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3 Ways to Find Cheap Car Insurance

Written by Michele Wilmonen. Posted in Research Last Updated: 01/09/2015

Cheap car insurance is a lot easier to find than you think.

cheap car insurance

Cheap car insurance is a cool way to save money.

Cheap car insurance is something that all drivers wish for, but think that they will never find. The truth is though, that it may be hiding right under their nose and they just don’t know it.

#1: Cheap Car Insurance from Discounts

Never assume that your insurance company is giving you all of the discounts that you qualify for. Yes, it is their job to make sure that your policy is rated properly. But, it is your job to make sure that you aren’t getting overcharged.

To make sure that you are not getting overcharged, contact your insurance company and have them go over all of the premium discounts they offer. If you aren’t getting some of them, make them tell you why you don’t qualify. If there are some they don’t list off, ask them about them.

The most common discounts insurance companies offer include:

  • Good student discounts
  • Multiple policies discounts
  • Multiple vehicles discounts
  • Good driver discounts

#2: Cheap Car Insurance from Lowing Coverage

Although not usually recommended, you can automatically find cheap car insurance with your current policy by lowering your coverages. You can do this by changing any of the following:

  • Cancel towing coverage because you already have it through AAA or another source
  • Cancel rental car coverage because you have multiple vehicles
  • Increase the deductible on your comprehensive or collision coverage
  • Remove comprehensive or collision coverage because your vehicle is worth less than what you are paying to keep insurance on it

Before you decide to remove or lower any of your coverages though, talk to your car insurance agent first. They can advise you on the best changes to make that will lower your premium, but still keep you protected.

#3: Cheap Car Insurance from Looking Around

Looking around and getting quotes from different insurance companies is the easiest way to find yourself cheap car insurance. All insurance companies have different rates, different rating criteria for its drivers, and different discounts – meaning that they are all going to charge you something different for the same exact coverage.

This also means that if you don’t call around or use a website (like Car Insurance Guidebook) to find out what all of the different companies charge, you are never going to find which company is going to be able to provide you with cheap car insurance.

Ohio SR22 Insurance

Written by Michele Wilmonen. Posted in Research Last Updated: 12/24/2014

Ohio SR22 insurance is also referred to as a SR22 bond in the state.

Ohio SR22 Insurance

Keep your path clear to no longer having to have Ohio SR22 insurance by following the state requirements.

In Ohio, SR22 insurance and a SR22 bond are used interchangeably to mean a special “high risk” insurance coverage that you may be require to have if you are caught doing something illegal while driving. This type of insurance only covers the individual that must have it and offers at least the Ohio state minimum requirements of 25/50/25 ($25,000/$50,000 bodily injury liability coverage and $25,000 property damage liability coverage).

Why Would You Need Ohio SR22 Insurance?

An Ohio SR22 bond is usually needed because you have been caught doing the following:

  • Driving while intoxicated
  • Driving under the influence
  • Driving without car insurance
  • Driving recklessly
  • Any other illegal driving action that will get your license suspended

However, just because you have been caught doing one of the above don’t assume that you will have to go out and get an Ohio SR22 bond. You will be specifically told if you need one by the authorities, and if they don’t say anything then you are off the hook.

Meeting Ohio SR22 Requirements

To meet the Ohio SR22 requirements, you must contact an insurance company to have them file the SR22 paperwork with the Bureau of Motor Vehicles for you. An insurance company will file this paperwork for you after you apply for an Ohio SR22 insurance policy/bond with them and pay for it.

How Much is SR22 Insurance in Ohio?

The cost of SR22 insurance in Ohio will vary from one insurance company to the next. So don’t settle with the first insurance company or agency you get a quote from, call around to get multiple quotes before you decide. You never know which company is going to be the one to offer you’re the cheap SR22 insurance you are looking for.

How Long Do You Need to Meet Ohio SR22 Requirements?

