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As you very well know, the economy is currently in the dumps. Unemployment is high, debt is growing, and homes are foreclosing. Money isn’t nearly available as it once was, and we are all trying to save money where ever we possibly can.

Resist the urge to drop your auto insurance policy. It’s required by state law to carry a certain amount of auto coverage, remember? If you’ve been a responsible customer and driver, you are in luck. Your ability to find the same amount of coverage for a much lower cost is highly likely.

Those that haven’t made timely payments, and those that have found themselves in multiple collisions won’t have nearly as much wiggle room. But don’t worry just yet, there are still some things you can do to hopefully lower your auto insurance costs.

Saving Money On Your Auto Premium
No matter what your situation is, chances are you will be able to save some money on your current auto insurance coverage. All it takes is a little effort. Even if you’re able to save only $10 per month, that’s a lot of money that could be spent elsewhere. Like paying off other bills!

A simple phone call - Sometimes that’s all you need. Don’t be afraid to give your insurance provider a ring. You’d be surprised what kind of discounts you could get. Just ask!

Raise your deductible - This is by far the most reliable way to save a bunch of money on your auto insurance. Raising your deductible can have amazing effects on what you pay for your coverage. Don’t get greedy and raise it too high though, even if you think you’re the one of the best drivers on the road.

Shop around - If you haven’t explored the many auto insurance options you have available to you you are missing out. In more stable economic times, people would go years without checking how their current policy stacks up against other options. But now we can’t afford to be so careless. Getting multiple quotes is as simple as entering your zip code above.

Try reevaluating your insurance needs and balancing your coverage types, your needs may different than you thought.

Other Things to Consider
Chances are your checking account and credit card balances don’t have as much padding as they did 6 months ago. If your auto coverage is paid automatically via debit or credit card, make sure you have enough money on hand to continue your coverage, otherwise you may be subject to a rate increase on your premium.

Times are tough, there is no doubt about that. With an alarming number of people declaring bankruptcy, many are lost when it comes to knowing how it will affect almost every part of their lives. Auto insurance is one of these areas, and rightfully so. Filing Chapter 13 Bankruptcy can greatly affect what you will be paying for auto insurance, but not everyone needs to worry.

About Bankruptcy
There are 2 major types of bankruptcy; chapter 7 and chapter 13. The form of bankruptcy you file under will have a large impact on your credit score, and in turn, your auto insurance premiums. Of course, filing for bankruptcy should be your last resort. A bankruptcy filing will remain on your credit history for 10 years, and will have profound negative effects on your credit rating.

Chapter 13 bankruptcy is the ideal choice of the two for an individual. It will grant the person 3-5 years of protection from creditors, but will allow them to keep many of their assets, while they pay back creditors.

Can I Get Auto Insurance with a Bankruptcy on My Credit History?
The chances of getting denied coverage due to a bankruptcy are slim, but your are likely to see a rise in your premiums.

Will My Auto Insurance Premiums be Affected?
As you could have guessed, filing for any type of bankruptcy protection can really hurt your credit rating. What you may not have known is that your credit score can greatly effect your auto insurance premium. There is no umbrella answer to this question, as each insurance company has their own guidelines. If you appear to be a financial risk to your auto insurance provider- you are likely to see a hike in auto insurance costs.

Your credit score is a great way to gauge one’s responsibility, very similar to the way a driving record is used to determine a driver’s monetary risk to an insurance company.

Again, not everyone will see the same changes. There are a few things you can do to fight the chances of a rate increase. Those that pay their premium on-time, every time, are far more likely to retain their current rate, than those that have had a spotty payment history.

Other Things to Consider
Get ready for a slew of changes to your financial situation if you decide to go through with filing bankruptcy.

If you have your auto coverage payment linked to a credit or debit card, don’t forget to update your information. In most instances of bankruptcy, credit cards and checking accounts are likely to get closed.

Don’t forget to contact your auto insurance provider, and link them up with new payment details. If a payment fails your rates may go up to continue service.

Comprehensive auto coverage is one of the most popular types of auto coverage, second to collision coverage. While comprehensive may be optional, many people still choose to include this form of coverage on their policies.

Keep in mind that comprehensive coverage does not provide protection from scenarios involving collisions, despite the possibly misleading name. Comprehensive coverage can not be substituted for collision coverage, which is required in almost all 50 states.

Why Get Comprehensive Coverage?
Comprehensive coverage is not for everybody. Those that choose to get this type of coverage usually do so for newer, more expensive, vehicles. For many people, comprehensive coverage is well worth the higher premiums.

