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3 tips for college students buying car insurance

There are several things college students need to know before they buy car insurance. Considering that insurance for young drivers can be very expensive, they should definitely try and get a discount, but they have to know which requirements they might have to meet in order to be eligible for a discount. One thing that can help them get a discount, that can be as high as 15%, is make sure they get good grades, and maintain a B average or better. Also, they have to take the numerous factors that may affect their insurance rates into account before they start shopping for insurance.

Determine how much coverage you really need

To do this, you have to know how much you intend to drive, because you can get lower rates if you leave your car at your parent’s house while you are on campus, and only use it when you get back home for holidays or during weekends. Some insurance providers offer resident student discounts to students who don’t drive their cars on a daily basis.

Important factors to consider

Your insurance rates will definitely be affected by the type of car you drive, your driving record, the place you live, and what your grades are like. In order to get the best possible rates, you should try and get your grades up and ensure a good GPA. Furthermore, you should make sure you don’t commit any traffic violations and don’t get involved in accidents, so that you maintain a clean driving record. Also, you should be aware that fast, high-performance sports cars are more expensive to insure, so if you don’t want to spend a fortune on insurance, you should get a sedan or a compact car.

It’s cheaper to stay on your parents’ policy

You will save a lot of money this way, because it costs less to insure two cars under the same policy than it is to cover more than one car under several policies. If your parents have a bundled policy, with various types of coverage, it would be cheaper to add your name to it than it would be to buy a new policy with some of those components that are already included in your parents’ policy.

Car insurance premiums are usually pretty high for college students, as insurance companies consider them to be high risk drivers. This is because they are young, which means they are probably inexperienced drivers, a factor that increases the risk of accidents. Additionally, students are susceptible to many risky driving behaviors, including drunk driving, distracted driving, and drowsy driving which makes them that much more prone to accidents.

That’s why students need to take advantage of every tool for reducing car insurance premiums that is at their disposal, which on top of the above mentioned tips, includes driving a used car, instead of a new one, and completing a defensive driving course. This will help them become safer drivers, and learn how to avoid accidents, which will convince insurance companies to offer them lower premiums.

Author’s bio:

Jordan Perch is an automotive fanatic and “safe driving” specialist. He is a writer forDMV.com, which is a collaborative community designed to help US drivers.

 

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