What factors in cost of auto insurance?

[Achilleslastand]

Here are some that i knew of..
Age
Driving record
Martial status
Zip code
Make/model of vehicle
Engine displacement of vehicle
But someone the other day told me they also factor in the weight of the vehicle. Meaning that the more your vehicle weights the more damage it will do on impact and therefore they can charge you more.

[Roadhawg]

Credit rating is also a factor

[BBatesokc]

How far you drive to/from work will effect it. Also your type of job can effect it.

Also, they used to ask if you had a radar detector, if you said "yes" then your rate could be effected. They may not do that question anymore though.

[stick47]

I think the main one was missed. Number of claims. Not necessarily meaning the number of at fault accidents. Any claim such as broken windshield will count. I also know that on homeowners policies that some firms are cancelling those with 3 clams within a certain time period. And BTW, my neighbors all got new roofs after a hail storm so I had the adjuster come inspect my roof. He said the damage was only to the amount of my deductible. I later discovered that the insurance company counted the roof inspection as a claim even though they didn't pay out any on it. Best to let small things go and not contact the insurance man if you can take care of it out of pocket. I have a feeling those claims affect your credit rating too.

[kevinpate]

level of shared risk, e.g., where you set limits, deductibles.
number of vehicles insured
grades (younger drivers)
other products purchased through the company.

[BBatesokc]

I think the main one was missed. Number of claims. Not necessarily meaning the number of at fault accidents. Any claim such as broken windshield will count. I also know that on homeowners policies that some firms are cancelling those with 3 clams within a certain time period. And BTW, my neighbors all got new roofs after a hail storm so I had the adjuster come inspect my roof. He said the damage was only to the amount of my deductible. I later discovered that the insurance company counted the roof inspection as a claim even though they didn't pay out any on it. Best to let small things go and not contact the insurance man if you can take care of it out of pocket. I have a feeling those claims affect your credit rating too.

(speaking home, not auto insurance) Same thing happened to us. Neighbors all got new roofs. I called a roofer to come look at mine. They said I needed a new roof. Adjuster showed up and said I didn't. Called two other roofers and they both agreed with the adjuster that my damage was minor and the first roofer was just trying to get the job.

Farmers considered it a claim. You have a couple in a certain period of time and they dump you.

[BBatesokc]

We also did the defensive driving school and signed up for some newsletter and saved 12%.

[stick47]

Could you elaborate on the driving school Brian? Sounds like a good idea.

[BBatesokc]

Call your insurance and see if they honor that discount. You have to go to the state backed class. Its just a weekend and pretty simple stuff. I forget what it costs, maybe $50. I went several years ago, so I don't know if its changed.

[okcisok]

Some Rating factors: (different companies do different things)
Age
Sex
Territory (that is, where do you live? City, rural, etc)
Year/Make/model of vehicle
COST NEW of vehicle. Not what you paid for it but what it cost new. The amount on the title. This helps determine what the physical damage premium will be.
Driving record
Past claims
How vehicle is driven: to and from work, pleasure only. How many miles.
Credit report
Then sometimes credits are given for: drivers training, multi-car, claims free, defensive driving school, etc

[BBatesokc]

Makes a huge difference if you put your teen on their own car or simply add them to a car as a driver.

Geico actually suggested that to me when we bought our teen an SUV. They did tell me if he got into an accident he'd have to then get his own insurance. Worked fine for the few years he lived at home.

[kevinpate]

Makes a huge difference if you put your teen on their own car or simply add them to a car as a driver.

Geico actually suggested that to me when we bought our teen an SUV. They did tell me if he got into an accident he'd have to then get his own insurance. Worked fine for the few years he lived at home.

Works until there are equal # cars and drivers, then it might or might not, dependent on the company. As to get their own policy post-accident, all three of mine were in 1 or more accidents during their 16-19 phase. Only one incident of the bunch was assessed as my child at fault (was too close and turned her low nose car into a fancy lift kit for a jeep that had stopped to make a turn. Our company did not change anything other than drop the accident free discount as to the child. After they married and set new households the two eldest switched to their own new family policies. The youngest, 19, a FT student at CFNI in TX, remains under our coverage.


Oh, while we are talking insurance, if you do not carry medical payments coverage folks, talk to your agents about it. Just saying.

[BBatesokc]

Worked for us and we had three in our household and three cars. Agent acted like it was fine by them. When ours moved out at 19 he had to get his own policy (house rules).

[Midtowner]

Some companies also give you a discount for being a professional, e.g., lawyer, teacher, doctor.

To piggyback on what Mr. Pate said, if you aren't carrying UM in Oklahoma, you are insane.

[kevinpate]

Oh, definitely UM as well. However, I was specifically making a pitch for Medical Payments coverage in addition to Liability and Uninsured/Under Insured coverages. It's not an expensive coverage, but I've seen it make a monster size difference for some folks, some kin, some not.

[SoonerDave]

Some companies also give you a discount for being a professional, e.g., lawyer, teacher, doctor.

To piggyback on what Mr. Pate said, if you aren't carrying UM in Oklahoma, you are insane.

Midtowner, could you elaborate on that re UM?

[Achilleslastand]

Back to my OP though if you are insuring a vehicle that weights more shouldnt the vehicle hold up better in an accident as opposed to a vehicle that weights only 2400 lbs?

[Midtowner]

Midtowner, could you elaborate on that re UM?

