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Reader’s question:

I’m only 17, and my dad recently gave me a beat-up truck. I’ve just moved up to Washington from Arizona, and I’m still not used to driving on the wet ground. My insurance premiums are insane! What can I do to get a discount? My boyfriend offered to pay, but I’m not down with that.

-Bella

Hmmmm…interesting situation. Let’s see how I can help.

Of course it’s true that young drivers car insurance is more expensive than older, more mature drivers car insurance. And that move from a warm to a cold climate can’t help. But there are things you can do to get a significant discount on your young drivers car insurance.

Since you’ve only been driving a year, you aren’t eligible for a lot of the safe drivers car insurance rewards program. But you can get discounts for keeping your car safe. If you have airbags, or motorized seatbelts, you could receive a Passive Restraint Discount on your auto insurance. Same things go for Anti-Lock Brakes and Anti-Theft Devices. When it comes to your car itself, you’re very lucky that your dad got you a truck. Because they’re so reliable, insurance companies are much more generous when it comes to insuring trucks. As a result, some insurance companies offer Utility Vehicle Discounts for specific pick-up trucks. It’s good to look over your policy and check to see if your truck qualifies.

Outside of the car itself, there are things you can do to lower your premiums. If you can keep your high school GPA above 3.4 (each company has a unique threshold that varies between 3.0 and 4.0), you can get a Good Student Discount. I know that may be hard with a rich boyfriend to distract you, but it’s something to think about.

Hope that helps!

GLJ

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Reader’s question:

My mother got involved in a hit-and-run accident. Now her insurance won’t cover her because the driver of the car wasn’t identified. Can they do that?

-Sharon

I’m sorry to hear about that Sharon. How terrible!

I’m glad you asked this question, Sharon, because this is a typical example of why it’s so important to research auto insurance on-line before signing up for a policy.

When it comes to unidentified drivers, coverage entirely depends on the company. For example, when I sent Sharon a follow-up email, she told me that her mother was insured with Allstate. At Allstate, uninsured motorist coverage only includes motorists who identify themselves before they leave the scene. Any unidentified hit and runs are covered under Allstate’s collision insurance, but not under their uninsured coverage. Since your mother only had liability insurance and uninsured motorist insurance, she is going to be financially responsible for the damage to her car.

On the other hand, Sharon, if your mother had gone with Farmers Insurance Group, things would be entirely different. FIG’s uninsured driver policy includes both those who identify themselves and those who flee the scene. If she had gone with FIG, she would have been covered.

I’m not saying FIG is better, or Allstate is better. I’m saying it pays to research auto insurance on-line before committing to a policy. There are so many loopholes and fine print, it’s easy to fall through the cracks. Next time your mother purchases any auto insurance on-line, makes sure she reads her policy carefully!

GLJ

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Reader’s question:

I have the curse of parking in places that seem to be good, but turn out to be “residents only” zones or 1 foot too close to a fire hydrant. Will my frequent parking tickets affect my auto insurance rates?

-Cullen

I can relate, Cullen!

While it’s true that auto insurance rates are affected by tickets, you are in luck. The best auto/car cheap insurance quote you can find will tell you: it’s only moving violations that count.

What are moving violations? These are ay sort of ticket you get when the car is in motion. Speeding tickets, running red lights, failing to wait three seconds at a stop sign. Parking in front of a fire hydrant? Spacey, sure, rude, maybe, but it isn’t indicative of dangerous driving behavior that could cause damage to yourself or to others. Nor does it show you’re financially irresponsible, like a bad credit score would. Therefore, as far as the insurance company is concerned, this is an invisible ticket.

Many auto insurance on-line companies will give you discounts if you have gone 3 years without an accident, and without a moving violation. So as long as your biggest problem are errant parking tickets, you’re insurance premiums should be relatively low!

GLJ

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Reader’s question:

I bought my auto insurance on-line, and I only have liability insurance. Does Gap insurance cover a total loss of my vehicle? 

