There are a few questions in life that are more confusing than their answers. The blanket query into whether or not insurance follows the car or the driver in a particular jurisdiction is such a question – one we see regularly. It isn’t a dumb question. It is more like a MENSA brain teaser than a legitimate insurance question, and it is usually the wrong question to ask.

The answer to whether insurance follows the car or driver depends on many variables, most notably the kind of insurance coverage being referred to. There are coverages that follow the car and coverages that follow the driver. In general, auto insurance follows the car instead of the driver, but the specifics of a claim can differ since insurance laws and coverage vary depending on the policy, coverage and state being dealt with.

Liability Coverage
Liability insurance coverage on a personal auto policy follows the driver no matter whose vehicle is being operated, provided it is an eligible vehicle. All states, except for one (New Hampshire), require at least liability coverage. Liability coverage protects the insured (i.e., follows the driver) when the insured operates a vehicle owned by someone else. In such a situation, they will still usually be covered under their own auto insurance policy. However, the best rule of thumb in looking for coverage under a policy is to begin with the exclusions.

While an “insured vehicle” may include a friend’s or neighbor’s vehicle or a rental car, if the vehicle was available for regular use, it might be excluded. A “replacement” vehicle will probably be covered, but in some cases only under circumstances where the insured’s vehicle cannot be operated for some specific reason, such as a repair. Coverage might not follow anyone if the insured is driving a vehicle other than a “private passenger vehicle not owned and listed on the insured’s policy.” There really is no such thing as a standard auto policy anymore and coverage for non-owned autos will be different under some policies and non-existent under others.

Comprehensive and Collision
Comprehensive and collision auto insurance coverage, on the other hand, are tied to the insured vehicle (they follow the car). These coverages pay for damage that befalls the insured vehicle as a result of an accident or vandalism. One could say that if you loan your vehicle, you loan your insurance. With comprehensive insurance which covers almost everything, it is the car rather than the driver that is covered. This, however, requires many stipulations to be put in place, such as who is allowed to drive the car. If someone other than the insured is driving a vehicle covered by comprehensive coverage and is not listed as a covered driver – even if the other person has permission – the other person might not be covered in an accident. Family members (such as children or a spouse) are generally already included in the policy definition of “insured.” However, rarely will insurance cover a driver operating a vehicle without the owner’s permission.

Other Drivers Driving the Insured’s Vehicle
When an insured allows other drivers to drive his vehicle, then, and only then, does the question of whether insurance follows the car or the vehicle become even awkwardly relevant. The right question to be asking is not whether insurance follows the car or the driver, but whether or not other drivers will be covered by the insured’s auto insurance.

Unfortunately, there is no bright line answer to the question, and it depends greatly on the language of the policies involved, the jurisdiction you are concerned with, and the specific facts involved. Permissive use is generally covered under the liability terms of an auto policy. As always, however, there are exceptions.

There are certainly insurance carriers and policies that will not cover any driver not specifically named in the policy. Other relevant facts include where the “other driver” resides and if they are related to the insured. In general, if someone is living in the insured’s household and regularly drives the insured’s vehicle, many insurance carriers expect you to have that person named on the policy. They will need to undergo the same underwriting and qualification process as any other policyholder.

In some cases, if a family member is visiting and has permission from the insured to drive the family vehicle, there will be coverage if there is an accident, but the coverage may be limited. All policies should be reviewed to determine if there are any excluded drivers and any limitations on coverage for anyone driving the car that is not specifically named on the policy.

When the policy of the vehicle owner and the policy of the permissive user have different limits, the matter becomes even more complicated. If the damages caused by the permissive user’s negligence exceed the owner’s liability limits, the policy of the permissive user might be tapped as secondary coverage, but usually only where the permissive user’s liability limits are higher than the owner’s liability limits.

The Insured Driving Someone Else’s Vehicle
In general, insurance coverage for an insured driving someone else’s vehicle is the coverage he carries for his own vehicle. The driver’s personal coverage will apply in most cases when driving a vehicle he does not own. This includes any uninsured motorist coverage he carries and the medical portions of his policy. The driver’s property damage coverage might carry over while driving another’s car as well, depending on the policy language, the respective limits of the two policies involved, and the facts. If a person drives his own vehicle without insurance, he should not expect that he is covered when driving someone else’s vehicle.

Certain factors must be considered in determining if an insured is covered when driving someone else’s vehicle, including the reasons for driving the vehicle, if the insured had permission or not, or if it was a rental or dealership loaner. In each case, the individual circumstances and state law involved will factor into the outcome, but another policy might be considered primary over the insured’s.

When an insured borrows a vehicle from a friend, the insured’s liability coverage usually steps in only when the insured’s policy limits are exceeded. Collision and comprehensive coverage do not apply to a borrowed vehicle. Medical Payments (Med Pay) and Personal Injury Protection (PIP) coverage, as we will see below, also follow the insured into a borrowed vehicle.

Med Pay and Bodily Injury Insurance
Med Pay and bodily injury insurance are two other types of coverage that usually follow the person, not the car. Med Pay coverage pays for any injuries that an insured or his passengers may incur in an accident, regardless of who is at fault. Such coverage usually follows the driver. It is based on people, not the vehicle. In fact, such coverage sometimes covers the insured when he is walking or biking. This coverage also usually follows the driver when he rents a car, because the rental vehicle is a substitute for the insured’s own vehicle. However, Med Pay coverage sometimes follows the car. If the passengers in a vehicle don’t have coverage of their own, Med Pay and PIP coverage can extend to their injuries.

