Finding affordable car insurance can sometimes be like looking for a needle in a haystack. This is mostly because there are so many different insurance companies with just as many insurance plans and options. The fact is that you need cheap car insurance. Why pay more to one company when you can get the same for a cheaper rate elsewhere? Read on and learn a few tips for finding affordable car insurance.

Know the Factors Involved

There are certain factors that every car insurance company calculates to determine how much to charge. The most common include age, driving record, vehicle type, and gender. Yes, gender is a factor for some insurance companies.  Statistically speaking, men drive more aggressively than women drive and as a result, are more likely to be involved in an accident. There are many variables involved in determining rates. As you shop around for affordable car insurance, ask the insurance agents which factors they use to determine coverage costs.

Use the Internet

Practically every insurance company maintains a website. This makes it very easy and convenient to shop around for affordable car insurance. Websites contain a lot of information about not only specific plans, but also driving tips, customer testimonials, etc.  Some well-known companies even provide comparison rates with other, competing insurance companies. Conveniently, most provide a form that is easy to fill out and submit for a price quote. To make it even more attractive, many insurance companies offer discounts for signing up online.

Do Your Homework

Just because an insurance company claims to be “affordable” does not mean it offers affordable car insurance. You need to determine what “affordable” means to the insurance company and then decide if it is truly affordable to you. For that matter, exercise caution. Plenty of insurance companies advertise on the internet and claim to be legitimate businesses, but are not. If an insurance plan seems too good to be true, more than likely it is and it should be avoided. Do your homework on the companies that you like and check with the Better Business Bureau if you have questions.

Combine Policies

Many car insurance companies also provide other types of insurance. For example, If you have homeowners insurance with one company and car insurance with another, find out how to bring the two together into one plan. Several major insurance companies provide the full spectrum of coverage. Combined, these policies are usually offered at a discounted price. In addition, keeping all your insurance business together in the same company can save you a tremendous amount of time and make it easy to find information when you need it quickly.

You can find affordable car insurance, but it requires a little research and a little shopping around. Simply being a good driver or having special equipment installed on your vehicle is not enough. Know the factors involved, and use tools like the one provided above to compare quotes in order to find the most affordable car insurance.