Uninsured Motorist. It's kind of self-explanatory. If the person who hits you doesn't have insurance or doesn't have enough insurance, your insurance company will pick up the tab. Too often in the personal injury cases I handle, we're dealing with very serious injuries, but the at-fault party only has minimal insurance and no assets to go after. Also, if you're involved in a serious multi-car accident, with our new joint and several liability rules, without UM, you're going to be in for a long fight as everyone's insurance company disclaims fault and wants to fight things out in court.

[Jon27]

Uninsured Motorist. It's kind of self-explanatory. If the person who hits you doesn't have insurance or doesn't have enough insurance, your insurance company will pick up the tab. Too often in the personal injury cases I handle, we're dealing with very serious injuries, but the at-fault party only has minimal insurance and no assets to go after. Also, if you're involved in a serious multi-car accident, with our new joint and several liability rules, without UM, you're going to be in for a long fight as everyone's insurance company disclaims fault and wants to fight things out in court.

Mid, what limits do you recommend for UM/UIM? I have the minimum 25/50 because it's expensive (probably because the number of uninsured's.) Going to 100/300 is an additional $57 every 6 months. What about medical payments? Are they worth paying for that coverage? I have enough to cover my coinsurance max on my health plan, but I put enough in an HSA for that every year. I don't know if it's worth paying the $25 every 6 months for a coverage I already have. What's your opinion?

[kevinpate]

I'm not Mid, but here is some info.

You can have UM that meets or is less than your liability coverage limits, but you can not have more than the liability coverage limits.

If the added nine and change a month is a budgetary concern for going to 100/300, your provider likely has something in between that level and your current level of coverage.

As to medical payments coverage, it's extremely cheap coverage in my opinion. Having seen how fast bills can arise from an auto accident on multiple occasions, it's not a coverage I ever see going without again.

[Jon27]

I'm not Mid, but here is some info.

You can have UM that meets or is less than your liability coverage limits, but you can not have more than the liability coverage limits.

If the added nine and change a month is a budgetary concern for going to 100/300, your provider likely has something in between that level and your current level of coverage.

As to medical payments coverage, it's extremely cheap coverage in my opinion. Having seen how fast bills can arise from an auto accident on multiple occasions, it's not a coverage I ever see going without again.

After I posted this, I checked. There is a 50/75 option that is about $25 more. The med pay coverage covers the same as the health insurance, and I have the money to cover my out of pocket max always put away in my HSA. That's why I'm wondering if the added expense is worth it.

[Midtowner]

Worth it. Trust me. I've seen WAY too many cases where I have a client who has to settle tens of thousands of dollars short because the worthless defendant doesn't have enough coverage. As much as our minimum coverage is in Oklahoma, I haven't ever seen a case where minimum coverage was sufficient. Of course, those cases probably don't end up involving me, but 10/20/10 is ridiculously low considering what kind of damage the average accident causes.

[BBatesokc]

Worth it. Trust me. I've seen WAY too many cases where I have a client who has to settle tens of thousands of dollars short because the worthless defendant doesn't have enough coverage. As much as our minimum coverage is in Oklahoma, I haven't ever seen a case where minimum coverage was sufficient. Of course, those cases probably don't end up involving me, but 10/20/10 is ridiculously low considering what kind of damage the average accident causes.

Yeah, my cousin was hit by a drunk Langston student about 7am one morning while she was out jogging in Edmond. Flipped her over the car. He then crashed into a tree. Fortunately she had no internal injuries, just bruises and scrapes. Still the hospital bill for less than 24 hours was huge. Even though the turd lived with his parents in their $700,000 home, he only had state minimum coverage and the medical bills alone were more than that. Luckily my cousin had her own UUM coverage and it kicked in about 4-5x as much as the guy who actually hit her.

[SoonerDave]

Uninsured Motorist. It's kind of self-explanatory. If the person who hits you doesn't have insurance or doesn't have enough insurance, your insurance company will pick up the tab. Too often in the personal injury cases I handle, we're dealing with very serious injuries, but the at-fault party only has minimal insurance and no assets to go after. Also, if you're involved in a serious multi-car accident, with our new joint and several liability rules, without UM, you're going to be in for a long fight as everyone's insurance company disclaims fault and wants to fight things out in court.

Thanks Mid...I knew what UM was in general, but I thought there was some particular gotcha I might not know about. It infuriates me merely as a matter of principle that I have to end up buying insurance to cover all the deadbeats who won't...but I suppose that's another discussion.

[OKCTalker]

Large insurance companies are rolling out products that track motorists' driving habits and then quote coverage rates accordingly. If you're a "hell bent for leather" type, then you've got a higher rate. If you're a docile, low-mileage motorist, your rate will be lower. Here's a bit about Progressive Insurance company's "Snapshot" program:

Drivers plug a device the size of a garage door opener into the on-board diagnostic (OBD) port of their car. The device records and sends the driving data to Progressive, and Progressive uses that information to calculate the rate. After 30 days, customers find out if they’re eligible for a discount – up to 30 percent – based on that 30-day “snapshot” of their driving habits. At the end of a six-month policy period, Progressive calculates the customer’s renewal discount and customers return the device to Progressive. Drivers’ rates can’t go up with Snapshot. And the discount is not based on location or speed. The device does not have GPS and the company doesn’t take into account how fast the car goes. Snapshot is voluntary and customers can opt out at any time.