You will be required to have an Ohio SR22 bond for 3-5 years. The amount of time will depend on what you did to be required to carry the SR22 insurance in Ohio in the first place.

If you allow your SR22 insurance to cancel with your insurance company, they are required by law to notify the state that you no longer have it. The state will then contact you in regards to the new penalties and fines that you are now responsible for. Your time period of being required to have an Ohio SR22 bond/insurance policy will also more than likely be extended if you allow this to happen.

Pennsylvania SR22 Insurance

Written by Michele Wilmonen. Posted in Research Last Updated: 12/24/2014

Pennsylvania SR22 Insurance is not required in the state.

pennsylvania car insurance

There are is Pennsylvania SR22 insurance for drivers to worry about.

While the State of Pennsylvania does require that it’s drivers carry car insurance in order to drive, there is no required Pennsylvania SR22 Insurance if you get in trouble behind the wheel.

However, do not take this as the state giving you a free pass to do whatever you want behind the wheel. They still have plenty of other penalties and fines to take the place of not having SR22 insurance in Pennsylvania.

Illinois SR22 Insurance

Written by Michele Wilmonen. Posted in Research Last Updated: 11/29/2014

Don’t neglect your Illinois SR22 insurance or you could lose your driving privileges.

Illinois SR22 insurance gives you another chance to be able to drive, instead of automatically losing your driver's license.

Illinois SR22 insurance gives you another chance to be able to drive, instead of automatically losing your driver’s license.

Instead of automatically losing their driver’s license when they make a mistake behind the wheel, Illinois SR22 insurance offers drivers a 2nd chance to still be able to drive. Also known as a Financial Responsibility Certificate, SR22 insurance allows a driver to show the state that they can be a responsible driver during an allotted amount of time, similar to probation.

However, if a driver fails to follow the Illinois SR22 insurance requirements, the consequences are immediate and severe.

Why Would You Need Illinois SR22 Insurance?

If you need SR22 insurance in Illinois, the state will very clearly let you know. Most people that need an SR22 certificate because they have one or more of the following:

  • Three or more convictions for mandatory insurance violations
  • Safety responsibility suspensions
  • Unsatisfied judgment suspensions
  • Mandatory insurance supervisions
  • Revocations

Again, the state will advise you if you need SR22 insurance. So even if you do have one of the above, you don’t have to go out and get Illinois SR22 insurance quotes until you are told that you need to have it.

What Types of Illinois SR22 Insurance Are There?

SR22 insurance or Financial Responsibility Certificates are available in three different forms depending on which one meets your needs and satisfies your SR22 requirement from the state:

  1. Operator’s Certificate — covers the motorist operating a non-owned vehicle.
  2.  Owner’s Certificate — covers vehicles owned by the driver.
  3.  Operators-Owners Certificate — covers all vehicles owned or non-owned by the driver

How Much is SR22 Insurance in Illinois?

Illinois SR22 insurance can only be purchased through an insurance company that is authorized to write SR22 insurance in Illinois and also has a power of attorney on file with the state.  Because the insurance company does all the work of writing your policy, submitting the required request for an SR22 certificate with the state, and notifies the state of the status of your SR22 insurance for the time period that you have to have it they are the ones that decide how much to charge you for it.

This charge will vary from one insurance company to the next.

How Long Do You Need SR22 in Illinois?

If you are notified that you have to have an SR22 filing, you will have to have it for 3 years. If at any time you let your Illinois SR22 insurance expire, your driver’s license will be immediately suspended as soon as the state finds out.

Florida SR22 and FR44 Insurance

Written by Michele Wilmonen. Posted in Research Last Updated: 12/24/2014

Florida SR22 insurance is not the only Certificate of Financial Responsibility in the state.

florida sr22 insurance

You don’t have to choose between Florida SR22 insurance and Florida FR44 insurance, you will be told which one you need.

Depending on what driving troubles you have found yourself in, you may be required by the state of Florida to either have Florida SR22 insurance or Florida FR44 insurance.

