Hanco

Well, I'm in "The South" and the J1 program was all about cultural experience

F250? My Tacoma PreRunner, even with the 4 door cab, is a baby... On a forum someone suggested I (being a Brit) should sell the Toyota, and buy a train set and a Prius instead!

cautiousjon

I checked my Progressive insurance documentation and it does mention my UK experience under "Years Experienced". I vividly remember entering information about my UK driving history when I got the first quote, which is how they knew the "Years Experienced" information.

Hanco

Thanks Jon! I'll check if this might help my insurance costs. I guess the question is, will they accept it is years of experience of "driving" or "driving in the USA" - but it may help if it is driving in general.

What it is not, I imagine, is a space for noting years of "at fault" accident free driving (though that is sadly gone in my case after a bumpb2 years ago)

ZanM

They list my discounts as:
Paid in Full, Five-Year Accident Free, Online Signature - First Policy Period Only,
Continuous Insurance: Platinum, Paperless and Three-Year Safe Driving

So yeah, they took account of my previous driving history at progressive and have accepted my UK insurance policy officially now as proof of continuous insurance which was pretty cool. All in, it cost $750 for 6 months cover which is really not too bad at all. Geico by comparison didn't care about my UK-based past and quoted over $1700 for the same coverage. It seems it's just your luck who gets you the best offer for your situation though.

Hanco

I don't feel so bad now with my AllState price (18 months on, and after one 'At Fault' bump in the early days)

$1,567 for the two of us for six months, both with our own vehicles, which are 3 and 5 years old.

Discounts they show though are: Multiple Policy, Good Payer, Antilock Brakes, and Performance.

No idea what "performance" has got me the discount. I did sing "Let Freedom Ring" (with a live choir and full orchestral backing, as part of a trio)... That was on "Freedom Sunday" as an "honorary American" last year. Cannot have been that good a performance as the total discount was $58 across the two vehicles....

petitefrancaise

I thought this article made interesting reading.
The Surprising Reasons You Pay More for Car Insurance