Auto insurance could be very high if you are a young, inexperienced and first time driver. Living in the United States means you may have to get a car sooner or later, but how do you go about getting the minimum insurance without burning massive holes in your pockets?
Here is a step-by-step, in-depth guide to getting your car insured as a student.
What is Car Insurance?
Car insurance is simple. It’s a way for you to reduce the risk of being financially liable if you meet with an accident on the streets. The laws pertaining to getting insurance vary state by state, but most have a pretty high minimum cover you must buy if you are a young adult.
The way insurance works is by spreading out the risk of a crash and the associated financial burden. The amount of money you pay each year as premiums goes into a pool of money along with a lot of other people. The chances of everyone having an accident simultaneously is very, very low, so the small proportion of people from the pool who do have an accident can be compensated by the insurance company for any damages.
The amount of money you are covered for is vital here. To reduce the risks for the insurance company, the representative has been instructed to account for a variety of factors to see how likely you are to crash the car.
Factors such as age, sex, experience and even credit history are sometimes taken into account. Statistics are to be blamed for higher student insurance, since the likelihood of an accident is much higher for young people than for older, more experienced drivers.
How to get Car Insurance?
Being a student isn’t easy and with the high tuition fees, you may do well to cut back on any expenses you can. You can’t control where you stay or how old you are, but you can drive carefully and start by building a great driving record.
Also, the best bet to get better insurance is to shop around. Look at places where you get a better deal on your car insurance and look up information on the websites of the insurance companies or other comparison sites. The best way to get cheap car insurance is to look for the best deal, usually.
Here are a Few More Tips:
- When you are just starting off as a student, you may want to opt for a much cheaper car as you build up the driving experience needed to get to a lower rate of insurance. Try to go for a cheaper car and get cover for only the required minimums in the state where you drive.
- Take the highest deductible. This is the other best way to get a better deal on your insurance policy. Go for the highest deductible, for example take a $1000 over a $250. This way you will pay less upfront.
- Pay attention to your credit score. Bad credit is actually a risk factor for insurance companies and they can put your premiums up for it.