Lower Your Car Insurance Payment!

With the recent purchase of Sally the Civic, it has become apparent to me that car insurance can really ding your wallet each month (or every six months depending on your plan). My old car was a whopping $180 every six months to insure because I was liability only. Those days are long gone...

Credits

However, hope is not lost.  There are ways to save on car insurance - you just might have to do a little prodding to get those savings!

• Good student discount. Are you in school?  Have you been in school?  Most insurance companies offer a discount for maintaing good grades -- 3.2 gpa or better.  My insurance company extends this discount until you are 25 years old, even though I graduated!
• Study program/etc discount.  When I first got my license, my insurance agent handled me this package with a dvd and questionnaire.  It was boring and consumed an entire Saturday afternoon, but once I finished their additional study course, I got a discount.  I didn't even have to take a quiz - it was pure honor code.  My car payment went from over $600/six months to $400/six months.  I don't know if this is applicable once you'd had your license for many years, but its definitely something to consider and keep in mind for future children/younger siblings.
• Clean driving record.  I, too, enjoy going above the stated speed limit.  However, know that speeding stupidly (please try to go with the flow of traffic) and other traffic violations will put points on your license and dollars on your insurance bill.  If you happen to get a ticket, go to court and beg for no points on your license.  [Side note: always request a trial and do not pay any fines if you got multiple tickets.  Thats a sign of admitting guilt.  Frequently judges will loop your tickets together and give you lower fines if you are not a repeat offender.  This is the one and only useful thing I learned from working with a criminal attorney.]
• Shop around.  Especially when you are young, insurance companies differ greatly in their rates.  Use one quote to leverage a better deal from your preferred company.  Do not just check out Progressive's quotes - do the research yourself.
• Choose a policy that's best for you.  My old car was old.  When I got her, she was eleven years old and not worth much (maybe $2500).  As a result, my insurance was liability only.  If someone hit me and had no insurance, I'd be S-O-L on car replacement, but I saved some serious bucks.  If your car has a very low value, this might be a worthwhile option.
• Ask for a discount.  Have you been a loyal customer for years?  Have you had a clean driving record and reap no benefits?  Speak up and ask for a discount.  The worst the company can do is say "No."

Personally, I love my car insurance company (State Farm) and I would offer glowing reviews to anyone in search of a new provider.  I must mention that my insurance agent has been my parent's agent since before I was born--she has gone above and beyond our expectations time and time again and we truly feel that she is on our side...even if she does consistently call me Karen.

Oh, and in case you're wondering - it costs $400 every six months for full coverage on Sally the Civic.