How to Shop for Car Insurance: 10 Tips to Help Save You Money
Let’s be honest: there’s nothing “fun” about shopping for car insurance. Getting coverage for your pride and joy means considering all manner of different unsavory scenarios, from cracked windshields to fender benders, and worse. And even after all of that, the moment you first lay eyes on your quote, you’re still left wondering whether you’re getting the best possible deal, or you’re leaving money on the table unnecessarily.
We talked with TD Insurance to compile a list of tips to help keep your insurance premiums lower, while still ensuring you have the right coverages to fit your needs, leaving more money left over for the things that are a little more fun, like vanity license plate frames and fuzzy rearview mirror dice.
1. Choose Your Deductibles Wisely
Your deductible – the amount you would pay out-of-pocket for repairs after making a valid claim with your insurer – is one of the most important figures to consider when obtaining car insurance. It’s meant to limit your share of the repair bill to only what you can comfortably cover yourself, at which point your insurer steps in and pays the rest of the tab, so opting for a $1,000 deductible on your collision coverage is basically saying: “If I’m unexpectedly in an accident, I could pay as much as $1,000 out-of-pocket toward repairs, but no more.”
If you ever need to file a claim, a low deductible is nice in the moment. However, the deductible is also a factor in determining your premiums. That nice, super-low $250 deductible might not be worth it in the long run if it means paying more each month for your insurance premium. If you’re comfortable with a higher deductible and you lease or finance your vehicle, keep in mind that the lender may have a maximum allowable deductible for certain coverage.
When you set your deductibles, be honest with yourself: how much can you really afford to pay for a claim, in the unfortunate event that you actually have to file one? We recommend comparing prices with a couple of different deductibles selected, and considering the trade-offs between paying a lower premium, or paying less out-of-pocket after an accident.
2. Bundle Your Home and Auto Insurance Together
For most insurers, car insurance is just one of multiple products they offer, and that means potential savings for customers if they bundle their home and auto insurance together through the same provider. Why is that? Think of it like a bulk discount, where the more volume you buy in toilet paper, foodstuffs, or other consumer goods, generally, the more you save.
When you insure both your car and your home through the same insurer, they will typically offer you reduced premiums for giving them more business.
3. Insure All Your Vehicles Through the Same Insurer
Just like bundling your home and auto insurance together under the same provider can help you save, you can also save by covering multiple vehicles under one policy. For anyone living in a household with more than one vehicle, insuring multiple vehicles with the same insurer can usually provide you with a significant discount. TD Insurance customers can save even more by bundling their car insurance with coverage for an ATV, snowmobile, motorcycle, or motorhome.
4. Before You Buy a Vehicle, Shop for Insurance Rates
One of the ways to save on auto insurance is simply by making a wise decision when it comes to your choice of chariot. Some vehicles are more crashworthy than others – meaning they are better able to protect vehicle occupants in a collision – and there is no hard-and-fast rule for assessing crashworthiness based on vehicle type; you may “feel” safer in a crossover, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it will protect you better than a sedan when it counts.
Additionally, some vehicles have safety technology in place that can help you avoid an accident in the first place. Features like blind-spot monitoring and automatic lane-centering can help keep you safe, which can also help keep premiums down. However, those systems also depend on a number of high-tech gizmos like cameras and sensors, which can become easily damaged in a crash, representing a different kind of risk to insurers.
If you happen to be searching for your next set of wheels: get insurance quotes before you make a purchase, and consider comparing several different vehicles that you might be interested in. Vehicles with a higher safety rating, for example, could have lower rates for coverage related to inuries. Alternatively, you could expect to pay more for theft-related coverage for vehicles that are more prone to being stolen.
5. Consider Your Coverage
When shopping for insurance, consider the age of your vehicle and type of coverage that makes most sense. For older vehicles, or vehicles that you have fully paid off, you can save you some money if you’re willing to remove some or all of your optional physical damage protection, such as Comprehensive or Collision coverage. This means that your liability to other drivers is covered, but any damage you cause to your own vehicle is not covered. To do this, weigh the cost of these coverages against the value of your vehicle and your chosen deductible to see if this makes sense. It’s a calculated risk, but if you’re driving a cheaper vehicle, it can make up the difference in a hurry.
6. Lower Mileage Can Mean Savings
If you’re spending less time on the road, there’s a good chance you can save on your policy. With vehicle usage being a rating factor that helps determine your premiums, driving less will likely mean lower premiums. If your driving habits have changed, for example if you are no longer commuting to and from work, it’s worth reaching out to your insurer to understand if there are some savings to be had.
