USAA just performed their second annual study of the vehicles offering consumers the Best Value.  In Online Auto Insurance News’s article, “Four Cars Noted for Low Insurance Costs in USAA Best Value List,” Charles Nguyen gives the list of the sixteen new cars giving consumers the Best Value.  USAA takes many factors into account when making their list including auto insurance premiums, fuel economy, vehicle cost, and safety ratings.

There is a top car listed in sixteen different categories.  In order, the best value large, medium, and small sedans were the Dodge Charger, the Toyota Camry hybrid, and the Hyundai Elantra.  The Hyundai Genesis and Volvo S60 were the best large and midsize luxury sedans.  The SUV category was also broken up in large, medium, and small with the winners being the Chevrolet Traverse, the Dodge Journey, and the Kia Sportage.  The Audi Q7 and the Lexus RX 450h hybrid were the top large and midsize luxury SUVs.  The best large and small pickup trucks were the Toyota Tundra 2WD and the Nissan Frontier.  Ford’s Mustang took the best sports car spot and Honda’s CRZ hybrid was the best coupe.  The Nissan Juke took the top spot in the wagon category and the Dodge Caravan was the best minivan.

Auto insurance premiums were a big consideration when looking for the best value of automobiles for USAA’s list.  In combination with the car’s MSRP, reliability, safety ratings, and fuel economy; auto insurance costs are important to consumers.  A full one-third of USAA’s clients went with a Best Value car when they were buying a new 2012 vehicle.  The top 16 vehicles were narrowed down from a list of 80.  On that list, the four cars with the cheapest auto insurance were the Nissan Juke, the Kia Sportage, the Dodge Journey, and the Audi Q7.  Take a look at a Best Value car and see if it will work for your needs.

After years of debate, changes have been finalized for Florida’s PIP auto insurance.  According to Tampa Bay’s Fox 13 News, Jeremy Campbell says “Car insurance changes (are) coming soon.”  Rick Scott, Governor of Florida, signed a bill this week that will take effect on July 1st of this year.  Auto insurance companies and lawmakers have been working for years to battle fraud related to Florida’s Personal Injury Protection (PIP) insurance.  They say that these changes will help to lower auto insurance rates because the fraud was out of control.

What will the new bill change?  First of all, Florida drivers will have to seek medical attention for any injuries related to an automobile crash within fourteen days of the occurrence.  At one point, there was no cap on the amount of time that could lapse between an accident and receiving medical treatment.  Unfortunately, some drivers were abusing the PIP system and seeking treatment for injuries or medical conditions unrelated to the crash quite a time later.

Drivers will also have to seek this medical attention from a certified medical doctor or dentist.  They cannot go to see a chiropractor or a holistic type of healer for care if they have been injured in an automobile accident.  The amount of benefits you can be paid has now been capped at $2,500, unless a certified doctor says that you have an “emergency medical condition.”  The cap used to be $10,000, so this is quite a significant change.  If you live in Florida and need to use your PIP insurance, make sure to have your claim documented by a medical professional within fourteen days of your accident.

Men and women are inherently different.  They make different decisions in most facets of life, including choosing a car to drive.  True Car’s Brandy Schaffels just summarized their recent study in “10 cars women love.”  This is the third year such a study has been completed and the results are similar.  The companies with the highest percentages of car sales to women are Mini, Nissan and Kia.  Men, on the other hand, give most of the sales to luxury brands.  Out of the top 20 brands selling the highest percentage to male drivers, 13 of them were either luxury or exotic brands.

Women really think with their brains when shopping for a car.  They are much more likely to purchase a car that is practical, smaller, is fuel efficient, and has better auto insurance rates.  Men are more likely to buy fast cars, big cars and trucks, and sporty vehicles.  The following ten cars had the highest percentage of women buyers in 2011.

Volvo’s S40 has been discontinued in the United States, but women have loved it for its looks, fuel efficiency and fair price.  The Rogue is one of Nissan’s three cars on this list.  Women choose this crossover SUV for its cargo space and roomy interior, as well as affordable price and fuel efficiency.  The Volkswagen Eos convertible is the most luxurious on the women’s list, but is still affordable at under $35,000.  Volkswagen has the next car on the list as well with its Beetle.   This smaller car gets good gas mileage and is very affordable.  Another SUV takes the fifth spot; Hyundai’s Tucson has a great price, good safety features, fuel economy and a nice warranty.

Honda’s CR-V has convenient features, fuel economy, and a top safety rating which could be seen as a bonus by auto insurers like Acceptance Insurance.  The Toyota RAV4 is great for families and very practical, so women flock to it.  Nissan’s Juke is a stylish little car that gets great gas mileage.  The Jeep Compass gives you off-roading capabilities with a smaller price and better fuel economy than its counterparts.  Nissan’s third car on this list, the Versa, is small and practical.  It has a low price tag and great gas mileage, so women who don’t need a lot of extras in their cars love it.  The common denominator for women buying cars seems to be fuel economy and practicality.

