Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Tips for saving on auto insurance

The cost of car insurance is moving up in most of the states. In Illinois, residents are complaining that a typical car insurance in their state is costing at least several hundred dollars a year. Your annual auto insurance premium is decided on the basis of your age, driving record, and other factors. One important thing to worry is that how people in the state of Illinois can lower their premiums and save money.

You cannot drive a car without insurance in Illinois State. The laws require that every automobile owner must purchase a minimum amount of liability coverage. It’s important that you must set aside some portion of your income to provide yourself with adequate protection. There are different ways by which you can reduce the Illinois auto insurance costs without having to cancel the policy.

Different ways to save money after following the laws as per the Illinois auto insurance policies:

Shop around with different companies before purchasing your auto insurance policy: The best time to shop with different companies is when your current policy is reaching the renewal date and when you noticed that the premium has moved up. You will be surprised to know that the same auto insurance policy with different companies can differ by a hundreds of dollars. Illinois auto insurance rates are governed by the state laws.

Increase your deductible: Raising the deductible on the auto insurance policy is a good way to cut the cost of the policy. A premium set on a $250 payment plan is going to have a higher interest rate than a premium set for $500. Increase your deductible as much as you can so that you save more in the annual premium.

Monitor your credit report thoroughly: Credit report is a very important document that shows the exact financial picture of an individual. You will be able to shop for the lowest auto insurance rates if you have better credit scores.

Drive less: You may qualify for a low mileage discount if you drive your car less than a certain number of miles in a year (eg. 7500). If your insurer is offering you this kind of discount, make sure that you drive within the restricted miles

Don’t use your car for business purposes: A car driven for business purposes is going to be charged a higher premium than a car driven for pleasure purpose.

Drive safely: if you have a clean driving record for a specified period of time, you will be eligible for a price break on your policy. There should be no cases like accidents, serious moving violations, drunk driven convictions etc. that can seriously affect the premium costs. Drive carefully to get the best discounts in your auto premiums.

Auto insurance premiums are expected to be higher in urban areas because of incidents like accidents, vandalism etc. The premiums will be lower in rural areas because there is not so much congestion and crime. You may not want to move from a city to a country just because the premium is lower but if you have to relocate, you will see a lot of money being saved.

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