Smart Auto Insurance Blog

As America becomes more and more environmentally aware, the sales of hybrid cars increase.  According to the press release “Top 10 Most Popular Hybrids Quoted for Auto Insurance in 2009″ found on PRWeb.com, quotes on auto insurance for hybrid cars is the information used in obtaining this list.

The top five most popular hybrid cars based on auto insurance quotes are the following:

1. Toyota Prius
2. Toyota Camry Hybrid
3. Honda Civic Hybrid
4. Ford Escape Hybrid
5. Lexus RX400h

Owning a hybrid may earn you discounts on your auto insurance in addition to saving you on gas costs and helping the environment.  Shop around when you are looking to cover your new hybrid car and ensure you are getting the best deal.

Back in February over 100 car owners were shocked to discover their cars’ computer systems were hacked into according to the article “Does Your Car Insurance Cover Hackers” by Liz Taylor on Cheapercarinsurance.com.  The car owners had their cars uncontrollable honking and some being disabled.  The police have since caught the culprit, but many are left wondering who is going to fix the car’s security system?

The remote, no-start system has pros and cons to begin with.  The high-tech systems allowed car companies to offer loans to higher risk customers because they could simply “turn off” the car if payments weren’t made.  Unfortunately, this may put financial strain on already high-risk customers.  The system allows honking to remind customers of payments due, locating the car if it is hidden, and disabling the ignition to ensure the car cannot be driven.

With this new technology, there is obviously a higher risk for computer hackers messing with cars.  Car insurance companies are being forced to address this issue in their policies and protect their customers from such cases.  Check with your insurer and see if you are protected.  If not, it may be time to shop around for car insurance quotes for a full benefit package, protecting you from this new crime.

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

Owners of hybrid cars can get a discount on their auto insurance for being environmentally friendly according to the article “US Hybrid - Auto Insurance Leader Says Being Green Pays” by Lavonne Kuykendall of Down Jones Newswires. 

Farmers Insurance Group offers their customers driving hybrids a 10% discount which they started back in 2005.  The Senior VP of auto for Farmers, Brian Dwyer, believes it was the responsible thing to do according to this article.  The discount was first offered in California which is home to about 25% of all hybrid cars registered in the US. 

Currently Farmers insures approximately 90,000 hybrids in the US which is about 7% of all hybrids sold in the last ten years.  This is according to research from Edmunds Inc.  Dwyer also pointed out that it’s probably good for auto insurance companies and the country if more drivers switched to hybrid technology which combines the use of gas and electric engines to save on fossil fuels, ultimately protecting the environment.  Edmonds shows that about .8% of cars sold in the US since ‘99 are hybrids and in ‘09 hybrids are up to 2.6% of all cars sold in the US.  This increase may seem small over a decade, but it’s movement in the right direction and is very encouraging.