Drivers across the United States are feeling the financial strain of high gas prices and are forced to cut costs elsewhere since they can’t directly control the price at the pump.  New York has some of the highest gas prices out there and some local auto insurance experts are working to help drivers in the state reduce prices on their New York auto insurance policies to help ease rising gas costs.  Through a press release, “New York Auto Insurance Experts Hamlin, Robert, and Ridgeway Issue Tips on How to Combat State’s Rising Gas Prices.”

Speak with your auto insurance company and make sure that your policy is current with your insurance needs, but also that you are getting all of the available discounts.  These auto insurance experts offer four tips for you to save money on your auto insurance policy in New York, but these tips are useful in every state.

Some performance vehicles always cost more to insure, so if you are serious about lowering your auto insurance premiums you might want to avoid or get rid of traditionally expensive vehicles.  If you have more than one car, make sure they are insured by the same auto insurance company because you can get big savings by doing that.  It might even be a good idea to go in on a plan with someone else, such as a parent or boyfriend/girlfriend.  See if your insurer offers a discount for keeping your policy with them for a long time.  If so, don’t change carriers unless you must.  Increasing your deductible will lower your auto insurance rates.  Obviously it will put you out more in the case of a claim, but safe driving will greatly reduce the risk that you’ll be in a accident and need to file a claim.

Every little bit of savings helps now, especially with greatly increasing gas prices.  Save money on your auto insurance policies by following these tips and driving safely.  You can use those savings to put gas in your car!

If you’re looking to save money on your auto insurance, look for an insurance company using DriveFactor.  That is only if you are a good driver of course!  DriveFactor, which used to be known as Crimson Informatics, is a sytem that tracks your driving habits and could save you big money on your auto insurance rates.  According to a company press release, DriveFactor is expanding as more auto insurance companies decide to offer this discount system to their customers.

Mobile technology combines with informatics to monitor your safe driving habits and DriveFactor says that you can save up to 50% off of your auto insurance rates.  Usage-based insurance (UBI) programs are already being used by Progressive, State Farm, Allstate auto insurance and others.  A diagnostic device is placed in the vehicle to monitor everything from speed to distance between other vehicles.  After a specific time period of monitoring, drivers are given a DriveFactor Score.  Those with the highest scores get the highest discounts on their auto insurance.

DriveFactor benefits both drivers and auto insurance companies.  It is very cost-effective for auto insurance companies and allows them to offer discounts to drivers they know are less likely to drive dangerously and take risks.  Use of DriveFactor can give auto insurers quite an advantage in their industry and it also saves drivers money, which makes them happy.  The information gathered is really the best way to accurately price car insurance for customers.  DriveFactor is available in the United States and Europe right now, but will likely expand even farther in the future.

Without even realizing it, many people face an unexpected one-day lapse in their auto insurance coverage when changing insurance companies.  The way that most companies work, their insurance policies end at 12:01AM and begin at the same time.  If you canceled your auto insurance with one company on the 1st of a month and had your new company begin insurance on the 2nd of a month, you probably didn’t even realize that you went 24 hours uncovered.  An easy way to correct this is to overlap coverage by a day or two just to remain safe, but consequences could follow if you don’t.

According to KOLO TV’s Terri Russell in Reno, the “DMV Overlooks One-Day Insurance Lapse” now.  This happened after a man in Reno was bombarded with notices telling him that there was a problem with his Nevada auto insurance policy.  He owns six different vehicles and had a one-day lapse in coverage after switching auto insurance companies.  For quite awhile, he was receiving certified mail almost daily from Nevada’s DMV.  The letters said that he would have to pay a $250 fee per vehicle to have his registrations reinstated because of his one-day lapse.

The news station contacted the DMV since the man nor his insurance company were able to get anywhere with the government agency.  They said that this does happen frequently because of the way that auto insurance companies write their policies.  Nevada’s DMV has made a big change because of this and other cases of the one-day lapse.  They are now overlooking any 24-hour gaps in auto insurance, but only those of 24-hours.  It almost always means that two insurance companies canceled and began a driver’s auto insurance policy at 12:01AM on different days.  It’s nice to see an agency using some common sense!

In Louisiana, auto insurance checkpoints will probably have to be announced ahead of time by police departments.  According to “La. wants public advance notice for insurance checkpoints,” Charles Nguyen of Online Auto Insurance says that HB 713 is moving onto the state House after passing through the Committee on Transportation, Highways, and Public Works.  This proposal would make police announce any checkpoints on a local news or radio broadcast, as well as transferring all of the same guidelines for current checkpoints to Louisiana auto insurance checkpoints.

