First time buying car insurance

[Brainonska511]

It's not a loophole. You are paying for the coverage of the occasional driver.

Well, not a loophole. But a way to get a significant discount overall for the new driver once they get their own policy - a net savings when you look at it all together.

 

[manly]

Yes they are. But I have always got far better rates by calling my local insurance agent, that handles many companies. Including those that do not do online quotes.
One of the best things is that the company they have me with lets you renew auto rates for the whole year, not this 6 month crap with the opportunity to raise rates twice a year.
I have used their services for car and auto since I bought my home, over 30 years ago.

Progressive will give you a great rate with a new customer discount, but the rate will usually double when you renew. I used them for motorcycle insurance, as my auto insurer didn't cover motorcycles. But I got sick of their games.

This is the insurance game in general.

However, some of us do insure with Progressive, and they aren't doubling rates when you renew.

 

[WelshBloke]

Yes they are. But I have always got far better rates by calling my local insurance agent, that handles many companies. Including those that do not do online quotes.

I don't think that anyone here doesn't do online quotes!

One of the best things is that the company they have me with lets you renew auto rates for the whole year, not this 6 month crap with the opportunity to raise rates twice a year.
I have used their services for car and auto since I bought my home, over 30 years ago.

I pay my car insurance in one lump sum once a year. I hate having monthly outgoings.

 

[BoomerD]

Here, your insurance rates are based on:
Zip code
Own your house or rent
Garage the vehicle or park it outside
What the vehicle is...safety rating, repair costs, etc.
Your driving record
Your credit score

Probably a bunch of other factors I'm not remembering.

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

"Progressive will give you a great rate with a new customer discount, but the rate will usually double when you renew. I used them for motorcycle insurance, as my auto insurer didn't cover motorcycles. But I got sick of their games."

Flo's giving a me a load of discounts and my rate has either gone down, or only barely increased each 6 month renewal. The biggest increase was due to a change in vehicles which isn't a surprise.

These are just some of the discounts/rewards I see:

Current Discounts​

​

Continuous Insurance Discount - Platinum II​

Five Year Accident Free​

Homeowner​

Multi-Car​

Paid in Full​

Paperless​

Snapshot®​

Three Year Safe Driving​

Multi Policy Discount​

Priority Call Routing​

Teen Driver Discount​

Continuous Insurance Discount​

Small Accident Forgiveness​

​

​

If I get to five years with them, other discounts/rewards drop in.

 

[WelshBloke]

Here, your insurance rates are based on:
Zip code
Own your house or rent
Garage the vehicle or park it outside
What the vehicle is...safety rating, repair costs, etc.
Your driving record
Your credit score

Probably a bunch of other factors I'm not remembering.

Similar here. Not sure credit score comes into it here though!

 

[nakedfrog]

"Progressive will give you a great rate with a new customer discount, but the rate will usually double when you renew. I used them for motorcycle insurance, as my auto insurer didn't cover motorcycles. But I got sick of their games."

Flo's giving a me a load of discounts and my rate has either gone down, or only barely increased each 6 month renewal. The biggest increase was due to a change in vehicles which isn't a surprise.

These are just some of the discounts/rewards I see:

Current Discounts​

​

Continuous Insurance Discount - Platinum II​

Five Year Accident Free​

Homeowner​

Multi-Car​

Paid in Full​

Paperless​

Snapshot®​

Three Year Safe Driving​

Multi Policy Discount​

Priority Call Routing​

Teen Driver Discount​

Continuous Insurance Discount​

Small Accident Forgiveness​

​

​

If I get to five years with them, other discounts/rewards drop in.

You seem a little old for a "teen driver discount"😄
Or maybe that would apply if you added a teen to your policy, IDK.

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

I think it applies when you do NOT have one.

 

[nOOky]

I shopped around recently and found no real price breaks. I'm 56 with no accidents and a clean record. In 1984 I got a 1980 Kawasaki KZ650 motorcycle and I paid $250 a month for full coverage. I pretty much worked to ride a motorcycle during high school. My parents would only have helped if I got a car, not a cycle. $100 a month now seems reasonable for almost anything lol

 

[WilliamM2]

"Progressive will give you a great rate with a new customer discount, but the rate will usually double when you renew. I used them for motorcycle insurance, as my auto insurer didn't cover motorcycles. But I got sick of their games."

