Smart Auto Insurance Blog

Chicago car insurance quotes are managed by Illinois State Law according to the article “New Minimum State Requirements for Chicago Auto Insurance Quotes” by Cathy Wilson on youronlineinsurance.com.  Some of the mandatory coverage options are discussed in the article.

Car insurance continues to be mandatory in Chicago so anyone driving must be covered.  Liability coverage is also mandatory.  This covers the driver for injuries to other people, other cars and property.  The minimum liability is at $20,000 per driver in a car accident.  The max coverage is $40,000 and property damage excluding the car caps at $15,000.

Illinois drivers who are not insured properly or not insured at all will be responsible for the costs from the injuries up to the state minimum liability amounts.  They may also be responsible for damages that are not covered.  It’s important to be familiar with all of the driver and insurance laws in your state if you plan on operating a vehicle.  They can change from year to year as well, so keep up with the changes. It’s a good idea to periodically get Illinois auto insurance quotes as well.

There are many myths out there about what may or may affect your car insurance quotes.  Although each company has different criteria for determining rates, in general there are 6 myths out there that are commonly misunderstood.  The article “Car Insurance Myths” in the news section of www.canada.com discusses them in further detail.

It is often thought that the color of your car will affect your car insurance quote, but most companies do not factor this in.  Some think that a 2 door car will automatically cost more to insure but that is not necessarily true.  If the car is more expensive to repair then your quote will be higher.  Bigger cars and more expensive cars are often quoted higher, but it doesn’t have anything to do with how many doors the car has.  Parking tickets do not generally count against you when getting a quote.

Speeding tickets can affect your rate, but not as much as some think.  First time offenders may have no change in their rates at all, and repeat offenders may be surprised to see their rate barely increase.  It’s often thought that only high risk drivers should shop around but this is not the case.  Regardless of your driving record it can save you to shop around since every company has different ways of computing rates.

According to the article “Keep Your Teen’s Car Insurance Rate Low” by Beatrice E. Garcia on The Chicago Tribune’s site, car crashes are the number one cause of death among teens in the US.  The fatality rates for teens between 16 and 19 years is 4 times more than those 25-69 years of age.  Based on this staggering statistic it makes sense that car insurance quotes for teen drivers are much higher.

There are some discounts available to teens that are important to be aware of.  Many car insurance companies offer good student discounts to teens with a B average or higher.  There are also discounts given to those with perfect driving records, which includes no moving violations or at-fault accidents for 3 or more years.

There are education courses available for teens and their parents which can make discounts available as well.  Some insurance companies offer discounts up to 25% off the original quote which can mean huge savings.  It’s definitely worth getting educated and understanding what kind of benefits your car insurance company offers your teens.

The Detroit Auto Show recently revealed some upcoming car models that consumers will find much value in and are worth waiting for if you are in the market for a new car.  The article “6 Cars Worth Waiting For” by Peter Valdes-Dapena provided by CNNMoney, found on finance.yahoo.com, describes six of the top hot cars.

The cars discussed include the following:

1. Honda CR-Z
2. Ford Focus
3. Lincoln MKX
4. Mercedes-Benz E-class Cabriolet
5. Ford Mustang GT 5.0
6. Cadillac CTS-V Coupe

According to the article “Cheap Car From India Could Cost $8,000 in US” by Tom Krisher found on autos.yahoo.com, the world’s cheapest car is coming to the US market.  Unfortunately, once India’s Tata Nano is redesigned to meet emissions and safety standards, the US price will be going up.

The Tata Nano should be ready for distribution within the next 3 years and it is unknown exactly how much the car will cost.  In India, the car costs the equivalent of $2500, making it the world’s cheapest car.  Warren Harris, who is the Tata Technologies president, says the price will be more in the US and it’s estimated by some to be around $8,000.

Even $8,000 is a very affordable car by American standards.  Currently, according to the Edmunds.com automobile website, the cheapest new car on the US market is the Hyundai Accent at about $9970, so $8,000 is very competitive.  This also translates to lower car insurance quotes for those who buy this car since it will be cheaper to replace the car if it is damaged.

