Archive for the ‘cheap car insurance’ Category

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Erie Insurance: Least Expensive Car Insurance by State…and the Most

Monday, April 19th, 2010

In The New York Times article “Where Auto Insurance is Most Expensive,” Jennifer Saranow Schultz highlights the highs and lows of auto insurance.  The most expensive premiums are in Louisiana, where the average person pays $2,510.87 per year.  Compare car insurance in the rest of the top five states and some aren’t nearly as high as Louisiana.  Michigan is the second highest at $2,098.29, followed by Oklahoma at $1,869.39, Montana at $1,857.96, and California at $1,774.41.  One of the largest factors in determining these rates seems to be state laws.  The state government is affecting how much you pay for your insurance, sometimes even more than your driving record does.

Cheap car insurance can be found in Maine, where the average premium studied was $902.85.  Only two other states stayed under $1,000, with Vermont as the second lowest at $968.58 and Ohio as the third lowest with a premium average of $999.86.  Rounding out the top five cheapest car insurance states were Wisconsin at $1,010.93 and New Hampshire at $1,011.23.  The article also explained that population levels may have a large factor in what companies like Erie Insurance charge consumers for their car insurance.  The more rural states may just have fewer crashes because the highways are not as crowded as the more urban states.  You’ll have to see if your premium matches up with your state’s average according to this recent study.

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Cheap Car Insurance in North Carolina

Wednesday, March 24th, 2010

The state of North Carolina has the eighth  lowest car insurance rates in the United States, according to “Report: North Carolina has eighth cheapest car insurance” by Lee Weisbecker of the Triangle Business Journal. If you’re looking for cheap car insurance, North Carolinians pay about $591.11 per year.  The National Association of Insurance Commissioners issued the report listing North Carolina as the southern state with the lowest insurance rates.  Residents of North Dakota have the lowest car insurance rates in the United States, averaging $511.79 per year.  The second lowest rates of $517.62 were in Iowa, according to the data collected from 2003-2007 in all 50 states.

The Insurance Commissioner of North Carolina was pleased with the report’s findings.  He recently rolled car insurance rates back to the 2006 price levels and froze them until at least 2011, helping to keep North Carolina as one of the most affordable states in his opinion.  State Farm car insurance and other companies operating in North Carolina have their rates set by the insurance commissioner.  These standardized rates put caps at the high and low ends of the scale, but are non-existent in most other states.  Offering discounts is the only way for car insurance companies to offer lower rates than the standards.  North Carolina’s car insurance rates are significantly lower than its neighboring states.

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Car Insurance Companies Won’t Have New Hummers to Insure

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010

It looks like the Hummer brand will be shutting down soon, according to “Hummer faces shutdown after Chinese sale collapses” by Dan Strumpf of The Associated Press.  Car insurance companies will no longer have new models of the hulking SUV’s to worry about insuring.  General Motors Co. was hoping to sell the brand to Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machines Co. of China, but the manufacturer was unable to get clearance from its Chinese regulators by the end of February deadline.  General Motors promises to honor the warranties of existing Hummers.  They are working with Hummer employees, dealerships, and suppliers to phase out the brand.

The potential for a deal with the Chinese manufacturer came in October,  six months after General Motors began trying to sell the Hummer brand because of the losses it was incurring.  But Chinese regulators showed a lot of resistance from the start because they do not approve of the rapid growth in the Chinese auto industry.  Sales of Hummers peaked in 2006, but Hummer only sold 325 cars last year.  The cars range in price from $42,500 to $63,000.  Hummer was hit  hard by the extreme gas prices of 2008 because of their lack of fuel economy.  It wasn’t easy to find cheap car insurance for the large, off-road vehicles either.  If Hummer closes as expected, they will join Saturn, Pontiac, and Saab as a brand that GM has discontinued or sold off.

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Dairyland Insurance Might Like New Driving Laws in New York

Tuesday, January 12th, 2010

“New laws restricting under-18 NY drivers take effect in February,” according to John O’Brien of The Post-Standard.  While teenagers probably won’t be happy with their new rules, the plan is to make the road safer for everyone.  Drivers under the age of 18 account for 20% of all accidents in New York, but only 12% of their drivers.  While most people assume the crashes are related to drinking, they usually are not.  The problem is inexperience on the road and distractions in the car.

