Car Insurance Hacks That Will Keep Money in Your Pocket

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Opting for a bigger deductible is certainly the easiest way to lower your premiums. Yes, this does mean that you'll have to pay more if something happens, but the long term savings of having a lower premium easily makes up for this. Just make sure that you're keeping enough money in your savings account to meet that deductible at a moment's notice, because you never know when your car is going to get hit by a meteor.

These can be hard to find, but it's certainly a good idea. A mutual insurance company is owned in its entirety by the policy holders, so when the company is looking at how much extra money it made this year, it doesn't give that to the rich shareholders, it gives it back to the policy holders (aka you) at either a refund or a future discount. Mutual insurance companies are organized purely for the benefit of the customers, so it's certainly a good idea to seek one out.

That Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution looks like an amazing amount of performance for a fair price until you factor in the insurance costs. Be sure to factor this into your research, even though it's a real pain in the ass to get all those quotes, and then get all that junk mail.

Virtually no companies only offer one kind of insurance anymore, and all of them want more of your business. Because of this, you can get multiple-policy discounts, so be sure to do thorough research before picking a company and get your homeowner's/renter's insurance, car insurance, and perhaps even individual health and life insurance in one place. 

Yes, it hurts to hand over six months worth of insurance premiums in one go, but you get a sizable discount for doing so. Paying every month may be easier but you're also just giving the company more money than you're really required to. Plan ahead for your payments.

Check to see how much you're paying to having towing and rental cars covered. It's often more than one could expect to spend even with a car that breaks down regularly. You can also save on towing by ditching the insurance agent for a AAA membership, that includes some pre-paid towing and works as a discount card for just about everything.

Your insurance premium is based largely on how much driving you do. A guy who drives 3,000 miles per year is way less likely to get in an accident than a frequent road-tripper who does 25,000 miles per year. Find out what the brackets are, and see if you can make a few changes to get into a lower one.

Some insurers offer discounts to people who have successfully completed a safe driving course of some description. Unfortunately, DirtFish isn't the kind of course they're wanting you to complete, but it could still be an interesting way to save a few bucks.

Yeah, the credit score is slowly evolving into an almighty trustworthiness number, and that means that your auto insurance rate is probably based on it. This means that, no matter how much it sucks, and no matter how irredeemably evil the credit reporting agencies are, you need to play their demented ball game and get any weird mistakes and black marks removed if possible, or at the very least, listed as "paid in full."

Who is going to know more about all of the potential discounts an insurance company offers: you or an insurance agent who went through a mind-numbingly boring training course? Obviously, it's going to be the agent, so call your agent and ask about discounts that you might qualify for. Getting married, having good grades, and blowing the CFO of the company can all work wonders for your premiums.