Drivers from Other States
Auto insurance will generally cover a driver from any state as long as he has the insured’s permission to operate the vehicle. However, this isn’t always the case. In all instances, when someone else operates the insured’s vehicle, the auto coverage and policy terms may vary greatly depending on the carrier and insurance options selected by the insured. That said, if an insured is driving a company/commercial vehicle which has Med Pay/PIP coverage, that coverage is usually primary over the driver’s personal auto policy, which will be secondary in terms of coverage. There are some exceptions.

Insurance Coverage When the Insured Is Not Present
In order for insurance to cover an accident when the insured is not present, there will need to be comprehensive auto coverage. The facts of each such case definitely matter. If the driver is a relative, then most likely the absent insured’s insurance will cover the accident. The driver also needs to have had permission, express or implied, or the insured’s insurance may not cover the claim, unless the vehicle was stolen. Individual insurance companies and policies may vary in regard to these rules.

Sub-Standard Policies
Cheap, sub-standard auto carriers write insurance for insureds with bad driving records. They are able to do this by setting their own limited conditions under which they will provide coverage. These sub-standard carriers do not cover claims that would be covered under a more standard policy. These policies can contain “named-driver exclusions” which limit coverage to persons specifically named in the policy. “Step-down” policies often lower liability coverage to a state’s minimum limits for permissive users, even if the insured pays for higher limits. Deductibles can be higher and/or a policy won’t extend coverage to a rental vehicle. Therefore, policy terms vary and directly affect whether a particular coverage follows the car or the driver.

So Does Insurance Follow the Car or the Driver?
As we have seen, this is usually not the right question to ask. However, that won’t prevent inquiring minds from asking – over and over. An answer to the question that isn’t going to be universally correct, therefore, is that insurance that follows the car usually has the vehicle listed in the policy. If anyone who has your permission drives the car, that person is probably covered by virtue of the fact that the car is covered. However, as we’ve seen, this kind of insurance does not cover everyone. There are qualifications for the drivers covered. Other types of coverage such as collision or comprehensive insurance will usually follow the car. These coverages will usually not “follow the driver” to any vehicle which the “covered” driver operates.

Insurance that follows the driver will usually be limited to some form of liability coverage.

When an insured drives someone else’s vehicle, such as a rental car, a dealership loaner, or a friend’s car, he is usually covered for liability insurance. However, other policies which may be deemed “primary” over the insured’s personal auto policy may also come into play.

Therefore, a very basic and often incorrect answer to the wrong question is that auto liability coverage generally follows the driver, while auto physical damage coverage generally follows the vehicle. However, more often than not, you will be asking the wrong question. As long as a driver has the vehicle owner’s permission to operate the vehicle, the owner’s policy will provide coverage no matter who the driver is. The vehicle owner’s policy should cover injuries and property damage. However, exceptions do exist. In most cases, therefore, the right question to ask would be “Is there insurance coverage under these specific facts?”

FAQs on Claims

1. How do I make a claim?

You will need to fill out a Claim Form and submit the completed form together with those documents that are relevant to the nature of your claims and coverage.

2. Are original medical bills/invoices required to support my claim for hospital income and medical expenses reimbursement?

Claims for medical expenses must always be supported with original bills/invoices. For the hospital income claims, you will only need to submit photocopies of the hospital bills indicating the dates of admission and discharge as evidence of the hospitalization period.

3. If my medical expenses are being paid by my employer or are being considered for payment by another insurance company, am I still entitled to seek reimbursement from my medical insurance policy purchased from your company?

As medical claims are always paid on a reimbursement basis, you cannot be paid for any medical expenses that you did not incur personally. If your employer or another insurance policy is paying you in full for the medical expenses incurred, you are not entitled to claim any reimbursement from your medical insurance policy purchased from ACE Jerneh.  

However, if there is any excess amount from the incurred medical expenses which is not paid by your employer or the other insurance policy, you are entitled to claim the excess amount from your medical insurance policy purchased from ACE Jerneh subject to the limits, terms and conditions of the policy.

4. Since medical expenses cover is on a reimbursement basis, why should I purchase another policy from your company when I am already insured with another insurance company or when my employer is paying for my medical expenses?

Besides medical expenses cover, ACE Jerneh’s insurance policies also provide other benefits such as hospital income, disability and death, depending on which policy you purchase. All these benefits are paid in addition to any other coverage that you may already have from your employer or policies you purchased from other insurance companies. Purchasing additional insurance with these benefits gives you additional protection.

5. Does ACE Jerneh provide a guarantee to hospitals for the payment of medical expenses incurred by your policyholders?

All policyholders are required to settle the hospitalization bill upon discharge and to submit the original invoices/bills to ACE Jerneh for reimbursement.

6. How fast does ACE Jerneh settle a claim for Accident and Health policies?

Our benchmark is to issue payment within 5 working days upon receipt of full documentation.

7. How is a death benefit paid under a PA insurance policy?

The death benefit is paid to the beneficiary nominated by the policy owner. In the case where no beneficiary is nominated, the death benefit will be paid to the legal representative of the deceased’s estate or alternatively to Amanah Raya Berhad (the corporatized government trustee) as provided by law.

8. Does your company pay for the cost of the medical report?

No. It is for the claimant to prove his claim with reasonable evidence and at his or her own expense.

9. Under what circumstances can I claim for hospital income?

Provided the reason for your hospitalization is one covered by the policy, a hospital income claim is only paid if the Insured Person is hospitalized for at least 24 hours as an inpatient in a licensed hospital.

