How Using a Garage Can Lower Your Car Insurance Premiums
Insurance companies offer many discount incentives to help lower your car insurance. There are multi-car discounts, anti-theft discounts and even discounts for allowing them to write all of your policies, including the one on your home.
People sometimes forget to tell their agent that their car is regularly housed in a garage. This could be costing you several hundred dollars on your policy that you could be saving by notifying your agent that your car is kept in a locked garage at night.
If you wonder why this would make a difference; it is quite simple. A car that is locked in a garage at night is less likely to be stolen. This can make a significant difference to your car insurance premium. If you live in a high crime area, where the theft ratio of vehicles is high, your car insurance may be evaluated by these statistics.
It is also less likely that your insurance company will have to pay out in claims for certain types of damages your car may receive as a result of sitting in your driveway, or sitting on a street. If your car is in an open driveway, then it is less likely that it will be stolen, vandalized, or hit by a falling tree branch or other debris.
If the car is parked on a street because you have no driveway access, there is also a chance it will be damaged by any number of things. Your insurance company will consider the fact that the car could be sideswiped by a careless driver. If the damage to your car is the result of a hit and run, your insurance company will have to pay to have your auto fixed or replaced no matter whose fault it was.
Insurance companies use many factors and statistics to arrive at the amount you are charged to insure your vehicle. Make sure you are taking advantage of all of the discounts you are entitled to. If you have a garage that you park your car in, be sure to make your agent aware of it, and ask if it will help to decrease your car insurance premiums or policy.
Keeping your car in a garage also helps to keep it in better shape. It is protected from the elements, thus helping to keep the paint and body in good condition. Such housing will also prevent your vehicle from getting minor scratches from people walking past it, or children who seem to enjoy writing in the dust on vehicles.
If your insurance company knows that the vehicle has always been stored in a garage, you may possibly get a better price for it in the event that you are in an accident and the car is damaged. Talk with your agent and see just how much you can save on your car insurance premium by telling him or her that the car is always garaged.