-Emerson

Good question, Emerson.

Unfortunately, you’re completeled unprotected. Liabiliy coverage does not protect your vehicle—it only protects the damage you cause to others, whether that damage is to another person, or another vehicle. In order to protect your car from injury, you need to to get comprehensive and collision insurance. These should be easy auto insurance on-line buys—most websites will have lists of auto insurance on-line you can choose from.

The way GAP insurance works is that it is a specific type of insurance for leased cars. The actual cash value of the car (how much it was when you leased it) is often not the same amount as the cash value of a car if it’s totaled (what the insurance company claims its worth). GAP Insurance makes up the difference.

But if you have no collision insurance, and you’re in an accident, then GAP insurance will not cover the chasm between what you can pay, and what the actual cash value of the car is worth. If it did, that would make it very easy to engage in insurance fraud.

The good news is, if you get the right GAP auto insurance on-line, your credit score and premium aren’t affected as strongly if you get into an accident. My advice is to get collision auto insurance on-line, as well as GAP insurance if you’re leasing.

GLJ

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Reader’s question:

I heard I don’t need Auto Insurance Coverage in Florida—is that true?

-Chad

Like all rumors Chad, this one is partly true, but mostly not.

Almost every state in the United States requires some degree of car insurance, but Florida is one of the states which requires the least amount of car insurance. Florida state law requires any would-be driver to purchase personal injury protection—known as PIP—and property damage liability (PDL). The minimum amount of insurance you can purchase is $10,000 PIP and $10,000 PDL. If you are looking for a car (cheap) insurance quote, Florida is probably the best place to go when it comes to paying very little premium.

However, there are conditions. If you don’t have very many assets—if you only make a small amount of money, for example, then the Florida Department of Motor Vehicles requires you to purchase more coverage. That seems like it wouldn’t make much sense—those that want to pay the least in car insurance are probably those who have the least amount to pay—but it’s to make sure that you can actually pay for the damage you cause (if any).

As far as optional car insurance, Florida state prohibits an insurance company from forcing you to buy additional coverage. But if you had to take a loan out to pay for your vehicle, the bank that lent you the money may insist you get additional insurance in order to receive a loan.

Nothing in this world is as easy as it looks, is it Chad?

GLJ

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Reader’s question:

I recently got a hardship drivers license. How does this affect my car insurance?

-V. Mellen

A provisional driver’s license or a learner’s permit are terrifying for parents—and insurance companies! Young drivers car insurance is already expensive, but a hardship license is even more of a liability, as you don’t even have a license. So your parents can expect their insurance rates to get much higher now that you have a hardship—the average rate increase is over 200% when a young drivers car insurance burden is added to your parents existing policy.

So how do you keep young driver’s car insurance from bankrupting your parents?  The first thing you can do is to complete driver’s ed. The best insurance companies will reduce young driver’s car insurance rates by 15% once you’ve completed driver’s education.

Another thing you can do is keep your grades up. The best insurance companies will reduced a young driver’s car insurance by almost a fourth if your grades are above a 3.0.

Best of luck to you!

GLJ

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Reader’s question:

How can I save money on my car insurance? (and don’t tell me to switch to Geico.)

-Philip

I wouldn’t dream of it Philip!
I wouldn’t dream of it Philip!
I don’t know if there’s one single answer for how to save money on your car insurance. I recommend looking for auto insurance on-line, certainly, because the more rates you can compare the better the chances of a good rate. But at the same time, there are other ways to save money on your car insurance than looking for the best auto car cheap insurance quote. You know what they say about a pound of prevention…

Here are some things you can do to keep your auto insurance rates low:

Safe driving is crucial. Being observant and driving the speed limit can go a long way towards protecting your wallet. The longer you go without a fender-bender or  ticket, the lower your premiums can go.

