How Much Collision Coverage Auto Insurance Needed In Alabama
Reader’s Question:
How do I compute what my car is worth in Mobile, Alabama? I want to know in order to determine how much collision & comprehensive coverage I should get.
Peter
Mobile, AL
Determining your car’s worth is somewhat like an insurance company calculating a vehicle’s actual cash value (ACV) after a total loss. To know the value of your vehicle you need to determine what amount you could get if you were to trade in or sell your vehicle at this point in time.
I suggest you can use valuation tools such as NADA, Edmunds or Kelley Blue Book. These guides and tools will give you trade in values, retail values and private party values typically. To get the most accurate idea of what your car is worth put in what options your car has, such as the mileage and basic condition.
Aside from these valuation guides and tools you can look at how much a vehicle in your condition and mileage is selling for in the local car market in Mobile. Internet sites such as Autotrader might help you in this kind of issue. Once you have determined the value of your car you have the personal decision if you want to carry comprehensive and collision coverage on your car.
Can You Get a Teacher Discount For Car Insurance?
Reader question:
I drive a lot because I am a theater teacher and I haul my students around to view plays, to the Renaissance Fair, to perform and all that. Is there some way that I can make my car insurance rates lower?
Margie
Glad you asked, Margie.
Before I get into the meat of the question that is most specific to you, I want to inform you of several other discounts that you might be abler to get for your discount car insurance policy. First of all, do you have a pretty good driving record? IF you don’t have any traffic violations in the last three years, most car insurance companies will give you better ratings for that. What about your car? Does it have various safety devices and anti theft devices installed? Anti theft and safety measures can also get you discounts. Obviously you wouldn’t qualify for the low mileage discount, but if you are a teacher of mathematics then you could probably get a good discount from 21st century, which gives fifteen to twenty percent off for people who have degrees in mathematics, engineering, and the like.
However, as a teacher you have a more specific discount available to you if you belong to a teacher’s union such as the National Education Association, or NEA. Granted the discount that you usually get on a one car auto insurance policy doesn’t reach far enough to cover the actual fees for being a member of the union, but there are plenty of other perks of being in the union that will probably make up for it, and when you have more than one car on your policy the real saving start.
There are some requirements, usually. You have to be either a full time college professor, or you have to be a teacher with state certification. If you meet all of the requirements, your car insurance discount could be as much as thirty percent.
Cheers,
Fashun Guadarrama.
Who Has The Cheapest Commercial Car Insurance Rates?
Reader question:
I use my car for my business. Do I need commercial car insurance? I need cheap insurance, since my business is just starting out.
Graham
That’s up to you.
Now, you are allowed to insure your business car under a personal policy if you also use it for personal reasons. However, if you don’t want to get into trouble for misrepresentation, then you have to be up front about all of the mileage and uses of your vehicle. If you don’t tell your car insurance company that you also use your car for business purposes, then that could be grounds for nonrenewal.
If you do report using your car for business, then your rates will most likely go up. If you use it for business more than for normal uses, it might be a better idea to just get the cheapest commercial car insurance you can. You also might want to get more coverage if your business involves carrying people or goods around.
Cheers,
Fashun Guadarrama.
Cheap Free Instant Auto Insurance Quote For Teen Drivers
Reader question:
I’m adding a teenager to my policy. How do I keep my rates low?
Michael
Good question.
Adding a teenager to your car insurance policy means high costs all around. It could mean the doubling or tripling of the current amount of your auto insurance premium, and because of that the best amount of effort should be put into keeping that premium down, a lot of the responsibility for keeping it down should be put on the shoulders of the teenager. In order to find out who will be best suited to insure you and your teen, you should get free instant auto insurance quotes and compare prices. But that’s not all. While they should naturally try to avoid accidents and drive safely, there are plenty of other ways for them to stay safe on the road and still be saving you money in the car insurance office.
- Driver’s ed.
Most teenagers under the age of eighteen take some kind of driver’s education course before they get their license, as required by law. However, these classes aren’t always considered enough for creating safe drivers. Getting them an additional class in driver’s ed or defensive driving can get you a discount on your car insurance, even though research shows that these classes don’t decrease the amount of accidents.
- Good grades.
Get your kid to study hard in school for their driver’s privileges. The upside of this is that, if your student brings home all B’s or above, most car insurance companies will give you as much as a fifteen percent discount on your premium.
- Mileage.
Many car insurance companies offer discounts for low mileage cars. Usually, this is under five thousand miles every year. If you restrict your teenager’s driving practices and keep the car as strictly school and back affair, then you could save money from a low mileage discount.
Cheers,
Fashun Guadarrama.