Comprehensive coverage can protect you in a wide variety of unfortunate scenarios. Comprehensive auto insurance can protect you in these  instances:

*if stolen
*damaged by flood
*fire
*animals
*vandalism
*and more…

As you can see, the large umbrella of protection of protection is quite desirable, especially if you invested a lot of money into your vehicle. Those living in areas prone to these unpredictable events may find the coverage rather useful.

Make sure you read the terms of your policy closely to be 100% sure when you’re covered. Not all policies are the same, and you should be reading it thoroughly anyhow.

Leased Vehicles
Comprehensive auto insurance is typically required for leased or financed vehicles by the financiers.

Newer Vehicles
If you’ve spent a lot of money on a new car, or even on a higher end used vehicle, comprehensive coverage may be worth getting to protect your purchase.

Older Vehicles
Most older cars aren’t worth covering with this extra layer of protection. From a financial perspective it may not be worth it, but for some protecting an older car is well worth it. Those with collector cars should find coverage with a company that specializes in this demographic.

Shopping For Comprehensive Coverage
We’ve made your search for comprehensive coverage as easy as possible. To begin, all you have to do is enter your zip code at the top of the page. You can get auto coverage coverage with multiple companies, but putting them together under one insurer will guarantee more savings.

Once you’ve inputed your information, we will connect you with the companies that fit your needs the most, at the best price we can find. Choose your deductible wisely. The higher the deductible, the lower the premium. And we suggest you set your deductible at an amount you can always afford.

Set some standards before looking at offers from various companies, and stick to them. Once you start looking at prices, you may be tempted to over-insure or under-insure your vehicles.

Whenever renewal of your auto insurance policy is around the corner, it’s always a good idea to shop around, and browse the endless number of auto insurance offers that are now available to use thanks to the web. Of course you can still do it the old fashion way, by calling insurance companies, or by visiting their local office and asking for quotes.

We, however, don’t recommend this method. You could easily spend a whole day just to get a few quotes. With the help of the internet you can now literally get hundreds of quotes with just a few minutes. Time is money, and you should try not to waste either.

You can switch insurance providers whenever you want. The most hassle free time to switch is just before your current policy expires. However, you can cancel with your auto insurance company whenever you would like. Just make sure you have something else lined up beforehand.

Chances are you will be able to find the same coverage for a better price, or you can repackage your coverage all together. If not, congratulations, you are already getting a great deal on your auto insurance!

If you eventually decide to take the plunge and switch your auto insurance company, doing so is very easy. It just requires some common sense.

The first step is to get a company and policy in order so you are covered after the switch. You should have received multiple quotes by now. If not, just enter your zip code above to begin.

Once you have something else in place, you can safely cancel your current auto insurance policy. All it takes is a phone call or letter requesting termination of your policy on a particular date. If you’ve paid for coverage in advance, you can request that they prorate your last payment up to cancellation time, and you can get a partial refund.

Don’t forget to actually activate your new auto insurance policy. A quote is far from a binding agreement, and you’ll have to actually make a payment to start coverage. When switching insurance providers you will need to provide your old agent’s name, the company name, and a cancellation date to your new agent. Do this before your cancellation date to ensure a smooth transition.

That’s all there is to it!

Switching auto insurance companies is easy, it just requires a little leg work, and the desire to save money. Don’t forget to start your search with us by entering your zip code above.

Leasing a vehicle certainly isn’t the cheapest way to own a vehicle, but for some, a leased car may be the best option. Leasing a vehicle comes with a lot of strings attached. As with any car, you have the regular maintenance costs of owning a vehicle. But with a leased vehicle, you also have additional fees including extra mileage fees, and usage fees, just to name a few.

What many people aren’t aware of is the additional insurance costs associated with a leased vehicle. The cost of a collision will cost you an arm and a leg, but getting insurance for a leased vehicle to begin with can be the most costly task.

The terms on your lease are likely to require above average auto coverage. Liability coverage of $100,000/person, $300,000/accident for bodily injuries, and $50,000 worth of liability insurance for property damages is the industry standard, about 4 times more than state requirements. And don’t forget to get comprehensive and collision coverage, as it’s likely required by the terms of the lease.

Gap Insurance
Drivers of leased vehicles may be out a lot of money if they are involved in a collision with another vehicle. If a vehicle is damaged over 70% of its worth, the insurance company is likely to label the car totaled meaning it’s not worth the cost of repairs.

