How To Choose
College Student Car Insurance
By Trish Smith
A car to a college
student is like treasure to a pirate. Having a car at college is a luxury that
not many students get to have
Most students ride
their bikes or walk to class, but if you are one of the few who gets to drive
to campus and take long trips on the weekend, then you have to be prepared for
the responsibility of owning a car. And that means you have to be covered with
student car insurance
Besides tuition and
books, car insurance for students is one of the biggest expenses a student will
pay in college. But if you are careful about choosing your student auto
insurance, you will be able to work the payments into your student budget and
still manage to save money in your savings account
The Basics of Student
Car Insurance
Finding cheap car
insurance for students can be difficult since younger drivers usually have
higher premium payments to make. It has nothing to do with you personally, but
young drivers just tend to make more insurance claims than older drivers, so
insurance companies will charge you more so they can make more money
There are also other
factors that can affect the amount a student will pay for student car
insurance, such as:
·
Age
·
Gender
·
Driving record
·
Location of vehicle
·
Damage history of vehicle
·
Distance driven daily
You can't avoid these
factors when you are applying for student auto insurance, but there are many
ways that you can lower your premium payments. You just need to take the right
steps towards choosing your student insurance.
Tips for Choosing Your
Student Car Insurance
You can't avoid being
young and in college, but there are steps you can take to lower your student
car insurance payments. And even though you want to find an insurance company
that offers car insurance specifically for students, not all of them do, so if
you can't get student car insurance, then follow these tips to get a cheaper
car insurance plan
Shop Around for
Options
Find out as much
information as you can for at least 3 different insurance companies. Compare
their premium quotes and see who has the best benefits for your money
Know Plan Basics
Knowing the basics of
a student car insurance plan is very important in choosing the right kind of
plan for your needs. Not all car insurance for students is the same, but the
parts that make up the plan usually cover the same areas
Here are the six basic
parts of a student car insurance plan
1) Bodily Injury - Covers you for bodily injury you might have
caused to another person
2) Personal Property
Liability - Covers
damage or injury you might have caused to another person's property
3) Collision - Covers you for any type of accident with
another car or with an object like a parking meter or a utility pole
4) Comprehensive - Covers you in case someone steals your car or
something in it, or the weather damages your car. It is best to get both of
these types of student car insurance coverage
5) Personal Injury
Protection (PIP) - Covers
medical costs and any lost wages from a job for the policy holder and any
injured passengers
6) Uninsured Motorist
- Covers
you for accidents with motorists who do not have car insurance. Also covers you
for hit-and-run accidents
Maintain Good Grades
Many insurance
companies offer discounts to students who maintain a B average or higher. Make
sure you bring proof of your grades when you apply for your car insurance
Apply for all
Discounts
Even if you get a
student discount, always apply for any discount that the insurance company is
offering. Most insurance companies will offer you a great deal if you purchase
multiple insurance plans together, like car and renter's insurance, and they
might even offer you a family discount if you sign up for the same insurance as
your family members
Buy the Right Car
Before you even get
student car insurance, you need to get a car that is right for you. Car
insurance is often based on a car's safety probability, so high speed sports
cars and smaller cars have a greater risk of damage. They are also more likely
to be targeted by thieves, so you should buy a more practical car with good gas
mileage and reliability rather than a car that costs more than your entire
student budget
Walk or Bike More,
Drive Less
Even if you have a
car, that doesn't mean you have to use it everyday. If you live on campus and
you're close to class, either walk or ride a bike and save on gas money. Some
insurance companies will give you a low-mileage car insurance deduction if you
drive below a certain number of miles each year, so save your long-distance car
driving for the weekends
Increase Your
Deductible
If you increase your
deductible - the amount you pay towards a claim before your insurance company
pays - then you can save from 15% to 40% on your student car insurance premium
Install
Secure/Anti-Theft Devices
If your car's seat
belts and airbags don't' work, you should get them fixed as soon as possible.
Also, if you don't have an alarm system, get one installed. The safer you are
against accidents and burglaries, then the less your car insurance company will
have to pay and the less you'll have to pay to them
Be a Safe Driver
The most important
step you can take towards lowering your student auto insurance is to be a safe
driver. The fewer driving violations and auto accidents that you have the more
money you will save with your car insurance. That means you should never drink
and drive, you should park your car in a safe area or in a garage and you
should always maintain the proper speed limit
College should be both
a fun and safe experience, so if you have a car and use it as part of your
daily routine, always have student car insurance for protection
Trish Smith is a
copywriter for Green Student U, Student Finance Domain and Study Abroad Domain, websites that are devoted to providing college students with
helpful environmental, financial and study abroad advice
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