Car Insurance for Beginner Drivers

After many hours of driving lessons and supervised driving sessions, most drivers are always super excited to hit the road sans supervision when they acquire their first car.

However, getting to purchase auto insurance for your new car as a first-time driver is a daunting experience.

Usually, new drivers don’t have the knowledge on how the insurance industry works since they’ve never had to worry about that.

You were probably used to driving your parents’ car from your teenage years when you were listed as an additional driver, for free. Well, now you are a grown-up, and you are going to have to foot the bill.

Compare car insurance quotes to help you to not overpay for coverage.

Shopping for Car Insurance

Shopping for car insurance is not necessarily easy, especially for beginners. The best thing is to arm yourself with basic auto insurance knowledge to avoid being taken advantage of thus ending up paying more than you need to.

The rates will be determined by your car’s market value at the time as well as other requirements from your lender and your state.

To get the best rates possible, you’ll need to compare as many quotes as you possibly can. Remember, purchasing a costly policy doesn’t necessarily translate to better coverage.

Understanding the Common Types of Auto Insurance Coverage

• Liability Coverage – is the most basic form of insurance, and it is a requirement in most states. In the event of an at-fault accident, liability coverage will pay for the damage caused to other parties.
• Personal Injury Protection (PIP) – is a form of coverage that pays for any form of medical costs resulting from a car accident. In some cases, PIP coverage can compensate your income if your injuries are serious enough to keep you from going to work.
• Collision Coverage – compensates for the damages to your vehicle to its market value at the time of the accident. The damage could be as a result of a collision with another vehicle or running into another object on the road.
• Comprehensive Coverage – protects you from financial loss by paying for damages caused by natural disaster, fire, vandalism, or other non-collision related incidences. Comprehensive insurance also replaces your car in case of theft.
• Uninsured or Underinsured coverage – protects you from financial losses if you are involved in an accident with a driver without sufficient liability coverage or who is not insured at all.

Deductible

The term deductible refers to the out of the pocket amount you will have to chip after an accident before your auto insurance coverage kicks in. You get to set the deductible when you purchase a policy.

The lower the deductible, the higher your monthly premium, and vice versa.

Settling for a higher deductible can save a lot of money on monthly premiums in the short run. On the other hand, a lower deductible ensures that you don’t have to dig too deep into your pockets in case of an accident.

Full Coverage Car Insurance

Many amateur drivers may mistakenly take the term full coverage insurance literally and assume that they are fully protected in case of an accident. This is not the case.

The term full coverage insurance is used to refer to auto insurance policies that include collision and comprehensive coverage.

Combined with the mandated liability coverage, full coverage insurance actually covers some very specific incidences and should not be taken in its literal interpretation.

Cost of Insurance

Younger inexperienced drivers tend to attract higher rates than their older more experienced counterparts.

The reason behind this significant cost difference is that younger drivers are deemed to be unsafe, hence more likely to get involved in accidents and file a claim.

To minimize possible losses, auto insurance providers will charge higher rates to this particular pool of drivers.

Here are a few tips to bring down your car insurance rates:

• Remove sports coverage depending on the state (old or new) of your car
• Increase the deductible
• Maintain a clean driving record throughout your learning and licensing process
• Be fully licensed before purchasing your own car
• Passing an approved driver education program will attract discounts among many auto insurance providers

Every car insurance provider uses their own unique models to determine auto insurance rates. Shopping around and comparing auto insurance rates you get from various online quotes is a sure way to cut down on the cost of a first-time car insurance cost.

Your Car and Your Auto Insurance Rates

The make and model of vehicle you drive have a significant impact on your auto insurance rates. Some cars are more costly to insure than others.

Generally, sports cars and other high-performance vehicles get higher priced quotes because they are more expensive to repair or even replace.

If you are concerned about the cost of car insurance, keep the following tips in mind as you shop for one:

• Cars with the best safety ratings get cheaper quotes
• Ensure that the car you purchase has certain safety features such as Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
• Heavier, bigger cars tend to get better rates as they are considered safer
• High horsepower vehicles come with extremely high rates

Having sufficient car insurance coverage ensures that you avoid being left with huge financial burdens in case your car gets into an accident, gets vandalized, or is stolen.

Comparison shopping when looking to purchase insurance products is critical; it can save you a lot of money on auto insurance expenses. Compare quotes today using our free rate tool below.