Any tips on reducing your car insurance in the USA?
 

Hi all,

So I am a UK driver in his mid-thirties, who has driven for almost 14 years , no points/licence problems ever... but apparently when you arrive in the US and buy a car, the insurers treat you like a new driver of just 18 years old, and whack an insurance premium on you which is sky high.

My fiancee is looking to get me insured on her policy, but even then the premium is massive.

Does anybody have any tips/advice on reducing my premium?
Anything I can do, any documentation I can provide...?
Or are there any insurers who take account of your UK history?

Thanks again for your help all. :thumbup:

Victor.

Re: Any tips on reducing your car insurance in the USA?
 

Welcome to US bureaucracy...my only advice is to shop around, but you're pretty much stuffed until you've been driving here for a while. Don't get any tickets as they will affect your insurance too.
:eek:

Re: Any tips on reducing your car insurance in the USA?
 

Drive a clunker and don't insure the car itself for replacement costs, just insure the liability / injury bits.

Re: Any tips on reducing your car insurance in the USA?
 

Get a cheap car. Hunt around for a good agent who was preferably an underwriter before being an agent. When I moved here I went to one State Farm agent who was across the street from my house and got quoted a huge amount with all these conditions. Then I met an area manager for State Farm who told me to go to a specific agent who was previoulsy an underwriter and knew every little detail about getting the best policy and got a quote for more coverage with less conditions for less than half the first quote.

Re: Any tips on reducing your car insurance in the USA?
 

Get a US driving license ASAP and don't speed, remember to stop and pause at stop signs...in other words drive carefully and don't get a ticket.

Re: Any tips on reducing your car insurance in the USA?
 

I'm shopping around at the moment. Just got a quote from Geico for 260 dollars a month. That's basic insurance driving a clunker.

Progressive has come out cheapest so far.

Re: Any tips on reducing your car insurance in the USA?
 

Is that covering the car and the liability? Ask them what is the bare minimum required by the laws of your state and see what quotes they give you.

p.s. do you have home / life / renters / boat / airplane or some other insurance with a company? Often they'll extend better rates if you keep it all in the same company, so you can try to build off of that.

Re: Any tips on reducing your car insurance in the USA?
 

Yes, Allstate did for me. Went to see them (on the same policy as my wife) and they took into account I have been driving for 12 years in the UK so am not a new driver. They didn't ask for anything else, just to look at my UK license and took down the number. But they told me to get a US license ASAP as well.

Re: Any tips on reducing your car insurance in the USA?
 

+1 for Allstate. I brought over a letter from my UK insurer stating length of driving record and Allstate happily accepted it as driving history. Made a big difference on the premiums.

Re: Any tips on reducing your car insurance in the USA?
 

Not mentioned yet: work on your credit history.

Re: Any tips on reducing your car insurance in the USA?
 

You've referred to her as your wife before; you may have better luck once married. Your fiancee is a US citizen, resident in the US?
I barely noticed the addition of my UKC spouse on my established auto policy.

Re: Any tips on reducing your car insurance in the USA?
 

Get a good broker is key. First 6 months, I paid about $1000 for my car. At renewal, it was down to $600, next 6 months, its down to $450. I know the figures don't mean anything, but a good broker can get your prior history recognised, and then renegotiation at each 6 month interval for a better rate.

My insurance after only 12 months of being here is pretty much on a PAR with other USCs here with similar cars / ages / background.

Re: Any tips on reducing your car insurance in the USA?
 

We went with Allstate too and it made a BIG difference that our prior insurance policy had ended only within the prior 90 days - we could show them evidence of this and hence this changed the quote significantly

So, dont cancel your UK insurance too soon. Do get a US licence quickly. Go to Allstate and bring them a copy of your UK policy.

Good luck!

Re: Any tips on reducing your car insurance in the USA?
 

Sheila and I use Allstate for both car and home, since we get a discount for the two policies. I drive a 2007 Mustang GT and she has a 2002 Honda CRV and we pay less than $150/month.

Of course, local rates may apply so that'll go up/down depending on where you live... so, YMMV.

Ian

Re: Any tips on reducing your car insurance in the USA?
 

Be here longer. Don't hit anything.