Starting February 22, under-18 drivers will only be permitted one non-family passenger that is under-21 unless the driver’s parent or guardian is also in the car.  New drivers will also have to complete 50 hours of driving instead of 20 in order to obtain their learner’s permit, with 15 hours occurring in the dark.  In order to get a license, young drivers will have to have their learner’s permit for at least 6 months.  The limited-use junior driver’s license that used to exist in NY will be eliminated with this new law.

The new law is good news for insurance companies like Dairyland insurance.  Teenagers tend to be nervous drivers because of their inexperience on the road.  Adding the distraction and peer pressure of a car full of friends can easily lead to riskier decisions and more accidents.  Fewer accidents not only keeps other drivers safe, it can make for cheap car insurance rates as companies pay out less money in claims.  New York State’s new law will help teenagers obtain more driving experience before being left alone in their cars and help eliminate the distraction of other teenagers in their vehicle.

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Get an Estrella Insurance Quote as Rates Drop Across the Board

Wednesday, December 9th, 2009

From Yahoo Finance, Insurance.com’s press release “Insurance.com RateWatch: Car Insurance Rates Dropped Significantly in 2009,” they believe that “lower rates look to provide relief to drivers in 2010.”  Car insurance rates had a steep increase of 8% in 2008 but dropped by 3.5% in 2009.  The average consumer in the United States pays $1,803 per year as of this November.  Cheap car insurance can be found by shopping around for companies that have followed the trend of decreasing rates.  Smart shoppers took advantage of the lower rates by purchasing new policies this year.

An Estrella Insurance quote could help you get significant savings on your auto policy.  Estrella insurance has over 40 agencies throughout Florida and prides themselves on excellent customer service.  You can obtain a quote through their website for any kind of automobile coverage that you need.  These rate decreases came at just the right time for consumers, many of whom are trying to cut back during difficult economic times.  While the largest rate declines occurred in Washington D.C., Nebraska, Vermont, Idaho, and West Virginia, most states did see a decline.  Since the car insurance industry expects to see the rates remain steady or decline into 2010, this is a great time to get an Estrella Insurance quote.

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Donegal Insurance + Kia Soul Could = Cheap Car Insurance

Tuesday, November 24th, 2009

The US Insurance Institute for Highway safety chose the 2010 Kia Soul as its ‘Top Safety Pick’, according to theautochannel.com.  If you shop around, a safer car can make for cheap car insurance.  This is the Kia Soul’s 2nd year in a row for the award in the small car category.  It has also won awards from Time Magazine, Popular Mechanics, and Auto Week Magazine since launching in March.  Both consumers and the media seem to love this car for offering the entire package.  While the Soul is popular with teens, consumers from many age groups are interested in its funky look, safety features, and low insurance expense.

Donegal Insurance, with headquarters in Marietta, Pennsylvania serves regional property and casualty insurance needs.  When their customers drive cars like the uber-safe Kia Soul, they can be comfortable with insurance premiums to match the added safety features their customers have purchased.  Donegal Insurance is made up of 7 regional insurance companies throughout the United States’ Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, and Midwest.  They excel in customer service and profitability.  If you are looking for cheap car insurance compared to other companies, having a safe car like the Kia Soul might be the way to get that with Donegal Insurance.

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Looking for Cheap Car Insurance? Better Have Good Credit!

Thursday, October 29th, 2009

There is an ongoing debate whether your credit score should have any correlation to the cost of your car insurance.  The Sacramento Bee summarized an article from the Dallas Morning News about this hot topic.  Negative marks on your credit report almost always mean that you will pay higher car insurance than consumers with better credit.  If you’re looking for cheap car insurance, get that credit score up.  A recent study shows that you could pay 35% more for car and home insurance with a poor credit report.

While insurance companies argue that credit scores help them to determine high risk customers, credit reports are far from an exact science.  Recently, credit card companies have lowered the credit limits on many consumers’ accounts which lowers their credit scores.  This is beyond the control of consumers and is based solely on the country’s economic crisis.  Some states, including Maryland and California, have actually banned insurance companies from using credit scores to determine rates.  Compare car insurance companies and the way that they determine your rates closely.

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