10. How soon should a claim be notified?

Some policies may state a specific period to notify of a claim.You are advised to study your policy for the terms and conditions.

11. Does your company recognize traditional treatment?

Only from providers approved and licensed by the Health Ministry.

Auto Claims

1. How fast does ACE Jerneh settle damage repair claims?

Our benchmark is to approve damage repair claims within 3 days for non-severe damage upon receipt of the repair estimate/notification and within 5 days for extensive damage.

2. Can I send my car for repair at any PIAM authorized workshop?

No. you are required to send your car to ACE Jerneh’s appointed workshop or to the franchise workshop.

3. Does ACE Jerneh have panel workshops nationwide?

Yes. Please refer to the workshop panel list provided with your car insurance policy.

4. What is the time frame for notifying a claim?

Under condition 2(a) of the standard motor policy, you are required to notify in writing with full details as soon as possible.

5. What should I do when I am involved in an accident or if my car is stolen, and what documents do I need to submit?

Please refer to the claims guide attached to your motor policy.

6. Does ACE Jerneh pay for consequential loss or for hire of another car as a result of damage to my car in an accident?

No. Currently the standard comprehensive motor insurance policy will pay for the cost of repairs to your vehicle but not for any consequential losses as a result of damage to your car.

7. Does ACE Jerneh pay for the full sum insured in the event my car is rendered a total loss or stolen?

Payment for the total loss or theft of your car is on an indemnity basis. This means that we will pay you the market value prevailing at the time of the loss or up to the sum insured, whichever is lower.

FAQs on E-Payment

“WHY YOU SHOULD CHOOSE TO RECEIVE CLAIM PAYMENTS VIA DIRECT DEPOSIT INTO YOUR BANK ACCOUNT (i.e. “E-PAYMENT”)”?

1. Why should I choose to receive funds via e-payment?

Faster - funds should be available on the 2nd working from the day the payment was approved by the Company’s authorized personnel

Convenient - removes the need to travel and deposit the cheque at the bank as payments are credited directly into your bank account

Safer - misplaced, lost, fraud or expired cheques will no longer be an issue

2. Will there be any registration fee imposed if I want to use e-payment?

No, you can enjoy the service free of ANY charges.

3. What do I have to do to receive funds via e-payment?

You need to complete the Fund Transfer Authorisation Form (“the Form”) and provide your bank account information as stated in the Form when you submit your claims form.

4. What are the required supporting documents if I choose to receive e-payment?

The following original documents are required for verification:

i. National Registration Identity Card (“NRIC”),  passport, or other acceptable identification documents; and

ii. A (a) Beneficiary’s bank statement; OR (b) Relevant page of the bank account showing beneficiary’s name and account number; OR (c) Details of beneficiary’s bank account printed from bank’s website; OR (d) Written confirmation from bank on your bank account details.

5. Is there any restriction on the type of bank account that can be assigned for e-payment?

You can assign any of your existing active saving or current account held under your name or in the case of a joint account that has your name as one of the accountholders. The saving or current account must be maintained with one of the financial institutions offering MEPS Inter-Bank GIRO (IBG) service.

Please refer to the following website for a current list of IBG members http://www.myclear.org.my/faqs/interbank-giro-faqs/

6. Can I change my bank account information?

Yes, you are allowed to change your bank account details by submitting a fresh Fund Transfer Authorisation Form together with the required supporting documents. No cost will be charged for this purpose.

7. When will my bank account be credited?

Payment will be made electronically into your bank account by your insurance company as soon as your claim has been approved. Generally, funds will be made available in your bank account within the same day of payment.  However, depending on the processes adopted by your bank, you may receive the payment on the same day or a day after.  

8. Will I be notified once the insurance company has made the payment?

Yes, our bank will send you an email notification to your email address as provided by you in the Form. Therefore it is important that you provide us with a valid email address in the Form.

9. How will my bank account information be used and will it remain confidential?

Your bank account details and other related information:

Will be used solely for the purpose of enabling payments to be credited directly into your bank account; and

Is protected under the Personal Data Protection Act 2010 (“PDPA”) that strictly prohibits the disclosure of such information to any person unless customer or his personal representative has consented or in situation that we are permitted to do so, in line with the requirements under the PDPA. It should be noted that by signing the Form to provide your bank account information, you will be authorising the disclosure of your bank account information to parties’ necessary to affect a payment to you e.g. insurance company, financial institutions, service providers

10. What will happen to funds that cannot be credited into my bank account?

If funds cannot be credited into your bank account due to, for example, incorrect bank account number, closed or inactive bank account, inconsistency of NRIC/Passport number or Business Registration number, you will be contacted by us or our agent to validate your bank account details. However, this may lead to unnecessary delay to the payment process. To avoid this issue, please ensure that your bank account details are correct and active upon providing such information to us. Otherwise, we will remit the payment to you via cheque.

11. Do I need to provide my bank account information separately for e-payment for each of my policy if I have more than one policy?

If you want all your payments to be paid to the same bank account, you need to indicate so to your insurance company at the point of submitting your claim form.   

Alternately, you can opt to assign different bank accounts for each of your policy maintained with the same insurance company. To do so, you will need to provide your insurance company with the details of the bank accounts for each of your policy.

If you have more than one insurance company, you will need to inform every insurance company separately as bank account information is not shared with other insurance companies.

12. What if I die before the insurer pays out my claims proceeds and the bank has frozen my account. Where does the money go then?