Ask for discounts. A lot of companies offer discounted young drivers car insurance for those students who have good report cards. There are also discounts if you insure more than one vehicle, or if you go longer than 6 months without an accident.

Try driving less. Car pooling and public transportation is good for the environment, and it reduces the amount of mileage you drive, which can lower your premiums.

Consider joining a car or van pool, or finding other transportation to work. If you reduce your driving mileage enough, you may lower your premiums.

GLJ

HometownQuotes works with insurance companies across the country to help you find the best Car Insurance and lowest insurance quotes in your area.

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Reader’s question:

I’m a perfect candidate for an auto-car cheap insurance quote—I’m a married mother of two, I live in a town of 300, and I usually only drive to the store or to grab some fast food. So why are my auto insurance rates still so high?

–Mrs. L. Shackelford

Good question.

Auto insurance isn’t an exact science, Mrs. Shackelford, so it’s hard to know why certain insurance companies behave the way they do. But there are some factors that might come into play:

Your driving record
This is probably the biggest one. Have you been in a lot of accidents, even accidents considered ‘no fault accidents? Those look suspicious to an insurance company. Were you at one time involved in a serious accident where you were liable? That also might play a role.

Your family’s credit history
Though it shouldn’t matter, you and your husband’s credit history might play a big role in why your rates are so high. If you have bad credit history, an insurance company might think you’re at a high risk to default on your premiums. As a result, your rates will be higher.

Where you live
Your neighborhood could cause a rise in your insurance rate, even if you live in a relatively homogeneous town.

So what can you do about it? Two words: comparison shopping. There’s a high percentage of chance that your insurance company is simply being too hard on you. There are ways to check for cheap auto insurance on line, and you should make sure you compare policies within companies, as well as between companies. Good luck!

GLJ

HometownQuotes works with insurance companies across the country to help you find the best Car Insurance and lowest insurance quotes in your area.

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Reader’s question:

I had a small accident, but nothing severe. Will my claim affect my auto insurance premium? Should I even bother making a claim?

-P.A.

This is a question I think many of us have asked, P.A.!

I guess to learn about the affect of your claims, you’re going to need to know something about how claims and claim adjustment works. This introduces us to the wonderful world of deductibles.

What is a deductible? That’s the amount of money you agree to pay in the event of an accident, and the insurance company will pay the rest. Let’s say you have a deductible of $500. If you have a wreck that causes $250 worth of damage to your car, you pay $250, and you don’t file a claim. If you cause $1,000 damage, you pay $500, and if you choose to file a claim, the insurance company pays $500.

Once you have filed a claim, you will have anywhere from 1-5 years (depending on the severity of the accident) to stay accident-free if you want to keep your current premium. If you are a bit accident prone, or if you have a young drivers car insurance burden to bear, avoid filing a claim for anything less than $2,000, because your insurance premiums can rise several hundred dollars a month if you repeatedly file small claims.

GLJ

HometownQuotes works with insurance companies across the country to help you find the best Car Insurance and lowest insurance quotes in your area.

Enter Zip Code:

Reader’s question:

A lot of insurance companies claim not to raise premiums with a no-fault accident, but I’ve heard any kind of claim can raise your insurance rates. What’s the truth?

-Kendall

Good question.

The truth of the matter is, each claim has a certain code. This code is determined by how bad the accident was, who’s at fault, and the level of human injury. Most dents or scrapes such as a cracked windshield will be so gently coded that your premiums won’t change at all. Others will be so violent that one multi-car pile up could result in your insurance being canceled when it’s time to renew.

Usually, if your damage is less than $500 it is considered a low-code or “non-chargeable” accident, so your rate stays the same. However, if over the course of a year you have several “non-chargeable” repairs, don’t be surprised if your premiums begin to creep up.

As far as collisions go, one no-fault collision a year is about all you can ask your insurance company to accept before rates go up. If you are at fault, there is almost no chance your rates will not immediately increase.

GLJ