According to the article “New Year May Provide Opportunities to Save on Auto Insurance” found on the Sun Herald’s website, consumers should be aware of some personal changes that will come with the new year to obtain lower auto insurance quotes.

The first change discussed is an increase in your age.  Many companies offer lower rates with the more driving experience you have.  Also, if you have a driving violation on your record, your rates may get better with each passing year.  Eventually those violations will fall off your record and affect your quotes.  If you have gotten married it’s worth reevaluating your auto insurance rate since many companies view married couples less risky.

Another benefit to passing time is the depreciation of your automobile.  The less your car is worth the less your auto insurance rates usually are.  Once your car has reached a certain value it may be worth considering to drop your collision insurance and just keeping your liability insurance to save money.  Companies such as Eastwood Insurance incorporate all of these variables into determining your quotes, so shopping around in the new year may be well worth your time.

According to the article “How Does Cell Phone Use Affect A Cheap Car Insurance Quote?” by Sharon Gibson on youronlineinsurance.com, cell phone safety is a major concern for law enforcement.  More and more traffic incidents are caused by people talking and texting on their cell phones.  Cell phone usage is a huge distraction and directly affects your driving.

More and more auto insurance companies are offering discounts to drivers who are willing to drive safer.  You may get a discount for having a cell phone disabling system which is a device which blocks calls as well as text messages while you are operating the car.  Some companies will flat out ask you what your driving habits are in regards to cell phones.  Your answer may directly affect your car insurance quotes.

In today’s busy world it is becoming increasingly harder to put down the cell phone or personal digital assistant.  It’s important to realize the impact driving while using your phone can have.  Not only are you more likely to be an unsafe driver but it could end up costing you hundreds of dollars in insurance premiums over the years.

According to the article “AG Urges Changes In Auto Insurance” by Robert Weisman on boston.com, Massachusetts Attorney General’s office issued a report claiming that managing competition in the auto insurance system, started back in 2007, is not working.

The new system has attracted more auto insurance companies to the state, but Massachusetts auto insurance quotes are starting to factor in socioeconomic factors that aren’t related to driving record and this is concerning many.  The AG also faults the state Division of Insurance for not providing data to compare auto insurance quotes and make it easier for Massachusetts residents to shop around.

Attorney General Martha Coakley is afraid that consumers are not getting the best deal on their auto insurance rates.  She wants to initiate a few changes to better the system, such as requiring insurance companies to justify their discount rating system when determining their auto insurance quotes.  She would also like a Massachusetts website made readily available to residents to compare MA rates easily online.  The new system has showed mixed results, so it’s still to be determined how everything will pan out.

There are still many critics out there unsure of the pay-as-you-drive program being offered by some auto insurance companies.  But according to the article “Car Insurance For Less, and Less Driving” there may be some big savings involved for drivers across the country.

The article cites a study from 2008 by The Brookings Institution that says that if all drivers in the US bought auto insurance per mile, 2 out of 3 policies would save on average $270 a year.  This translates to big savings for drivers so it’s worth looking into if you are shopping for car insurance quotes.

GMAC offers a discount up to 54% to customers who end up driving less than 2,500 miles in a 6 month period.  These drivers have the On-Star system in their car which tracks the mileage.  Those who drive less than 15,000 miles are also eligible for a discount.  You can get a discount up to 26% for the particular premium period if you drive between 7,501-10,000 miles per the premium period.  The On-Star system can cost between $199-$299 so this can offset some of the savings you earn from driving less.

According to the article “Nationwide Debuts Second iPhone App” by Dianna Dilworth on DMNews.com, Nationwide has two applications that you can download onto your iPhone to make your life easier.

The first application, called Nationwide Mobile, launched back in April of 2009.  It lets Nationwide customers obtain information about their auto insurance policies and file claims by using the iPhone camera.  That application has been downloaded about 82,000 times and over 200 claims have been started through this process.

The second application just launched this week, called Cartopia.  This application has the purpose of helping consumers shop for new and used cars easily through their phone.  Both of these unique iPhone applications were created by the interactive agency Rosetta.

If these types of conveniences appeal to you, you can get Nationwide auto insurance quotes online.