All monies due to a policyholder in the event of his death will go to the administrators of his estate or to the nominees named in the policy.

13. I have previously claimed from an insurer and already provided my bank details. Do I need to re-submit all the bank supporting details to insurer every time I submit a claim?

It is recommended that you provide your bank details each time you submit a claim. This will ensure that your insurer is provided with the up to date bank details as there is always the possibility that you may overlooked informing your insurer of a change in your bank account.

14. Is it compulsory for a claimant/applicant to fill up the bank a/c section of the claim form? What If I do not wish to reveal my banking details – how do I get paid?

E-payment is the most efficient and safest mode of payment.  However, in the event you do not wish to receive payments directly to your bank account, you need not provide us with your bank account details.

15. I am a foreign worker. I do not have bank account. Can I authorize payment to my employer’s bank account?

It is always advisable for an employee, either a Malaysian or a foreign worker to open a bank account.  However, if a foreign worker does not have a bank account, he can authorize the payment to the employer’s bank account.  This, however, is a private arrangement between the foreign worker and the employer.  The insurance company will not be liable in the event the payment is not paid out by the employer to the employee.

16. I have been adjudicated a bankrupt and unable to open a bank account.  How do I get paid?

If you have been adjudicated a bankrupt, then you would have to obtain Insolvency Office’s consent for your insurer to make the claim payment to the party approved by the Insolvency Office.

For FAQs on Goods & Services Tax (GST), please click here.

When and whether a vehicle involved in a collision is considered to be “totaled” for first-party insurance purposes is an issue of great angst and confusion for most consumers. We hear horror stories about older, functioning automobiles being “totaled” simply because the frame is bent or other seemingly minor and hidden damage occurs. Even insurance professionals can get turned around navigating the maze of rules and regulations regarding the act of “totaling” a vehicle under a policy. But it needn’t be all that complicated. This article will hopefully help take the guess-work out of when a car can be “totaled.”

Typically, cars are considered to be “totaled” when the cost to repair the vehicle is higher than the actual cash value (ACV) of the vehicle. Practically speaking, however, it is not always practical to repair a vehicle, even if the cost of repair is less than its ACV. A vehicle worth $4,000 requiring $3,000 in repairs might be considered “totaled” by an insurer even though the cost of repair is less than its value before the accident. Insurance companies will typically consider such a vehicle to be a total loss, even though the repairs are only 75 percent of ACV.

While the procedure varies slightly from state to state, the insurance company will typically take ownership of the totaled vehicle (known as “salvage”) and may obtain a “salvage title” for the vehicle. After it pays it’s insured the pre-loss ACV of the vehicle and forwards the certificate of ownership, the license plates and a required fee to the Department of Motor Vehicle (DMV), the DMV then issues a Salvage Certificate for the vehicle. In some cases, the vehicle is repaired, re-registered with the DMV, and then classified as a “revived salvage” or “salvaged” vehicle. Of course, if the insured wants to keep the “totaled” vehicle, the insurance company will deduct the value of the salvage from the claim payment.

The criteria for deciding when a car is a total loss and when it can be repaired vary from insurance company to insurance company and might even be dictated and controlled by state statute or regulation. Further complicating the issue is the fact that insurance companies do not all use the same sources for determining the value of a vehicle. The threshold used by your insurance company to make this determination can be discovered by calling your insurance agent. Insurance professionals, on the other hand, have to be familiar with these rules, criteria, and thresholds in all 50 states.

In determining whether a vehicle is totaled, insurance companies will calculate the total loss ratio (cost of repairs/actual cash value) and then compare this ratio to limits set either internally within the company and/or regulated and established by state law. It is also sometimes referred to simply as the damage ratio. Some states dictate how high this damage ratio needs to be in order to be able to declare a vehicle a “total loss” and be eligible for a salvage title or certificate. This is referred to as the Total Loss Threshold (TLT). In order to total a vehicle, the total loss ratio must exceed the established percentage. If the TLT is not dictated by the state, an insurance company will usually default to something known as the Total Loss Formula (TLF) which is:

Cost of Repair + Salvage Value > Actual Cash Value

If the sum of the first two quantities is greater than the ACV, the car can be declared a total loss. As an example, a damaged 2002 Toyota Echo with 185,000 miles in good condition has an ACV of approximately $2,800. Total repair costs are estimated at $2,000, for a damage ratio of 72 percent. The TLF would be used and, if the salvage were worth $700, the car would not be totaled ($2,000 + $700 < $2,800). Of course, states utilizing the TLF rely on and defer to the judgment and opinions of licensed appraisers. 

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To identify the worst insurance companies for consumers, researchers at the American Association for Justice (AAJ) undertook a comprehensive investigation of thousands of court documents, SEC and FBI records, state insurance department investigations and complaints, news accounts from across the country, and the testimony and depositions of former insurance agents and adjusters. Our final list includes companies across a range of different insurance fields, including homeowners and auto insurers, health insurers, life insurers, and disability insurers.

Most Insured’s don’t know what their property damage is worth or how to handle the claims process. Licensed Public Adjusters are experienced in negotiating settlements and getting you the money you deserve.

Here is a list of the worst insurance companies and how they deny claims and raise premiums.

1. ALLSTATE

2. UNUM

3. AIG

4. STATEFARM

5. CONSECO

6. WELLPOINT

7. FARMERS

8. UNITEDHEALTH

9. TORCHMARK

10. LIBERTY MUTUAL

Now that you know what kind of car insurance you need, it’s time to do a little more legwork to get a good deal.