If you have a dependent child on your policy that is a full-time student at a post-secondary institution, you could qualify for an additional discount because they aren’t driving as much if at all while away at school. And anyone with kids on their auto insurance policy can attest that anything that can help save some money is a great thing.
One thing to take note of – this often works both ways. If your driving habits change - for example your mileage increases or you begin a longer commute - remember to reach out to your insurer so you have the right coverages in place.
7. Sign Up for a Usage-Based Insurance Program
To put in simple terms, if you are a safer driver, you can often find cheaper insurance rates. Modern technology has made it possible for insurers to assess how you drive, while you drive. By volunteering to transmit relevant driving data – what times of day you drive; how aggressively you brake, accelerate, and take corners; how fast you cruise; etc. – to your insurer, you may qualify for a cheaper rate. In the past, this was accomplished by using a dongle that you would plug into your vehicle’s onboard diagnostics port, but these days, it’s more typically assessed through a dedicated app on your phone.
The data collected about your driving habits could help lower your premium because it represents yet another tool your insurer can use to assess your risk level. Aggressive drivers are seen to be higher-risk, so if you can demonstrate safe driving habits you could save on your premium. For example, qualified drivers in Ontario or Quebec covered by TD Insurance who sign up for the TD MyAdvantage program can get up to a 25% discount on their renewal for good driving behaviours, including 10% (5% in Quebec) just for signing up, downloading the app, and using it to submit consistent driver data.
8. Keep A Good Driving Record
One of the best ways to save money on your car insurance is to simply keep a good, clear driving record. Obey all traffic laws, drive defensively, and pay close attention to the speed limit. Speeding to the store to reserve your copy of Halo Infinite might seem worth it at the time, but it won’t be if it means an expensive ticket and a higher insurance premium.
9. Take A Driver Training Course
Newly licensed drivers may benefit from additional savings for completing an accredited driver training program. Even experienced drivers can benefit from more advanced driver training courses to keep their driving skills sharp. Being a safer driver can translate to insurance savings in the long term, as you are less likely to be involved in an accident.
10. Look for Alumni or Employer Special Rates
Are you a member of an alumni group or professional association? Some insurers offer preferred home and auto insurance rates for college or university students or alumni, those belonging to certain professional associations, and other groups. TD Insurance, for instance, offers discounts for over 750 alumni groups, employee groups, and professional organizations.
Individually, each of these discounts tends to be for only a modest amount, but every penny counts – especially when you look at the total savings over the years you will be driving your car. And your insurer might also be able to make recommendations on other ways that you can save. TD Insurance puts those savings in terms that are easy to understand -- new customers, on switching both their home and car insurance policies, reported an average annual premium savings of approximately 28%*.
To Conclude
Individually, some of these savings and/or discounts may tend to be for modest amounts, but they add up collectively – especially when you look at the total savings over the years you will be driving your car. And your insurer might be able to make recommendations on other ways that you can save. TD Insurance puts those savings in terms that are easy to understand -- new customers, on switching both their home and car insurance policies, reported an average annual premium savings of approximately 28%*
Keep this in mind - your insurer wants to keep your business. That means that they will do what they can in order to keep you satisfied with your coverage. Be sure to ask what types of discounts may apply to you.
When shopping for car insurance, price should not be your only consideration; you are also purchasing what support you’ll receive after an incident, so the quality of the customer service is also important. Learn more about TD Insurance and get a quote to see how much you can save.
* Nationally, the 1,058 new TD Insurance customers who were surveyed between March 6th, 2023 to March 16th, 2023 and July 18th, 2023 to August 1st, 2023, who reported their annual residential (home or condominium or tenant) and car insurance premiums paid to their previous insurance provider and who reported their annual residential and car insurance premiums payable to TD Insurance upon switching both their residential and car insurance policies, reported an average annual premium savings of approximately 28%. The survey sample consisted of new customers who switched both their residential and car insurance policies to TD Insurance between August 2022 to August 2023. It was conducted with a 95% confidence interval and produced a 3% margin of error. These survey results do not include customers in British Columbia, Manitoba or Saskatchewan. Savings amounts are not guaranteed; actual annual premium savings obtained nationally from switching both residential and car insurance policies to TD Insurance varies based on each customer's individual insurance profile and province of residence. Certain conditions, limitations and exclusions apply to all offers. Please visit http://www.tdinsurance.com/save for more details.