Finding cheap car insurance for drivers that are high-risk

Have you recently been involved in a car accident? Were you at fault? If so, you have experienced the inevitable increase in auto insurance premiums. And if you have multiple accidents or speeding tickets on your driving record, you can expect even higher rates. You still have several options when it comes to getting cheap car insurance.

Improve Driving Record

You should make a concerted effort to get your driving record cleaned up, although this may take some time. It will require you to be accident-free for a specific period of time. You also need to avoid getting tickets for speeding and other moving violations. Generally, it takes three years for tickets to be removed from your driving record. At that time, you will find that your rates drop, often significantly.

Avoid Filing Claims

Insurance companies also consider claim histories when rating drivers. Customers who frequently file claims pose a higher risk to insurance providers. As a result, they will have higher rates to cover potential losses to the company. Although the most common reason drivers file claims is because of accidents, there are other ways your car can be damaged. Limit the number of claims you submit to only the most expensive and you may be surprised by your lower rates.

Compare Quotes from Multiple Companies

Getting yourself a variety of quotes from different insurance companies will always give you the opportunity to compare rates. You can do this either by contacting individual insurance providers or by using an aggregator site that provides a one-stop comparison shopping experience for customers by presenting various insurance quotes from several companies at the same time.

It is possible that even as a high-risk driver you will be able to find a good policy with lower premiums simply by shopping around. Each insurance company has its own set of factors it uses to set rates. You may find that you are eligible for certain discounts from one provider that another does not offer at all. By researching all of your options, you will be able to get cheap car insurance that provides the coverage you need.

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Insurance groups in auto insurance

The theory of buying a new car is always straightforward. You watch Top Gear, see something spectacular, toddle off to the nearest dealer's showroom, plonk down cash and drive away contented. Well, if that's your approach, you're either a company director who gets one of these eye-watering bonuses, or you've never tried to buy and insure a car before. Let's go back to Jeremy Clarkson and his happy band of cartoon-like presenters who often sacrifice intelligent comment for humour. Many of the cars shown are expensive to own and repair. Before you even begin dreaming of buying one of these often sleek speedsters, check which insurance group it belongs to. Remember, you're looking for cheap car insurance.

Until 2010, there were only 20 groups. This reflected a general feeling that insurers could predict the costs of repair with enough accuracy to set premiums. However, following work done by Thatcham, the motor insurance repair research centre, the groupings were expanded to 50. This is now adopted as standard by the Association of British Insurers and Lloyds Market Association. For each group, there's now an estimate of the cost of parts and labour following a crash test at 15 mph. The other factor influenced by Thatcham is vehicle security. This takes account of the locks and any other security features fitted as standard. So the car you would like to buy may be allocated to Group 18 and have an A for an adequate level of security (E shows the security provided exceeds the group expectation, i.e. the car would be shown as a 17E). For obvious reasons, it's unwise to buy a vehicle which has a D or U security classification.

The rule is that you get cheap car insurance when the car is in a low group. The majority of newly manufactured cars intended for the mass market are within the range 1-20. But do not assume that small underpowered cars will belong to a low group. Some of the Fiat Bravo range are in Group 17, the HGT is in Group 29.

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Be smart about car rental companies

Everyone knows the potential advantages of renting a vehicle. You get the freedom of the road and, in those parts of the world where the public transport system is not so hot, it's the only way to get where you want to go in a timely fashion. Yet we all have friends with horror stories about the poor service they received when collecting and returning their vehicles. Allowing for cultural differences and language problems, the first and best step to getting the best service is to write to the renter explaining your needs. Sadly, mental telepathy is still very limited and, unless you tell people what you need, they can only guess. When they guess wrong, you get upset and that's where the problems grow bigger. So a simple list of your needs - trying not to make them sound like a list of demands - will smooth the way. If you arrive and find things still not ready, show the email. This usually produces apologies and more urgent attention to those needs.

Let's start by thinking about your choice of vehicle. If you have children or a lot of stuff to carry around, remember some countries prefer smaller cars. Telling the renter what size of vehicle you need is essential. Put the other way round, if you want to make the biggest savings, you're going to want the smallest, most fuel-efficient vehicle on the lot. Now come to the driving itself. In the US, we're used to automatic transmissions. In other countries, stick shift is the norm. If you can't drive a stick shhft or you're worried about a stick shift using the "wrong" hand (yes, some of these pesky foreigners drive on the other side of the road), tell the renter you want an automatic transmission. Now start thinking about all that stuff. How big is it? For example, if you're off to a ski resort, do you want a rack on the roof to carry your skis and poles? Is one of your children young enough to need a special seat? Better still, if you don't know exactly where you're going, do you want a GPS system?