So what’s the difference between these two insurance filings?

SR22 insurance is required in the state of Florida if you have been:

  • Caught driving without Florida car insurance
  • Caused a car accident and did not have Florida car insurance
  • Failed to satisfy a court judgment that resulted from an accident

FR44 insurance is a much more serious insurance filing and is required if you have been:

  • Convicted of driving under the influence

Additional Florida Car Insurance Coverage

In addition to purchasing SR22 insurance, you also have to carry a minimum amount of car insurance. For a Florida SR22, the minimum amount of car insurance is:

  • $10,000/$20,000 bodily injury
  • $10,000 property damage coverage

A Florida FR44 filing, however, requires a much higher base insurance coverage than an SR22 or even state minimum requirements. Because of the underlying reason of having to have an FR44 filing in Florida, you now have to carry:

  • $100,000/$300,000 bodily injury coverage
  • $50,000 in property damage coverage

The Cost of SR22 Insurance in Florida

Just like with regular car insurance, the cost of Florida SR22 insurance and FR44 insurance will vary from one insurance company to another. So when you are calling around for Florida SR22 insurance quotes don’t agree to purchase the first quote you receive. Call around to a number of different insurance companies and agencies to find which one can offer you the best premium.

Meeting the SR22 Insurance Requirements in Florida

Once you are required to have Florida SR22 auto insurance or FR44 auto insurance you usually have to keep it active for three years. Three years is the general requirement, but depending on the circumstances of why you have to have it, the amount of time can be more or less. You will be advised as to how long you will need to keep it, so don’t worry about having to guess.

In addition to making sure you have your Florida SR22 insurance and Florida FR44 insurance, your car insurance agent will be able to help you meet all other requirements, as well as submit the required electronic filings to the state of Florida for you.

 

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Car Insurance Guidebook Unravels the Car Insurance Mystery

Unless you work in the car insurance industry, the topic is probably a mystery to you. The words deductible, comprehensive, collision, liability, premium, loss of use and bodily injury are all gibberish when they reach your ears.

Unfortunately, insurance is something that you are required to have by law if you want to drive. Because of how confusing it is many people go around in almost an insurance daze while they get car insurance quotes from the auto insurance companies that they have heard of. In reality, they are completely lost as to what they are actually buying.

Instead of looking at what each insurance company offers in the terms of protection for both themselves and their car, they are instead looking for cheap car insurance. Finding the cheapest car insurance coverage makes having to buy the required product all that much less painful, but misses the whole point of having insurance.

Learning about insurance through your insurance agent or websites like Car Insurance Guidebook will give you the upper hand when you looking for car insurance. You can take your knowledge and not only find the best price for insurance, you can use it to find really great insurance to protect you and your assets. Then you aren’t stuck settling for just average car insurance that can hurt you financially if you ever need it because there isn’t enough protection.

For example, when looking for insurance the car insurance rates are just the first of many factors that need to be taken into account when you are shopping around for car insurance. You also need to take into account the type of vehicle that you are driving. Many people don’t know this.

Are you driving around a vehicle that is a new sedan and can be protected under any blanket insurance policy? Or do you have an old car that you fixed up that needs special protection and could be better covered under classic car insurance?

Don’t just assume that when you compare car insurance that it will be a one-size-fits-all policy. This is where the insurance knowledge will come in handy; you will know what you need to protect yourself and your vehicle.

You will understand what your insurance agent is talking about when they use insurance terms and you will actually be able to make an informed decision. This is much better for you instead of the “nod and smile” approach people take in their insurance agent’s office.

Also just like your life changes your insurance needs will change. This year you may just need to learn about the best deductible to have. Next year you may need to educate yourself on car insurance for young drivers. As the years pass, motorcycle insurance may be something you will need to know.

Many wise people say that you never stop learning, so take their advice and educate yourself on the insurance that you spend a lot of money on and can’t get away with not having.