Tips That Guarantee Affordable Car Insurance Rates

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Understanding How To Insure A Private Passenger Vehicle

By Graham McKenzie

There are several aspects of getting car insurance that aren't understood by people who are getting insurance for the first time. Whether your car is new or used, insuring it is an important aspect of owning a vehicle. You want to understand the type of coverage you should get for your vehicle when looking to get insurance.

You will be looking at getting one of two types of coverage for your vehicle. There are three factors that will help you choose what type of insurance you get. You will want to consider the type of car you have, how old it is, and how much value it has. Many cars that are older have very little value to them and only need liability. However if you have a new car or a car that still has a lot of value to it then you will want to get full coverage. This is because full coverage will cover your car in the event of an accident.

If you?re purchasing a new car you should know that most states require you to have full coverage while the care is being paid off. The reason for this is to protect the lenders against a potential loss. If your car gets damaged in an accident and is beyond repairable you would still be liable to pay the loan but may choose not to since you no longer have a car. By requiring full coverage the insurance company would pay off the car for you. If your car is not new and you are debating on getting full coverage or not then you will want to take into account how much you would be paying for insurance every year versus the worth of the car. If you would have paid for the value of the car through insurance payments within 3 years then you will want to get liability only.

The other type of insurance that you can get as an alternative to full coverage is liability only. Liability coverage will cover you if you are at fault in a car accident. In most states that you are required to have insurance you will be required to at least have liability coverage. Liability only should be used if your car is older or has very little value to it. This is because liability will not cover your car in an accident situation or if it gets vandalized.

Finally you may choose to add comprehensive coverage to your insurance plan. Comprehensive coverage is rarely used on an insurance plan except for full coverage plans. This is because comprehensive insurance will protect your vehicle from situations not pertained to accidents. A good example of this is vandalism or damaged caused by severe weather.

Comprehensive coverage is never added to liability only. Most people that have full coverage will opt to have some type of comprehensive coverage as well. It's important to understand the types of insurance that are available to you so that you can get the lowest rate possible. Each add-on, such as comprehensive coverage, can increase or decrease the amount of your insurance. You can also save money on your car insurance by choosing to pay the 6 month premium up front for a discounted rate.

You may be eligible for a premium up front discount rate if you pay your 6 month premium all at once up front. Most companies will only do this type of discount if you pay the first six months or a year up front.

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