The amount you end up paying for your auto insurance is a product of multiple factors, which include what you drive, where you live, and even your age and marital status. While you cannot do anything about your age, you can definitely choose a car that has a lesser insurance premium. Listed below are some auto insurance tips to get cheap car insurance:

1. Knowing coverage types

You need to know what your car insurance is actually insuring, which includes several aspects including comprehensive (physical damage), collision coverage, uninsured motorist protection, medical payments, property damage liability, bodily injury liability, and more.

2. Knowing your car affects your premium

You might have a lot of dreams associated with buying a car that you want, such as a fancy SUV or a sports car. However, insurance companies could charge you more for protecting the driver while you drive it. While insurance premiums are partly a factor of the price of the car, repair costs determine the other part of the cost. According to HLDI (Highway Loss Data Institute), the lowest injury claims come from larger vehicles like SUVs, pickups, and cars, while smaller hatchbacks and sedans have the highest injury claims. It also boils down to a particular company’s actual experience of insuring one category of cars or vehicles.

3. Personal details affect insurance premiums

One set of factors which you cannot control could end up having the biggest impact on insurance costs – these include age, gender, and driving record. For instance, if you’re a single male below 25 years of age, you might end up paying the highest rates due to that age group being involved in the most accidents. Married men pay less. While a few states don’t allow age-based insurance rates, it has resulted in higher rates for women. Drivers with no records of accidents or tickets pay the lowest rates. Also, your place of residence plays a big role in how much insurance you pay. Urban areas, for instance, have higher rates due to heavier traffic and greater population densities.

4. Amount of coverage required

While being underinsured is dangerous, being overinsured can be expensive. If one can afford it, one should buy more than the stipulated minimum insurance. So, when one is buying a car, there is no one best solution when it comes to buying the right kind and amount of insurance. According to surveys, one should ideally pay anywhere between $500 and $2,000 annually. For finding out exactly how much insurance you require, consult two to three of the largest insurers in the country, like Allstate or State Farm. Further, contact one or two independent agents who can quote premiums from more than one business. Also, consult the web, where many businesses now offer online quotes as well as comparison tools.

5. Remember, you can reduce premiums

This is probably the most important auto insurance tip. There are multiple ways in which you can save money on your car insurance. If you drive less than 7,500 miles a year, for instance, and majorly use public transportation to get to work, then your premiums will be lesser. Also, you need to make sure that you do end up getting all the discounts you are entitled to. Also, those who end up passing defensive-driving courses or don’t drink or smoke often get discounts. Increasing deductibles for comprehensive and collision can reduce the collision portions of premiums by as much as 30%. Shopping around and studying the fine print of insurance policies will allow you to choose better policies with lesser premiums.