Book Of Secrets, package at: www.TheSecretInformationSite.com

When you report a claim for an accident to your auto insurance, they will contact the appropriate adjuster. The auto insurance adjuster assigned to your case will contact you to get the details on where he/she can assess the vehicle. Then you will receive a report from the insurance company regarding the assessment the auto insurance claim adjuster submits. If the damages exceed the value of the vehicle, it will be “written off”.

There is a certain process that an auto insurance claim adjuster has to use to come up with the amount the insurance company will pay. You will usually get two quotes – one that will see the car getting repaired at a top of the line garage and another if you take a cash settlement on the claim and get the work done yourself. The auto insurance adjuster knows that many people have friends who can do the work cheaper and often take the money.

Once you decide how you want to proceed, the insurance company will issue a check. If you are paying on the vehicle, the check will be made out jointly to you and the lender. Otherwise the check comes directly to you. The job of the auto insurance adjuster is only to access the damages, Any dispute you have regarding the report made by the auto insurance claim adjuster has to be done through the insurance company. Keep this in mind because the adjuster is only an ordinary person like yourself trying to make a living.

An auto insurance claim adjuster doesn’t have an easy job.

About the Author

For a website totally devoted to Car Insurance visit Peter’s Website Car Insurance Answers and find out about Car Insurance Quotes as well as Cheap Auto Insurance and more, including UK Car Insurance and Car Insurance Rates.

If you change jobs and your drive to work changes or you stop working or you work from home, you should contact your insurance company.

If you have a teen driver and they go to school over 100 miles away without a car then you should be able to get a discount.

Take defensive driving if your state allows it for a discount.

See if increasing your comprehensive and collision deductibles will save you a lot of money. You need to compare what you’re saving and how much more you will have to pay if you file a claim. For example, if you go from $500 to a $1000 deductible and it lowers your insurance $50 per 6 months then it saves you $100 a year.

It will take you 5 years to break even from what you are saving compared to how much more you have to pay.

Now, if it saves you $250 every six months then it would be more worth your while.

See if combining your auto and home insurance polices will qualify for a multi policy discount with your current company. This could be a substantial discount.

One of the biggest ways you could save $200-$500 or more a year is shopping around for insurance. The auto insurance industry is very competitive and this is great news for smart consumers like yourself. Shop for auto insurance quotes here and see how much you can save.

About the Author

A. Chris Tijerina is the publisher of the site http://www.insurance-for-cars.com which answers your most common questions about auto insurance.

Immediately, you reported it to the auto insurance company, which they in turn play with numbers, mileage, depreciation, market values, and other related stuff. After a couple of days, the adjustor informs you that the worth of your car at the time of the accident is $25,000. This is the amount that the auto insurance company will provide you. But the finance company that gave you the loan will still consider the car to be worth its original price.

You need not face such a dilemma if you have a gap insurance. With the gap insurance, you can ignore the difference between the amount covered by the regular car insurance and the amount you owed the car loan company. This difference is called a “gap” and the gap insurance bridges it so that you need not rack your head for additional financial resources.

A car lease contract must also have a gap insurance. It is a feature that prevents you from draining all your finances. Some dealers who lease cars don’t offer a gap insurance. This is okay as long as they include a “gap waiver” in their lease contract. This waiver declares that you are no longer responsible for gap charges that may occur when your leased car is wrecked.

When you get a gap insurance, determine how much is offered in the gap policy. You should also know how much will be added to your monthly bill. A gap insurance, for it to be recognized, must be accompanied with comprehensive insurance policies that cover collision.

Sometimes, a gap insurance may no longer be needed if the terms in your regular auto insurance policy indicated that the company will pay off the full amount you owed from the car loan lender.

About the Author

Peter Garant is writing articles about bad credit for his credit repair kits blog http://creditrepairkits.blogspot.com/ and articles about car loans for his family finance site http://www.halds.com/category/car-loans/.