Now think about where you're proposing to drive. This is not something that needs to be cared in stone, but if you think you may go into different countries, remember to ensure you are carrying all the equipment required under local laws. For example, as of July 1, 2012, the French Government has decided you must carry a breathalyzer. If you fail to produce one when asked by the nice police officer with a gun strapped to his waist, there's an instant fine. It's about $15 a time and these police officers have radios so can ensure you get stopped every mile if you don't smile when asked to pay up. So ask your friendly a car rental company to stock up your vehicle with all the mandatory equipment for the countries in which you propose to drive. Ask for a list and know exactly where it is.

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Car insurance and winter driving

For example, did you prepare your vehicle for facing bad weather conditions? After all, it's predictable there will be snow and ice in winter. So did you fit new tires so you would have the maximum possible traction in slippery conditions? Or did you remember to put chains in the trunk so that, when the snow gets deeper, you can still drive reasonably safely? We all know the risk of sliding or skidding out of control. Why then do we fail to take action to protect ourselves and other road users? There are probably several reasons, not the least of which are that this means spending money on buying the chains, some think it inconvenient to fit them, and you cannot drive fast when you have them fitted. The fact local governments may require chains to be fitted as a condition to using the roads in some areas is not considered a reason for action (curiously, there are no chain laws in Florida and Missouri - strange oversight).

Then we come to all those routine maintenance tasks like adding antifreeze and retuning the engine so it's more likely to start when the temperature drops. Did you fit new blades on the windshield to give you better visibility when there's snow fall or a blizzard? And then we come to all the steps to protect you should your vehible break down or be involved in an accident. Do you have an emergency bag packed with warm clothing and blankets should you need to keep warm while rescue comes? You did remember to charge your cell so you could call for help? If you are making a trip cross-country where signal strength may be low, did you tell people when you were expected so they could send out search and rescue teams?

All these things are basic common sense yet, when the first snows hit, we seem to have forgotten to prepare. If accidents are more likely because of this failure and it's shown to be a regular failure, your car insurance rates will rise. If you have been making claims, the car insurance quotes coming in from other insurers will not be welcoming. No insurer wants to take on someone who fails to prepare in the face of obvious dangers. That's why insurers in the states where the weather is worst offer discounts for drivers who go on defensive driving courses and learn how to drive more safely. Your choice!

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Does going Green affect your Car Insurance?

Many factors affect your car insurance premium like:

• Your Driving Habits
• Your Driving History: number of violations and accidents
• Your average yearly mileage
• Your number of claims filed
• Your neighborhood
• Your Credit Score

Insurance companies rate the risk of all of these factors and follow trends to set your premiums. A recent trend in the automotive industry is the introduction of green car or hybrids. Several types of automobiles are labeled green or hybrids. There are two types of combination hybrids series and parallel. The combination hybrid uses both a battery driven electric motor and a gas engine. The electric motor allows for a smaller, lighter more fuel efficient gas engine. In a parallel hybrid the electric and combustion motors both the transmission together. In a series hybrid, the combustion engine is only used to recharge the batteries, and the electric motor does all the work of driving the transmission. There are PEV's (plug in electrical vehicles like the Nissan leaf) that use battery as the only power source; not to mention automobiles developed around natural gas as the fuel source are available on the market.

Most green cars on the road today are combination hybrids (gas and battery). They average between 45 and 55 mpg. With today's volatile fuel prices that can add up to considerable savings at the pump, and the most popular models have good safety ratings. So does going green save you on car insurance? The answer is yes and no.

Many of the green cars are higher end, and higher price tag automobiles. The higher the initial cost of the car, the more expensive your car insurance. Don't lose heart if you want to go green to save the environment, or just to save money at the pump. Most automobile manufacturers are rolling more moderately priced green machines off the assembly line. While the sticker price is still a bit higher than their non-green models, the range of models is opening up. There are green versions now offered in most price ranges. You can now buy a mid priced 4 door sedan version that is not only limited to the luxury line. If you want to go green the mid to compact size models will save you on car insurance and at the pump.

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