Unemployment is at a high, employers are cutting salaries, and your auto insurance premiums seem to be going up. Although this might be new to you, there are several tried and proven techniques for cutting auto insurance costs. Check out these seven ways for a lighter auto insurance bill in 2010.
Cut Auto Insurance Costs by Shopping Around
The most effective way to cut your auto insurance costs is to shop around. This seems obvious but doing this will result in your biggest cost savings. Maintain a copy of your current policy in front of you as you shop online or over the phone. Get quotes for the exact same coverages you currently have. Once you have shopped around and gotten atleast five quotes compare the prices. Before going with the new auto insurance company, make sure to check the company out for complaints against them.
Increase Your Deductible to Cut Your Auto Insurance Costs
Auto insurers offer cost savings on your premiums if you take on a higher deductible. Call your agent and ask for price quotes with your deductible set at different levels. The most common deductibles are $250, $500, and $1000. By taking on more of the risk, you will effectively reduce your auto insurance costs.
Cut Costs by Paying in One or Two Installments
Many auto insurance companies will sever the amount of premiums you pay if you pay your insurance annually or semi-annually. This benefits the auto insurance company by them getting their money upfront and they pass some of these costs savings on to you. If you are current paying your premiums monthly, call your auto agent or insurance company directly and ask the if they offer this type of discount.
Cut Auto Insurance Costs by Adding your Homeowners Insurance to the Policy
The more business you give to your insurance company the better discounts they will give you. You can cut your auto insurance costs by adding additional policies with your auto insurance carrier. If you currently have your homeowners insurance through a different company, call your auto insurer and ask them what type of discount you could get by adding this. Try this and you could just cut your costs for both your auto insurance and homeowners insurance!
Driver a Car that is Cheaper To Insure to Cut Auto Insurance Premiums
Did you know that certain cars cost more to insure than others? The auto insurance companies purchase into consideration the cost to repair each vehicle when figuring the premiums. If you are in need of a different car in 2010, the right one honest could cut the cost of your auto insurance.
Robot Drag = Cost Savings
A unique benefit currently offered by Progressive is a cost lop in your auto insurance rate if you fit a certain criteria. Tom Barlow states in his article on this topic “The company uses three criteria for the MyRate discount: defensive driving practices, low annual mileage (under 10,000 miles), and little driving after midnight.” How do they measure this? They install an electronic plan in your car that measures the time of day you drive along with your driving behaviors.
There you have it. Six ways to cut auto insurance costs. Cut auto insurance costs and assign money by simply shopping around or try the fresh plan offered by Progressive with a Robot device installed in your car. Try one of them or try them all, but most importantly regain a way to cut those costs!
Sources:
www.naic.org
www.autoblog.com
www.walletpop.com
Filed under State Farm Auto Insurance by on Feb 19th, 2011. Comment. 
Hybrids consume little gasoline, pollute less and make you feel generally obliging when you're driving them. Hybrid car owners who buy a qualified plug-in conversion kit for their vehicle become eligible for a 10% credit. Hybrid cars may be fine for protecting the environment, but are they friendly with the consumer's budget as well.
Tax
Tax Credits Tax credits are one of the most common and popular types of hybrid car incentives. The vehicle must be acquired for use or lease by the taxpayer claiming the credit. It exempts owners of hybrids and other alternative fuel vehicles (that get 40 mpg or higher) from excise tax and reduces vehicle registration charges.
Incentives
Fresh tax federal and position credits for hybrid car owners, combined with other benefits such as unlimited access to HOV lanes and free tolls in some states, are strong incentives for many people to make the switch to hybrid cars. Employer Incentives and Perks – A growing number of employers are encouraging their workers to commute in hybrid vehicles. An example is $5,000 for purchasing or leasing a hybrid. California is the leader in hybrid incentives, which is not surprising since they are also leaders in most environmental issues. Many companies, such as Google, Hyperion, Bank of America, and Fairmont Hotel offer incentives to their employees and consumers to buy and use hybrid cars. The Bay area mayors are expected to use their authority to push through permits needed to create the charging stations, and also regulations that promote and offer incentives, such as tax breaks for those who install charge stations at workplaces, or who use the cars.
Insurance
Insurance discount for hybrids: Los Angeles-based Farmers Insurance Group of Companies is offering a 10 percent discount on auto insurance to customers who own a hybrid-electric or alternative fuel vehicle. Electric cars are exempt from most insurance surcharges. The one tremendous thing about owning a Hybrid vehicle is that you will almost always be entitled to all the same car insurance discounts as “regular” car owners but some car insurance companies provide additional incentives only to hybrid owners.
Cost
Currently, recent hybrids are hovering in the $20,000 to $30,000 range, and although they're typically more expensive than their gas-guzzling counterparts, the benefits in the long run appear to offset any initial costs, even when you yarn for insurance and repairs While the Consumer Reports study showed that only some hybrids would result in a savings for the buyer based on total cost of ownership, another study conducted by market researcher IntelliChoice, reported that all of the current hybrids on the market will help owners save money. Some of the best new hybrid autos include warranties that last as long as 8 years, which can come in handy since a replacement battery is reported to cost an estimated $3,000.
Parking
Hybrid Car owners who have purchased their hybrids from San Jose dealers are exempt from local parking fees. San Jose Free Hybrid Parking: Free parking at participating municipal off-street parking facilities, on-street meters and San Jose regional park and recreation parking lots. San Jose offers free parking at downtown San Jose public parking facilities. In California, hybrid car owners are allowed to use the carpool lanes and are exempt from parking fees in certain parts of the state. Hybrid cars are becoming more and more popular as people eventually realize the importance of leading sustainable lifestyles.
source: http://www.carsdirect.com/hybrid-cars
Filed under State Farm Auto Insurance by on Jan 23rd, 2011. Comment.
