From anti-lock brakes to airbags and lane change warning. There are several factors that influence determining the cost of your car insurance premiums, such as your age, driving history and the type of car you drive. What many people don't know is that they can reduce the amount they pay monthly by participating in safety programs or adding safety features to their vehicles. In fact, drivers who have safety devices installed in their cars could save up to 20% on their car insurance premiums.
While things like road safety courses help some drivers avoid higher rates, there are other ways to improve your car insurance profile and save money on car insurance. Drivers in California face multiple penalties if they catch you driving without at least the minimum car insurance required by state law. For insurance companies, it's similar to having a bad driving record, which is why drivers who let their insurance expire for 60 days pay approximately 6% more than the average premium in California. And yes, that's why it's important to make sure you know the exact model of vehicle you have when getting a car insurance quote online or over the phone.
California insurers typically offer discounts that fall into three categories: policy discounts, driver discounts and vehicle discounts. Geico, State Farm, Nationwide and The General are good places to shop if you need car insurance for people without drivers. Many auto insurance quote systems will allow you to enter the vehicle identification number (VIN) and automatically see the exact model of the vehicle you have. Under current California law, an insurance company can offer a customer loyalty discount to its own customers, but it cannot offer the same discount to new customers who have had continuous coverage for some period of time from another auto insurance company.
In California, drivers with just two speeding tickets pay an average of 97% more on their annual car insurance premiums, for example. This discount applies when you combine your car insurance with your home or renters insurance policy and can generally result in significant savings. Other high-tech safety features that are already available in cars or that will be available soon, such as lane change warnings, automatic emergency braking, backup sensors, lane change warnings and collision prevention assistance, do not yet offer discounts at most auto insurance companies. If you receive a car insurance quote based on an incorrect version of your vehicle, your premium amount may change when the insurance company confirms all of the information when underwriting your policy.
Additional savings are available if you have other State Farm insurance products, such as homeowners, renters, condo or life insurance, in addition to vehicle insurance.