Car Insurance Rates: All You Need To Know
Obtain online car insurance quotes today, and you will get a wide variety of rates. Insurance vendors use different formulas and may put more emphasis on certain factors when providing free car insurance quotes. Diverse state laws also have varying effects on the span of quotes given to customers. Understanding what major factors are used to calculate car insurance rates will help make you a more informed buyer.
Your driving record plays the biggest role in the determining your insurance rate. Speeding tickets, DUIs and other major violations cause rates to climb exponentially. Even minor infractions will be taken into consideration. States implement a points system where points are deducted based on the severity of a ticket. When requesting free car insurance quotes, an insurance company will check your driving record and use your remaining points balance as a major input into their calculation. It is even possible to be denied coverage if the remaining points balance falls below a specific threshold.
Younger drivers, especially teenagers, will receive a much higher rate due to their driving inexperience. Alternatively, drivers between the ages of 40 and 50 will get the best rate. As you near retirement age, expect to see you an insurance quote rise due to possible health issues such as poor vision and a slower reaction time.
Larger vehicles such as SUVs, trucks and vans typically cost more to insure. On average, they are more expensive, and therefore, cost more to fix or replace. They can also create more damage if involved in an accident. In some cases, smaller sports cars can be just as expensive to insure due to their speed and cost. Insurance companies are concerned about the value and replacement cost of a vehicle. A number of safety devices such as antilock brakes, front air bags and side air bags help lower an insurance quote.
Demographics are another factor that can have an effect on free car insurance quotes. Drivers who live in a larger city will typically pay more than smaller city residents. Insurance vendors use statistics such as accident frequency, theft rates, the number of claims filed and many other inputs to create a base index that will define how expensive it is to provide car insurance in a specific area.
Although they play a smaller role in the overall formula, gender and marital status can also factor into online car insurance quotes. Statistically, married women on average pay lower rates than unmarried men.
As you can see there is not one single component that will magically give you a low insurance rate. Driving record, age, where you live and other important factors are taken together to determine what your rate will be.