Certain factors that affect your car insurance rates are largely beyond your control. These include basic demographics such as your age, gender, marital status, location, and job. But other factors, including what and how you drive, are easier to change. And everyone can comparison shop, exploit discounts, and consider bundling policies to find the cheapest car insurance companies, too.

Tip #1: Shop around

It’s a no-brainer, but it always pays to shop around for cheaper car insurance. Instead of wasting time making endless phone calls or filling out the same information on dozens of websites, save time by using an online quote tool. Online quote tools help you get a quick snapshot of potential rates from several auto-insurance companies at once.

The results of your search can surprise you. Don’t assume a certain provider will be the cheapest car insurance company because it was the case for your family or friends. So many factors affect your rate that you’ll never know which company will come out on top until you compare apples to apples. Use the tool below to start your search. Not every company will appear using our quote tool. GEICO, in particular, only quotes prices via its own website.

Tip #2: Bundle policies

Many car insurance companies will give you a discount if you have other policies with them. For instance, you may get a break on car insurance if you use the same provider for life, home, or renter’s policies. Bundled policies are convenient, too; you’ll be dealing with only one bill and one company.

A note of caution: Don’t automatically assume bundles will save you money. Companies that offer only auto insurance may offer compelling discounts to keep your business. Sometimes that means you get cheaper car insurance if you keep policies with separate insurers.

Tip #3: Boost your deductible

Your deductible is what you pay out of pocket before your insurance covers the rest of the cost to fix or replace your car. A plan with a $250 deductible will generally cost more than one with a $1,000 deductible.

For a real-world example, I plugged my own stats into a quote generator from Progressive, changing only the deductible to see how it would affect my rate. As mentioned earlier, I’m a married female in my early 30s driving a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. I live in a small southern city, have a clean driving record, and average 12,000 miles a year. With a $100 deductible on comprehensive and collision coverage, I would pay roughly $120 a month. Raising that deductible to $250 brought my bill down to about $100 a month. A $500 deductible reduced my monthly bill to $90, and a $1,000 deductible pushed it down to $82. That means I get to hold onto $456 if I go with the $1,000 deductible instead of the $100 deductible — not a bad sum.

However, raising my deductible is a good move for me only because I have $1,000 set aside in an emergency fund to cover the higher deductible. If you don’t have cash stashed away to pay the higher deductible in case of a crash or other calamity, raising your deductible isn’t the wisest move. Also keep in mind that factors such as your age and driving record will affect how much raising your deductible will save you.

Tip #4: Drive a low-risk car

Powerful, sporty luxury cars are always the most expensive to insure. These cars have the power to go extremely fast, and insurance companies know their drivers are more likely to get into trouble. These cars also cost a lot more to fix and are attractive targets for thieves — all situations your insurance company wants to avoid. The most expensive 2014 car to insure, the 545-horsepower Nissan GT-R Track Edition, will set you back about $3,169 a year in car insurance, according to Insure.com. Right behind it are a slew of luxury rides including the BMW M6, Mercedes-Benz CL550, and Porsche Panamera Turbo S, all of which average close to $3,000.

If you don’t have six figures to drop on a car, here’s some good news: Family-friendly vehicles including minivans, sedans, and smaller SUVs cost the least to insure. Their drivers tend to be more careful, ultimately filing fewer claims. These vehicles are simpler to fix and they aren’t quite as tempting for thieves. The cheapest car to insure, the Jeep Wrangler Sport, will set you back only about $1,080 a year. The Honda Odyssey LX, Jeep Patriot Sport, and Honda CR-V LX are similarly easy on the wallet.

Ultimately, the choice is yours, but a less-glamorous ride can help you nab cheap auto insurance.

Tip #5: Change your driving habits

Insurance is all about risk. If you get a speeding ticket every month, your bill will skyrocket. If you’ve had a clean driving record for years, you will have cheaper car insurance. Unfortunately, cleaning up a spotty driving record can take time.

A quicker way to save that’s often overlooked? Simply drive less. Consider your options carefully: Can you carpool? Work from home? Use mass transit or even move closer to your job? All of these options can help you save since less time behind the wheel means less chance of a claim. Be sure to tell your insurer about your new habits, though.

Tip #6: Maintain good credit

It may seem unfair, but the vast majority of car insurance companies look at your credit score to help determine your rate. If you have good credit, your insurer assumes you’ll be more responsible behind the wheel. Bad credit means you’re statistically more likely to file a claim, insurers say. According to consumer advocacy group United Policyholders, a rock-bottom credit score could mean you’ll pay double, triple, or even quadruple over someone with a perfect credit score.

This controversial practice is illegal in a four states: California, Hawaii, Maryland, and Massachusetts. If you don’t live in those states, you’ll want to work on raising your credit score in your quest for cheap auto insurance.


It’s time to save

Ready to get started? A little legwork now can save you big in the long run. And remember to re-evaluate your car insurance at least annually. Your own changing circumstances and old-fashioned competition always have the potential to hook you a cheap car insurance policy.

Now that you know what you need and how to save, compare rates from several car insurance companies to start your search. Our streamlined quote tool can help you get multiple cheap car insurance quotes quickly.

Whether you have a set of shiny new wheels or a decaying rust bucket, cheap car insurance is a must for staying legal on the road. The good news? You have more control over factors that influence your car insurance rates than those that affect other types of coverage, such as life insurance or home insurance. In this guide, I’ll outline seven strategies that will help you save on car insurance.

