Insuring you car may be non-negotiable, but your auto insurance bill is open to adjustment.
Eric Dinallo, the state's superintendent of insurance, said updating your insurance company about any life changes is one way to trim costs.
"Maybe you have aged into a certain class where you get a better senior's discount," said Dinallo. "Maybe you are a member of an organization, whether it's the AARP or AAA, or you went to a certain school and that will qualify you for what is often called a mass-marketing discount. Maybe you had two accidents, but now it's been greater than five years, and you would sort of qualify for a re-start on your accident history."
Also, make sure your mileage is consistent with what is stated on the policy. You may be driving less, and therefore owed a discount.
If you've gotten married, you can save by combining polices. If you have a college student on the policy who lives more than 100 miles from home, without a car, it could also amount to savings.
Rates can also drop if you merge your home owner's, life, and auto insurance policies under one company.
Insuring you car may be non-negotiable, but your auto insurance bill is open to adjustment. Shazia Khan has details.
Next, Dinallo advises to be sure you have the right deductible.
"Low deductibles are very expensive to have," he said. "A $250 deductible is a cost that may be unnecessary, depending on whether the car is garaged, what your experience with the car has been, what its real value is, and so people may want to consider a higher deductible. They may learn that they get a tremendous savings from that. The other thing is, if you have a really old car, you may not want to be paying for the property damage insurance on the car."
Some insurance companies take your credit score into consideration, so if your number has substantially improved since you first signed on, now would be a good time to shop around.
"In a lot of instances, the current company may not give you credit for an improved credit score," said Dinallo. "But if you go out and become a new customer for someone else, you may get a large discount for improved credit score."
Whether your score has improved or not, shopping around periodically for the best quote is always a smart move in this competitive market. Taking a defensive driving course can also lower your rates, and, of course, maintaining a clean driving record will keep you on the road to savings.