Does it really help if I make it a habit to compare auto insurance company rates annually? I currently have auto insurance in Portland Oregon but I always feel that I may still be able to get a better deal from another company.

Jasmine

Portland, OR

Auto insurance companies are always looking for ways to increase what you pay for your premiums. Examples are, if you have an accident, if you have a teen driver, if you file certain types of claim, if you don’t have a garage, if you buy a car that happens statistically to be stolen more often, if you change jobs and have a longer commute to work, and etc. All these reasons give an insurance company the right to raise your auto insurance premium. The only way for you to make them stop increasing your rates is to make them compete for your business. As in all negotiations, information is power and you have to be willing to walk away from a bad relationship.

First is, you can get multiple insurance quotes in Portland Oregon without having to talk to an insurance agent or sales representative. There are many websites available that allow you to provide driver, vehicle, claims and violations information online in order to show you insurance quotes from multiple companies. You can in fact visit each company’s site individually and request a single quote from each.

You would also need to show insurance companies that they can’t just raise rates whenever they feel like it. Insurance companies know that an increase in rates will only motivate a small number of their policyholders to look elsewhere. They usually count on your apathy so don’t let them get away with it. Remember that options are available in case you need to look for another company so shop for the best auto insurance policy that suits your needs.

Where do I find a high risk motor car insurance company? And what do I do if I can’t?

Miriam

That’s an excellent question, Miriam.

The first thing that I would do in your situation is try to get in tough with your state department of insurance. The first thing you might want to do is ask how popular the assigned risk pool for your state is. The answer for that right there might give you an idea of what your chances are of finding a high risk motor car insurance company that will accept you. If the assigned risk program has a lot of people in it, then it might be tough for you to get a policy without it. However, if the pickings are pretty slim among the assigned risk policy holders, then you probably have a fighting chance. Knowing that, it’s time to move to a different part of the department of insurance’s website.

Some of the DoI’s websites are more helpful than others. Oregon has an excellent one, whereas the one where I am from (Texas) is ridiculous. What most do have, though, is a list of insurance companies that are licensed by the state. If the website for your state does not have one of these, then you should call up the department and find out where you can get one. Never get a policy or so much as a sandwich from a car insurance company not on this list.

Some of the names on the list might clue you in that they could be of some service, such as those that indicate that they serve high risk customers. Keep track of these so that you can get quotes from them later. I would also suggest that you give a glance at the Progressive website, or even just get some instant car insurance quotes from a more general site and compare your Progressive quote to other quotes. Progressive is one of the big time motor car insurance companies that is well known for taking care of high risk drivers. If they operate in your state, definitely check them out.

Now, if all else fails, you just go back to step one. The assigned risk pool. This alternative is a little costly, especially with the high car insurance prices in many areas, but considering that car insurance is require by law, many people don’t have much of an option. I do want to stress that before you consider this, check out all of your options. Look online, get rate quotes from plenty of websites, ask friends. Assigned risk pools are the last resort, and expensive, so you don’t want to join one unless you absolutely have to.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

Surprised? I bet you were. That’s why it’s a good idea to go in to look over your policy and see if it is right for your circumstances anytime something big happens such as marriage, divorce, a kid with a new license, or college.

The limit on distance generally required by the car insurance companies is a hundred miles away from home, and the student still has to keep his parent’s house as his permanent address. The risk assigned to a teenager a hundred miles away from his car for most of the year is obviously far less than normal, and the student will still be able to drive the family car when he comes home for the holidays. Whenever you exploit this car insurance discount, you can get as much as thirty percent off of your car insurance premium.

As for if your student is going to school in the city, unfortunately that won’t get you a better car insurance premium rate, unless they are making good grades. More reason to get them far, far away!

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

What happens if my car insurance policy is canceled and nobody else wants to insure me?

Maggie

Good question.

You don’t have to worry. Even when most car insurance companies won’t give you a policy, there is still a chance that some company might. There are companies that work solely with high risk drivers. Before giving up hope, get free auto insurance quotes online and shop around to see what all of the companies available have to offer.

If you still can’t find anyone to insure you under a policy, it might be time to join your state’s assigned risk car insurance pool. This pool randomly assigns you to one of the member companies which is then required to take you on as a customer. The rates for being part of an assigned risk pool are a lot higher than others.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

If I drive safe for three years straight, does my car insurance company have to give me better rates?

Don’t you wish?

Although it might be nice if safe driving automatically gained you cheap car insurance rates, it is not something that you can always take for granted. Some car insurance companies require longer periods of time, and other may factor in what exactly your previous offense were, or even how many non fault car insurance claims you have on record.

The best way to make sure you get better rates after a long period of safe driving is to make sure that you know this from the get go. Shop around and get safe driver auto insurance quotes online, and find out who gives safe drivers the best prices, when, and what the discounts are.

cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

For the growing population making use of RVs in their everyday lives, then, there is one thing that is just as necessary as a place to park. Car insurance. Some people might think it’s okay to add their RV to the car insurance policy that they have for their car, but what they might not be aware of is that there are policies that are specifically for recreational vehicles. These can be easily found on the internet and are offered by many major and local companies. In order to decide where to get your RV insurance, shop around and get a free RV insurance quote.

But why should you get RV insurance instead of adding your RV to your car’s insurance policy? Well, your RV has a lot more that needs to be covered. A regular car insurance policy won’t cover all of the things inside, such as televisions and radios. If you’re living in an RV, you’re likely to have plenty of stuff that you would normally have in your home lying around, and so you need something that is like a cross between car insurance and home insurance, and that’s what RV insurance is.

RV insurance covers the usual things such as physical injuries, liability claims, and replacement of vehicles declared beyond repair. Another great thing is that they increase your traveling freedom, giving you coverage within Canada and Mexico as well as all over the United States.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

If I go driving and I am not covered by a car insurance policy, what will happen? Can you guys just give me a few insurance quotes so I can compare rates and see which auto insurance carrier is best for me?

Glenda

Great question.

To be honest, it all depends on whether or not you get caught. Many people think they won’t. I know I made the terrible mistake before of driving without car insurance and with an expired registration, and so I definitely did, and it was a world of problems. Police officers can’t tell right out as you’re driving past them if you have car insurance, but since it is against the law, if you do something else, no matter how small, and you get pulled over, you could get written up for failing to maintain your financial stability.

If you are simply pulled over and caught out, then you’ll likely get hit with a ticket fine, and you’ll have to either plead guilty or no contest. You might have your license suspended immediately in some case, although usually you won’t. However, getting caught without insurance usually contributes to points that, if you get enough of them, will lead to the suspension of your license, and it costs thousands of dollars and tons of time to get that reinstated. Why waste that when it’s so easy to get a free auto insurance quote?

If, while uninsured, you get into accident and are the cause of property damage or personal injury to the other party, then you are way out of luck. Not only will you get all of the above, but you will also have to pay on your own any of the repair expenses for the other person, or, if an injury is involved, all of their medical bills.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.