In a nutshell, those strategies are:

• Shop around for cheap car insurance quotes using an online quote generator
• Bundle your car insurance with other policies
• Raise your deductible
• Drive a low-risk car
• Change your driving habits
• Ask about discounts
• Maintain good credit

The best way to begin, is just by getting a feel for different car insurance rates. Even if you don’t know what type of car insurance you need, it is beneficial to get a handle on how much insurance costs so you can budget. The online comparison tool below is the best place to start.

Once you’ve seen some rates, you need to dig in on discounts – the key to cheap car insurance rates.

Where to Find Car Insurance Discounts

Many car insurance companies have discounts that go beyond bundling or insuring multiple vehicles. There over 15 discounts offered by major car insurance companies and some of them are less obvious than you may think.

Driving Schools

Driving education is an often overlooked discount opportunity. Teen drivers are very expensive to insure but one great way to lower that burden is through defensive driving training. Drivers who have completed and passed and accredited driver’s ed class or defensive driving training are eligible for up to 10% discount according to DriversEd.com. Plus, if you’ve recently received a ticket, enrolling in a defensive driving course can prevent the premium hike on your insurance (though most companies only let you do this once every 12 months).

Defensive driving courses cover topics such as traffic laws, drug and alcohol impaired driving, and inclement weather driving and are often offered online or at commercial driving schools. Courses for defensive driving can be found through the DMV or through local community centers. In fact, defensive driving education is required in at least 15 states including Texas, Nevada, New Jersey, Virginia, Oklahoma, Oregon, New York, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Louisiana, North Carolina, Illinois and Mississippi.

After completing a defensive driving course, participants will receive a completion certificate which can be presented to insurance companies in order to qualify for a discount. Depending on the insurance company, drivers may also have to re-take the course and be current on their certification in order to continue receiving the discount. Classes are flexible and offered on a consistent basis, however, and learning defensive driving skills is an easy way to save money and become a more comfortable driver. If you aren’t the only person covered on your auto policy, consider getting all the drivers on your policy to take a defensive driving and you can be eligible for additional discounts!

Good Student Discounts

These discounts are typically given to drivers under the age of 25 who are enrolled full-time at a high school or college/university and are maintaining at least a 3.0 grade point average or are on the honor roll or Dean’s List. In order to prove satisfactory academic achievement and receive the discount, students need a current transcript or a letter signed by a school administrator. Students that are homeschooled can present standardized test results, such as SAT or ACT scores, that within a desired percentile range depending on the insurance provider in order to qualify. Good grades can continue helping students save money even after school is out because some insurance companies extend this discount to post-grads for a limited amount of time.

Safe Driving Record Discounts

Drivers with a clean record, a standard that is determined by each individual insurance provider, are eligible for hefty discounts. Although there is no universal definition of safe driving, insurance companies generally mean avoiding collisions and accidents for which you can found at fault and avoiding moving violations such as speeding, driving under the influence, or reckless driving. Having a clean record can not only give you a discount on your insurance, it can save you a lot more money in the short term.

Resident Student Discount

Resident Student discount can be offered to students attending college more than 100 miles away from home. This discount is intended to be used exclusively by those students who are not planning to drive the insured vehicle while at school but may use it while they are home for vacations.

Other Discounts

• Most insurance companies have Active-duty military and veterans discounts.
• Discounts for car alarm or other safety equipment
• Many insurers will even lower your rate if you pay in full or automate your payments.
• Ask companies for a full list of discounts while you’re shopping since they may not publicize all of them.

The major types of car insurance

Though companies offer several more nuanced options and add-ons, the three major types of car insurance boil down to:

• Liability coverage
• Collision coverage
• Comprehensive coverage

Liability coverage

Liability coverage, required by law in most states, covers the other driver’s personal injury and property damage in a crash where you’re at fault. Importantly, it does not cover your own injuries or property damage. Buying only liability insurance is always going to be your cheapest option, though not necessarily the wisest. Sometimes it makes sense to carry only liability coverage, and sometimes it doesn’t. More on this in a minute.

You’ll probably see your liability coverage written like this on your quote or car insurance policy: $50,000/$100,000/$50,000 (or 50/100/50). That means you have $50,000 in bodily injury coverage for each person, $100,000 in bodily injury coverage total, and $50,000 in coverage for property damage. Your state will require a minimum amount of liability insurance for you to stay legal.

Buying the bare minimum is tempting since it will keep your rates as low as possible. Unfortunately, that’s a bad idea — a bad crash can mean your costs will easily surpass low state minimums, and then you’ll have to pay up. If you don’t have the money, that will leave your other assets vulnerable.

Collision coverage

There is also collision coverage, which covers the damage to your own car sustained in a crash. Most commonly, this covers crashes when you’re at fault, but it may also pay in certain circumstances when another driver is at fault, or in scenarios not covered under your other policies. The cost of your collision coverage will largely depend on your car’s value, but you control the deductible — the amount you pay out of pocket before your insurance company picks up the rest of the tab.

Comprehensive coverage

True to its name, comprehensive car insurance covers almost any car-related calamity you can think of minus damage resulting from a crash. Instead, comprehensive policies pay for things like auto theft, damage from severe weather, or needed repairs after a late-night rendezvous with a disoriented deer. Comprehensive coverage is meant to complement collision coverage, not replace it. Like collision coverage, the cost will depend on your car but you control your deductible.


What type of car insurance coverage do I really need?