Current checkpoints are used to look for those driving under the influence, make sure drivers are wearing seatbelts and have registered, insured vehicles.  Police need to use signs and flares as well as public notifications of their checkpoints.  They also have to have a non-field officer submit paperwork for the times, location, and duration of any checkpoints.  Police are required to perform all checkpoints in a timely manner so that no one has their time wasted.  They also have to use some type of system for stopping motorists, rather than stopping them at random.

As Louisiana police check more for auto insurance policies for drivers, lawmakers and insurance companies hope that the state will have fewer uninsured motorists.  They already have a policy called “no pay, no play.”  Motorists who don’t carry their own auto insurance policies cannot get payment for the first $15,000 of bodily injury or $25,000 of property damages, even if they were not at fault.  It really does pay to have auto insurance coverage, whether you are worried about getting in trouble at a checkpoint or losing payment in an accident.

A system is in place for Michigan’s auto insurance that is different from any other state in the United States.  Their drivers get unlimited lifetime medical benefits for any injuries related to a crash.  According to a PR Web press release, the price that auto insurance companies pay to maintain that coverage will be going up.  In order to lessen the burden caused by this mandatory unlimited lifetime medical coverage, the state of Michigan introduced the Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association 33 years ago.  This group refunds auto insurance companies any amount they have paid in medical claims over $500,000.

Companies currently pay $145 per year for every automobile they insure to the MCCA.  This premium is going to increase 21% to $175 this July.  The MCCA currently operates with a large deficit and an increase in claims they will have to pay out is expected.  They have paid out on 28,000 claims worth close to $85 billion since the MCCA was founded.

In states other than Michigan, each policyholder chooses the amount of medical coverage they will carry and only pays their insurer for that coverage limit.  The lifetime medical benefits provided in Michigan put a big strain on auto insurance companies and the MCCA, but the yearly cost they pay the MCCA is passed right down to Michigan drivers.  Many lawmakers are trying to get a limit placed on the amount of compensation that can be received from one claim, but that has yet to happen.  Michigan’s unique auto insurance system definitely costs a lot of money, but can benefit many claimants.

Two companies are raising their Pennsylvania auto insurance rates, according to Matthew Morisset of Online Auto Insurance News.  In “Nationwide, Erie raising rates for some Pennsylvanians,” we learn that customers with certain good ratings will not see increases.  The Pennsylvania Insurance Department made the rate filings public for Nationwide and Erie’s projected increases.

Nationwide auto insurance operates three companies within Pennsylvania, but only one of them is currently writing new business.  Nationwide Affinity will be raising rates 7.9% for 202,000 new and existing customers.  Just last September, their customers saw average rate increases of 5%.  Customers renewing their policies with Nationwide Insurance Company of America will see an average increase of 6%, while Nationwide Mutual customers will see their rates increase 1.9%.  While the three companies will increase their money coming in by $18.04 million, $7.98 million, and $5.88 million respectively, their costs and payouts have skyrocketed as well.

Erie Insurance Company will be increasing rates 2.9% for their new and existing customers.  This will effect 16,900 people starting April 1.  Erie Insurance Exchange customers will actually see a small decrease of .1% in their rates.  This gives 823,000 drivers something to smile about and will decrease cash inflows to the company by $528,000.  If your auto insurance company is changing your rates, make sure you know the details and shop around for different coverage if you don’t agree with an increase.

After getting a lot good and bad press over the last year or so, the Chevrolet Volt is out of production right now.  According to CNN Money’s “GM stops Volt production for 5 weeks,” Peter Valdes-Dapena says that the Detroit automaker had to stop their production line.  GM’s supply of the electric car is too high, and they are temporarily laying off 1,300 workers in order to sell down some of their inventory.

Last year, GM wanted to sell 10,000 Chevy Volts but only sold a total of 7,600.  In January of this year, 600 Volts were sold, but there a was a steep increase in February to 1,023.  President Obama said recently that he would buy a Volt approximately 5 years after leaving office, but Chevy could use that sale right about now with the inventory sitting in their dealers’ lots.  The car company had said that their sales were down because supply wasn’t keeping up with demand, but has now admitted that their supply is fine and sales are just lagging.

Auto insurance companies and consumers have been closely watching the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s investigation into battery fires in the Volt.  After all the fuss, it was determined that Volt’s don’t have any more risk than gasoline-powered cars.  GM still made some changes to make the Volt even safer though and offered customers cars to use in the meantime or even refunds of their purchase.  Consumer Reports and many other organizations have given high marks to the Volt, so GM is hopeful its sales will increase and they’ll be back to producing Volts in Detroit in no time.