In this article, I will be giving you tips on how to save money on your automobile insurance. Some of these tips you may be inadvertently already doing, while some you may have never considered and can save you money just by picking up the phone and calling your auto insurance provider or logging on to their website.

     Auto Insurance companies are one of very few companies that can consider your age, gender, marital status, credit report, and zip code to determine the rate you will pay. Other factors also considered when auto insurance companies are striving to "rate for the right risk" are inevitably, your driving record, year, make, and model of the vehicle you drive, and how you drive that vehicle. As we all know, Auto Insurance is a requirement for most states and so why not try to save a little money on an expense you would probably rather not have

Step 1: How Do You Use Your Vehicle?
      Call your automobile insurance provider or log on to your policy on their website. We are going to start by updating your usage. The best insurance rates are given to those vehicles driven primarily as pleasure use vehicles only and not to exceed 7500 miles per year. So if you call in to your auto insurance company, ask them how do I have my vehicle listed for usage, and if it is anything else than pleasure use and any more mileage than 7500 update it quick for instant savings.

Step 2: Discounts
      Depending on your state, different discounts are available. If you are age 50 or better, you can take a defensive driver course to get a discount on your auto policy. (If you live in NY, DE, or SC no age requirement to get the discount) You simply take the course, and once completed, you are given a certificate number and completion date, you will need both of these to get your discount. The defensive driver discount is good for a period of 3 years so be prepared to renew it every 3 years.

      Good Student Discount - if you are age 24 or younger, not married, and maintain a grade point average of 3.0 or B average or better, you get a discount. And parents of college students, if your son/daughter is in college 100 miles away or more and does not have use of your vehicles, you can get additional savings.

Step 3: Coverage
      If you carry Comprehensive and/or Collision coverage on your vehicle and your vehicle is no longer being financed or leased, you may want to consider increasing your deductible to $1000 to save some money.

Step 4: Rental Reimbursement
      Finally, if you have more than one vehicle in your household, and you are carrying Rental Reimbursement Coverage, you may want to consider removing this coverage as it is only good in the event of an accident and this usually costs you approximately $30 per car per six months. Do the math and decide if this will be something that you can do away with and still be okay.