Comprehensive and collision coverage seem like a smart choice, but they come with a much heftier price tag than liability-only insurance. If you took out a loan to pay for your car, you probably don’t have a choice — your lender will require proof of comprehensive and collision coverage. And dropping comprehensive or collision coverage isn’t a good idea for anyone without the savings to pay for repairs out of pocket.

But there are situations when opting only for liability makes sense. For instance, if you drive an older, paid-off vehicle that you can easily fix or replace, keeping only liability coverage can mean significant savings. Comprehensive and collision coverage may also be overkill on any car you drive sparingly.

To see how much I would save on car insurance by nixing all coverage but liability, I plugged my own stats into a quote generator. I’m a married female in my early 30s driving a paid-off 2011 Hyundai Sonata. I live in a small southern city, have a clean driving record, and average 12,000 miles a year. A policy with 50/100/50 in liability, as well as comprehensive and collision policies with $250 deductibles, would set me back $45 a month. Dropping the comprehensive and collision policies would bring my bill down to just $24 a month.

Would I do it? No, since my car is still relatively new and would cost a significant sum to repair or replace. But let’s say I have a beat-up 2004 Nissan Altima with 150,000 miles on it. Replacing it would probably only cost about $2,000, a sum I could cover with my emergency fund if my car was totaled. Suddenly, potentially cutting my car insurance bill in half by dropping comprehensive and collision coverage makes a lot more sense.

Bottom line: Liability coverage is your cheapest option and will keep you legal on the road, but dropping collision and comprehensive coverage might be a risky move if it would be a major financial hardship to fix or replace your car.

Other types of coverage

There’s a number of other coverage types and add-ons. Of particular note is personal injury protection, which pays your own medical expenses after a crash. There’s also uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage, which means you won’t be left on the hook in a crash when an uninsured or underinsured driver is at fault in a crash with you and can’t afford to pay. Other add-ons pay for rental cars and roadside assistance.

If you’re trying to keep your bill low, personal injury coverage probably isn’t a smart buy as long as you have a good health insurance plan — there would be too much overlap between the two policies. However, uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage is a decent bet, especially in areas with a high percentage of uninsured drivers. It’s also fairly inexpensive: Adding both options to my GEICO quote boosted my monthly bill only a few dollars. As for other little add-ons, consider skipping them. If you can cover the cost of a rental (or borrow a car from a friend while you’re in a jam) rental-car riders are unnecessary, and an AAA membership is probably a better deal than roadside assistance coverage.

The Top 100 list is ranked by total property/casualty agency revenue for 2014 and comprises only those agencies whose business is primarily retail, not wholesale.

All information in this report has been garnered from voluntary online submissions from agencies and brokerages and best estimates based on other public information sources. There may be agencies eligible for listing but for which no information was received or located. Also, submitted data was not independently verified.