If a leased vehicle is deemed totaled by the insurance company, you will have to pay that money forward to the lienholder to start paying off the remaining balance on your lease. This is usually a great sum of money, however, it still may not be enough to get out of your lease agreement.

To prevent this from ever happening, all you have to do is get gap insurance, a common coverage type for those that lease their cars. Gap insurance will cover the remaining cost of getting out of a lease, so you can get back on the road in another leased car or any car for that matter.

The terms of gap insurance generally insist you have both comprehensive and collision coverage. If not, you may void your chance of getting any protection from gap coverage. But not all lease agreements include gap insurance. It varies greatly on the worth of the vehicle, but typically you can find gap insurance from a 3rd party relatively cheap.

To begin your search simply enter your zip code above.

Leasing a car isn’t cheap, but safely insuring your vehicle can safe you a lot of money if the worst was to happen.

Since you started driving, you’ve past hundreds of mangled cars on the highway, but you never thought you’d be in the same situation. And it doesn’t even require that sever of an accident to total a car. In fact, most cars that get totaled are involved in much smaller collisions.

When exactly is a car ‘totaled’?
If the cost of repairing your car and getting it back into working order is more than a certain percentage of the car’s value, your insurance company is likely to declare your vehicle totaled. The level at which they decide a car is not worth repairing varies from company to company, and state by state. Though you can expect to see the cut-off point in the 50%-80% range.

This means that if your car isn’t worth all that much, even a small fender bender can get your car totaled. This is the exact reason car owners start scaling back their insurance coverage as their car ages. It’s not a total loss however. The insurance company still needs to pay out the cars cash value to you beyond your deductible.

Remember: There are state laws in place that require drivers to hold a certain amount of coverage, don’t scale back too much, you may find yourself below the legal limit. To ensure you get the appropriate amount of coverage, enter your zip code above.

The important thing to remember is that it is up to the auto insurance company to decide. Just because you believe your car is worth salvaging, doesn’t necessarily mean your insurer will have the same sentiments. However, there may be some things you can do to persuade them.

In most instances, insurance companies will let you keep the car if you would like. Of course you won’t get any financial assistance from your insurer to make any repairs.

How will it affect my rates?
Sad to say, but you are likely to see an increase in your premiums. Between the costs accrued by the insurance company and your increased risk, your insurer is recoup losses. Beginning to look for a new insurance provider may not be a bad idea.

Making the best of it
Sure, its not the best thing that has happened to you recently. We urge you to make the best of it, and try to make back as much money as you can.

If totaling your car was a result of collision, and someone else is at fault, you should be reimbursed by their auto insurance to get a new car for yourself.

If you were at fault, it may be a good time to start looking for deals, before your rate goes up to much. Luckily we have a huge selection of insurance providers waiting to work with you.

People commonly use the term ‘no-fault auto insurance’ in reference to insurance companies that will provide financial support regardless of fault in a collision. However, this isn’t the most accurate explanation for no-fault insurance.

In fact, no-fault insurance refers to something entirely different. No-fault insurance is required of insurance companies in some states by law. It ensures policy holders will have access to financial support from their auto insurance provider, while they determine liability and collect information from parties involved. There are currently 12 states that have no-fault insurance laws of some sort in place, including: Florida, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Hawaii, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Dakota, and Utah.

In New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Kentucky however, no-fault insurance is optional, at the preference of the driver.

A number of states have tried no-fault auto insurance law for short periods of time, only to find that the increased premiums were not were the additional protection.

If you have received no-fault benefits from someone else’s policy and are found at fault, you will likely have to repay the insurance company that gave you the benefit of the doubt to begin with.

No-fault insurance is by no means a viable replacement for health insurance. In fact, if you are in need of expensive and immediate health care, you will still need health insurance. No-fault insurance will typically cover additional costs such as co-pays.

Just because your state requires no-fault insurance, does not mean you can drive without auto insurance. Not only is it required by state law to carry auto insurance, but no-fault insurance only really protects you if you were not at fault.

No-fault insurance, in no way, offers coverage for property damage. Just because you have no-fault insurance does not mean any damage to property will be reimbursed to you. No-fault insurance pertains only to personal well-being matters, such as medical, disability, etc.

No-fault insurance laws have experienced a lot of abuse since their inception. Doctors and clinics have been known to take advantage of the readily available financing for expensive procedures to drive up the medical bills.

If you are living in a state that requires no-fault insurance, you may have noticed an increase in your premium over the years. This is due to insurance policy holders taking advantage of no-fault insurance to book additional medical treatments.