How to Find the Most Affordable Car Insurance in Idaho

With an average annual premium of $1,062 Idaho drivers are used to getting deals on insurance. But that doesn’t mean the deals can’t get any better. There are all kinds of tips and strategies for getting lower auto insurance premiums. And when it comes to car insurance, you want to pay as little as possible for the insurance coverage that you want. Before we discuss how to lower your car insurance, let’s take a closer look at car insurance rates in Idaho.

State Minimum Liability Coverage

If you ever cause a car crash, liability insurance pays for other people’s injuries and property damage up to your liability limit. Each state has minimum liability requirements for the drivers in their state.

The minimum liability requirements for the state of Idaho are $25,000 bodily injury liability coverage per person, $50,000 bodily injury liability coverage per accident and $15,000 property damage liability coverage per accident.

The minimum liability coverage in Idaho costs $404 a year.

A Full Policy Costs More

A full insurance policy in Idaho with a collision and comprehensive coverages and $1,000 deductibles costs an average of $917 a year. Collision insurance is coverage that helps to repair or replace your car if it is damaged in an at-fault accident with another vehicle or object such as a fence or a tree.

Comprehensive auto insurance covers events that aren’t covered by collision coverage. These events include fire, theft, vandalism and damages from weather such as a hailstorm, windstorm, hurricane and tornado.

If you are financing your car, your auto lender may require that you have both collision and comprehensive auto insurance.

A deductible is the amount you need to pay before your auto insurance company begins to pay for damages to your car or losses. Both collision and comprehensive auto insurance require deductibles. So you will need to think about how much you can afford to pay upfront in the case of an accident when choosing each of these insurance coverages.

Idaho Is an At-fault State

When it comes to insurance, Idaho is an at-fault state. This means drivers are responsible for any damage they cause to another vehicle. Who is at fault in an accident is determined by an insurance adjuster.

Cheapest and Most Expensive Cities

The cheapest car insurance in cities in Idaho is found in Meridian. The most expensive car insurance is found in Moscow. Meridian is the third largest city in Idaho and the fast-growing city in Idaho. Moscow is located in northern Idaho along the state border with Washington. Moscow is home to the University of Idaho.

Check Out Rates in Idaho and Save!

How to Save Money on Car Insurance

There are all kinds of tips and strategies for saving money on car insurance. Here is a roundup. Use as many as you can.

Be a safe driver. Being a safe and responsible driver and following the rules of the road will save you money on car insurance. Idaho drivers without a recent traffic accident save 19 percent on their car insurance premiums. But get a speeding ticket or a DUI or be at fault in an accident and you will see your insurance rates rise. In Idaho, car insurance premiums increase 34 percent after a DUI, 31 percent after an at-fault accident and 19 percent after a speeding ticket. So drive safe in Idaho and save money. If you’ve been a good driver be sure to ask for a discount. You’ve earned it.

Bundle your policies. Bundle your auto insurance policy with another insurance policy such as a homeowners policy and save money.

Insure more than one car. Insure more than one car with the same insurance company. Doing so will save you money on your auto insurance premiums.

Pay once or twice a year. Rather than paying monthly auto insurance bills, pay the entire annual amount or six-months amount. Your premium is lower when you pay just once or twice a year.

Have anti-theft and safety features. Having certain anti-theft and safety features on your car will lower your car insurance. So check with your insurance company about the anti-theft and safety features on your car and find out if you qualify for a discount.

Check memberships. Members of particular professional organizations and affiliates get discounts on car insurance. So check the memberships in your wallet and ask your insurance company if any of your memberships make you eligible for a discount on your car insurance.

Insure less on older cars. The maximum payout for collision coverage and comprehensive coverage is limited by the value of the car. So if your older car has a low market value, it may not make financial sense to carry collision and comprehensive coverages any longer.

Choose a high deductible. Choosing a high deductible will lower your auto insurance premium. Just be sure to put the money for the deductible in a small emergency fund. That way the money will be there if you should need to make an accident claim.

Maintain your insurance coverage. You’ll pay higher insurance rates if you don’t maintain continuous coverage of your auto insurance. So stick with your insurance coverage and save money.

Be older than 25 and younger than 65. Older and younger drivers have more serious accidents and pay more for their auto insurance. Drivers with in-between ages pay less for their insurance.

Be a woman. Women make fewer accident claims than men and are rewarded with lower auto insurance rates. Men make more accident claims and pay more.

Have good credit. If you have good credit, you will enjoy lower auto insurance rates. If you have bad credit or no credit, you will pay much more for your auto insurance. Insurance companies have been using consumer credit data for assigning risk pools and determining insurance rates since the mid-1990s. So if your credit is not so good, you’ll feel it in your auto insurance premium. To improve your credit, get current on your credit bills and pay down debt. Both will help your credit score.

Be a low-mileage driver. Be a heavy commuter where you are racking up the miles and you’ll pay more for car insurance. Be a low-mileage driver and you’ll save money on your auto insurance premium. So drive less and pay less on your auto insurance.

Get married. If you are married, you will pay less for car insurance. There is a correlation between being married and exhibiting safe driving behavior. Because of this, married drivers pay less for auto insurance than singles.

Choose a safe neighborhood. If you live in a neighborhood with high accident claims and high auto theft, you’ll pay more for your car insurance. If on the flipside, you live in a neighborhood with few accident claims and low crime, you’ll pay less for your car insurance. So choose a safe neighborhood and save money on car insurance.

Shop around. One of the best ways to save money on auto insurance is to shop around. You will want to compare rates from several different insurance companies. SmartFinancial makes it easy to do. Just enter the type of insurance that you are looking for and a zip code to get started. Answer a few, quick questions and you’ll be comparing auto insurance quotes in Idaho in no time.

SmartFinancial has access to more than 200 insurance companies so you are bound to find the insurance coverage and price that you want. So shop smart for insurance and drive smart on the roadways of Idaho.