For drivers who own automobiles, having a car insurance policy isn’t optional. Drivers are required by law to maintain at least the state minimum levels of auto insurance coverage, and many drivers choose to purchase higher levels of coverage in order to better protect themselves. Purchasing auto insurance doesn’t have to cost a lot, though. If you live in Saint Albans, Vermont and want to pay less for auto insurance, here are three things you can do to possibly get lower rates.
Drivers in Saint Albans May Pay Less for Car Insurance With These 3 Tips
1. Pay Down Any Debt You Have
In addition to helping your finances, paying down debt may also help you reduce your auto insurance rates. Many insurers in Vermont take drivers’ credit scores into account when calculating premiums, potentially rewarding drivers who have better credit scores with lower rates.
Paying down your debt can have a large, positive impact on your credit score. Your amounts owed, or total debt load, accounts for 30 percent of your credit score. By reducing how much you owe, you can improve this component of your score and, possibly, increase your overall score.
2. Take a Driver Safety Course
Many insurers offer discounts for taking a safety course. Specifically how much you can save by taking a defensive driving or similar course will depend on your current rates and your insurer’s stipulations for the discount. In many cases, drivers in Saint Albans are able to save more than the cost of a course.
Before enrolling in any course, contact your insurance agent to make sure the course will meet your insurer’s requirements. If the course you’re considering doesn’t meet your insurer’s requirements, your agent will probably be able to recommend another course.
Even if you’ve taken advantage of this discount before, you may want to still look into taking a course. Insurers often provide a discount for a specified number of years after successful completion of an approved course. If it’s been a long time since you went through a course, you may need to take another on in order to receive this discount again.
3. Shop for Car Insurance with an Independent Saint Albans Agent
Shopping around for car insurance with an independent agent is the easiest way to find the most valuable auto insurance rates available to you. Unlike agents that work with one insurer, independent agents are able to pull multiple quotes from different insurers for you. They can show you what each insurer’s rates are, and they can explain any differences in coverages to you. In short, they can help you look at every policy you could purchase and identify the one that offers the best coverage for the lowest price.
If you haven’t taken advantage of these three ways of saving on car insurance, talk with an agent who serves Saint Albans that can help you with each of these. No agent can pay down your debt for you or go to a driving class in your place, but they can explain how much you might save by doing either of those things. They can also, if they’re an independent agent, help you compare your current insurer’s rates to what other companies would charge you for auto insurance.
Topics: Car Insurance, Saint Albans