2015 Rank	Agency Name:	2014 Total P/C Revenue	Main Office City:
1	Lockton Cos.	$883,100,000	Kansas City, Mo.
2	Hub International	$834,706,000	Chicago, Ill.
3	USI Insurance Services	$485,324,937	Valhalla, N.Y.
4	Alliant Insurance Services Inc.	$410,103,460	Newport Beach, Calif.
5	AssuredPartners Inc.	$361,843,315	Lake Mary, Fla.
6	Confie	$353,550,000	Huntington Beach, Calif.
7	BroadStreet Partners Inc.	$221,720,000	Columbus, Ohio
8	Integro Ltd.	$187,780,000	New York, N.Y.
9	Leavitt Group	$151,896,714	Cedar City, Utah
10	Acrisure LLC	$151,629,066	Caledonia, Mich.
11	Crystal & Co.	$114,991,536	New York, N.Y.
12	EPIC (Edgewood Partners Insurance Center)	$112,906,889	San Francisco, Calif.
13	Insurance Office of America Inc.	$111,898,273	Longwood, Fla.
14	The IMA Financial Group Inc.	$103,055,947	Denver, Colo.
15	Wortham Insurance & Risk Management	$95,547,724	Houston, Texas
16	The Capacity Group	$94,231,122	Mahwah, N.J.
17	J. Smith Lanier & Co.	$91,928,213	West Point, Ga.
18	Hays Cos.	$87,400,000	Minneapolis, Minn.
19	NFP	$84,517,156	New York, N.Y.
20	Auto Insurance Specialists (AIS Insurnace)*	$83,545,000	Cerritos, Calif.
21	Heffernan Insurance Brokers	$82,392,338	Walnut Creek, Calif.
22	Risk Strategies Co.	$77,057,000	Boston, Mass.
23	Answer Financial*	$73,800,000	Encino, Calif.
24	Higginbotham	$73,710,000	Fort Worth, Texas
25	PayneWest Insurance	$69,337,718	Missoula, Mont.
26	INSURICA Insurance Management Network	$66,974,219	Oklahoma City, Okla.
27	Mesirow Insurance Services Inc.	$64,648,211	Chicago, Ill.
28	Hylant	$64,325,813	Toledo, Ohio
29	Woodruff-Sawyer & Co.	$64,200,000	San Francisco, Calif.
30	Assurance	$50,021,195	Schaumburg, Ill.
31	Frenkel & Co.	$46,553,000	New York, N.Y.
32	TWFG Insurance Services	$46,526,117	The Woodlands, Texas
33	Marshall & Sterling Enterprises Inc.	$46,053,598	Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
34	Eastern Insurance Group LLC**	$46,000,000	Natick, Mass.
35	SterlingRisk	$44,160,000	Woodbury, N.Y.
36	Bowen, Miclette & Britt, Insurance Agency LLC	$42,892,266	Houston, Texas
37	The Graham Co.	$40,166,881	Philadelphia, Pa.
38	Propel Insurance	$40,000,000	Tacoma, Wash.
39	Professional Insurance Associates Inc.	$40,000,000	San Carlos, Calif.
40	Houchens Insurance Group	$39,369,380	Bowling Green, Ky.
41	Starkweather & Shepley Insurance Brokerage Inc.	$38,800,000	East Providence, R.I.
42	Ascension Insurance Inc.	$36,754,000	Walnut Creek, Calif.
43	The Mahoney Group	$36,311,551	Mesa, Ariz.
44	InterWest Insurance Services LLC	$36,265,639	Sacramento, Calif.
45	Fisher Brown Bottrell Insurance Inc.**	$33,477,055	Jackson, Miss.
46	Lawley Insurance	$33,175,882	Buffalo, N.Y.
47	Andreini & Co.	$32,530,429	San Mateo, Calif.
48	Gowrie Group	$31,900,000	Westbrook, Conn.
49	Parker, Smith & Feek Inc.	$30,956,000	Bellevue, Wash.
50	TrueNorth Cos.	$30,177,384	Cedar Rapids, Iowa
51	The Horton Group Inc.	$30,166,771	Orland Park, Ill.
52	Charles L. Crane Agency Co.	$29,739,990	Saint Louis, Mo.
53	LMC Insurance & Risk Management Inc.	$29,415,000	West Des Moines, Iowa
54	Moreton & Co.	$29,123,000	Salt Lake City, Utah
55	Robertson Ryan & Associates Inc.	$28,976,764	Milwaukee, Wis.
56	Cook Maran & Associates	$28,760,000	East Hampton, N.Y.
57	Riggs, Counselman, Michaels & Downes Inc.	$27,407,235	Towson, Md.
58	Towne Insurance**	$27,394,861	Virginia Beach, Va.
59	James G. Parker Insurance Associates	$26,500,000	Fresno, Calif.
60	Haylor, Freyer & Coon Inc.	$26,063,173	Syracuse, N.Y.
61	Rich & Cartmill Inc.	$25,972,084	Tulsa, Okla.
62	Bouchard Insurance	$25,878,491	Clearwater, Fla.
63	Scirocco Financial Group Inc.	$24,724,797	Hasbrouck Heights, N.J.
64	Tolman & Wiker Insurance Services LLC	$23,347,278	Ventura, Calif.
65	Cobbs Allen	$22,849,162	Birmingham, Ala.
66	Bolton & Co.	$22,648,975	Pasadena, Calif.
67	Advanced Insurance Underwriters LLC	$22,575,000	Hollywood, Fla.
68	SullivanCurtisMonroe Insurance Services LLC	$22,259,000	Irvine, Calif.
69	Sihle Insurance Group	$21,892,766	Altamonte Springs, Fla.
70	HNI Risk Services	$20,924,000	New Berlin, Wis.
71	Ansay & Associates	$20,000,000	Port Washington, Wis.
72	TIS Insurance Services Inc.	$19,814,380	Knoxville, Tenn.
73	Lovitt-Touche Inc.	$19,621,460	Tempe, Ariz.
74	Arroyo Insurance Services	$19,322,912	Arcadia, Calif.
75	R&R Insurance Services Inc.	$18,725,000	Waukesha, Wis.
76	Wood Gutmann & Bogart Insurance Brokers Inc.	$18,705,552	Tustin, Calif.
77	ABD Insurance and Financial Services Inc.	$18,100,000	San Mateo, Calif.
78	Celedinas Insurance Group	$18,065,334	Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
79	Insureon (new)	$18,000,000	Chicago, Ill.
80	CHS Insurance Services LLC	$17,799,724	Inver Grove Heights, Minn.
81	The Hilb Group (new)	$17,642,000	Richmond, Va.
82	Tompkins Insurance Agencies Inc.**	$17,581,000	Batavia, N.Y.
83	The Daniel and Henry Co.	$17,545,000	St. Louis, Mo.
84	John M. Glover	$17,500,000	Norwalk, Conn.
85	Rogers & Gray Insurance	$17,300,000	South Dennis, Mass.
86	Associated Financial Group LLC.**	$17,008,088	Minnetonka, Minn.
87	Insgroup Inc.	$16,800,000	Houston, Texas
88	Eagan Insurance Agency LLC	$16,170,706	Metairie, La.
89	AHT Insurance	$16,060,766	Leesburg, Va.
90	The Loomis Co.	$15,800,000	Wyomissing, Pa.
91	Otterstedt Agency	$15,585,147	Englewood Cliffs, N.J.
92	Associated Insurance Management Inc.	$15,570,343	Silver Spring, Md.
93	Shepherd Insurance	$15,455,318	Carmel, Ind.
94	Turner Surety & Insurance Brokerage Inc.	$15,382,000	Paramus, N.J.
95	Lipscomb & Pitts Insurance	$15,235,514	Memphis, Tenn.
96	The Buckner Co. Inc.	$15,234,122	Salt Lake City, Utah
97	Foa & Son Corp.	$14,755,225	New York, N.Y.
98	MJ Insurance Inc.	$14,699,696	Indianapolis, Ind.
99	Eustis Insurance and Benefits	$14,401,952	Metairie, La.
100	The Nitsche Group	$13,727,164	Giddings, Texas

Editor’s Note: * = Carrier Owned Agency; ** = Bank Owned Agency