Flo's giving a me a load of discounts and my rate has either gone down, or only barely increased each 6 month renewal. The biggest increase was due to a change in vehicles which isn't a surprise.

These are just some of the discounts/rewards I see:

Current Discounts​

​

Continuous Insurance Discount - Platinum II​

Five Year Accident Free​

Homeowner​

Multi-Car​

Paid in Full​

Paperless​

Snapshot®​

Three Year Safe Driving​

Multi Policy Discount​

Priority Call Routing​

Teen Driver Discount​

Continuous Insurance Discount​

Small Accident Forgiveness​

​

​

If I get to five years with them, other discounts/rewards drop in.

I didn't say it doubled each time, just when you lost the new customer discount. I'm sure it's changed, I have not used them since 2012.

My friends and I would switch every other year to save money. They were cheap at the time, if you were a new customer. Probably varied by state as well.

 

[BurnItDwn]

I shopped around recently and found no real price breaks. I'm 56 with no accidents and a clean record. In 1984 I got a 1980 Kawasaki KZ650 motorcycle and I paid $250 a month for full coverage. I pretty much worked to ride a motorcycle during high school. My parents would only have helped if I got a car, not a cycle. $100 a month now seems reasonable for almost anything lol

We have 2 vehicles here. Both me and wife in our 40s no kids, no traffic citations.
2015 Lexus GS350 is $67 a month for 100/300/100 coverage with 1K deductible.
2010 Ford Edge is $40 a month for 100/300/100 coverage with 1K deductible.
We also have our house covered too, its around $100 a month for a small ranch on a small lot with no garage.

 

[highland145]

I don't think that anyone here doesn't do online quotes!

I pay my car insurance in one lump sum once a year. I hate having monthly outgoings.

I don't. I want my agent close....just in case.... She's a broker anyway.

Yep, once/yr. Save a dollar and I'm done.

2020 Rav4, 2010 Rav4, house, $1M umbrella..$3600/yr. The kid is under 25.

Everyone's bitching about the cost but a used hoopty is $15K. Insurer's aren't your financial advisor.

 

[Captante]

Are you/your significant other OR either of your parents veterans?

If so call USAA stat .... their rates were HALF (or less!) of every other company I tried last time around and for superior customer service too.

 

[Sonikku]

Are you/your significant other OR either of your parents veterans?

If so call USAA stat .... their rates were HALF (or less!) of every other company I tried last time around and for superior customer service too.

No... My grandfather was a veteran. But he passed a few years ago and he wasn't on a USAA plan and nor was my mother.

 

[balloonshark]

Are you/your significant other OR either of your parents veterans?

If so call USAA stat .... their rates were HALF (or less!) of every other company I tried last time around and for superior customer service too.

What if you're not speaking to your veteran parent? Are you still able to qualify?

P.S. I'm glad to see you're still around Sonikku. I always enjoyed reading your thoughtful posts.

 

[nakedfrog]

What if you're not speaking to your veteran parent? Are you still able to qualify?

P.S. I'm glad to see you're still around Sonikku. I always enjoyed reading your thoughtful posts.

I think so, as long as you've got the pertinent details.

 

[Klingenberg]

What if you're not speaking to your veteran parent? Are you still able to qualify?

P.S. I'm glad to see you're still around Sonikku. I always enjoyed reading your thoughtful posts.

As long as you can prove it with documents of some sorts, then you should be good

 

[zinfamous]

I don't know what op meant, but if his name was on the policy as occasional driver he was insured and it would count.

This is true. worked for me, decades ago at least.

 

[zinfamous]

Over here you just stick your details into one of those sites and they go through all the insurance providers then gives you a list that you can order by cost (or anything else). Then when you click on one it takes you to that companies website and you fill a few more details in and you're insured.
It's pretty handy even if you don't want to change providers but do want to argue the cost down.

Our insurance agencies are considered heroes of capitalism, and all of their wishes must be fulfilled by the minions in Congress. Therefore, any tools that are beneficial to the consumer and serve to lower rates for everyone are banned.

 

[Muse]

It's all about where you drive, how far you drive, what you drive and how long you've been driving.

Rates will vary wildly between companies.

Also, drive carefully. Be careful to have no accidents and no moving traffic violations. Keeping your record clean will help keep your car insurance bills down. Myself, I have very low mileage, which helps alot. My insurance company has a tier for driving under 3000 miles/year.