Car Insurance Tips from Reddit to Save Money | Gabi

Sure, when you’re shopping for car insurance, Reddit might not be your first stop. We view Reddit as a hub for some of the funniest and unique content on the internet. But it isn’t just the home of memorable memes — it also hosts hundreds (if not thousands) of personal finance forums that can be extremely helpful if you’re seeking money-saving tips. 

The subreddit r/personalfinance is a great place to start if you need tips for saving money on your car insurance. Here’s top tips from Redditors to help you get the best insurance policy:

Buying car insurance? Reddit says most vehicles don’t need full coverage

Hi PF! I’m an insurance professional here with some tips to save money on your insurance from r/personalfinance

When buying car insurance, you need to have liability coverage. What about full coverage? If your vehicle is financed, purchasing comprehensive and collision auto insurance is a must required by your lienholder. Also, consider adding more coverage to your insurance policy when your vehicle is less than 10 years old. In other cases, paying for comprehensive, collision, and other coverages that may be included (like towing or glass) may be an unnecessary expense. 

Your insurance company will usually only pay out for a collision if you cause an accident. If the other motorist is at fault, their insurer will pay out. Comprehensive is more useful as it covers you in the event of: vandalism, theft, hitting an animal, or fallen tree, basically anything that could happen while you aren’t driving. Bear in mind that you will receive Actual Cash Value of your vehicle, which means the vehicle’s worth at that time. So you won’t buy the exact same car for the money you receive. Since full coverage is more expensive than liability only, you’ll end up paying the insurance company more than it would give you in case of a claim or you’ll break even. However, if you’d like to maintain your comprehensive and collision coverage, consider raising the deductibles which will result in a cheaper rate. However, keep in mind, if you raise your deductible, you’ll have to pay more upfront in the event of an accident. 

Some Reddit users recommend decreasing your liability limits (but still staying above state minimum).

Auto insurance tip #2: Snag discounts

Advice for saving money on car insurance? from r/Frugal

While some tips like boosting your credit score or raising your deductible can cut costs, each insurer has different types of discounts — it may be worth checking which ones are the most common. One of the ways to reduce your car insurance premium is bundling it with your home policy. Other options involve purchasing a pay-per-mile policy and having a vehicle equipped with certain safety features, such as: airbags, anti-lock brakes, anti-theft devices or automatic safety belts. You may also consider completing a defensive driving course, setting up for automatic premium withdrawals, paying your premium in full, and choosing paperless insurance. Some insurers offer more affordable rates to those having their teen drivers or smart students on the policy.

If you need more help in this matter, feel free to contact us at advisors@gabi.com. Our licensed Gabi advisors will talk you through available options.

Exclude other drivers

Do you need your whole family on your auto insurance, Reddit says “no.”If you’re the only one using your vehicle, you should exclude other drivers living in your household. It will save you some money, but you need to make sure that your family members won’t drive your car if they’re not listed on your policy. Otherwise, if they cause an accident, your claim may be denied.

Vehicle Usage

If you drive your vehicle occasionally, remember to classify it as a “pleasure” car. Maybe during a pandemic you only work from home and the daily commute is just a distant memory? If you now just use your set of wheels for grocery shopping, don’t forget to inform your insurance company. It will definitely reduce your insurance rate. Not sure if your car can be listed to this category? Ask your Gabi advisor to help you assess it.

Drive safely

One of the best auto insurance tips shared by Redditors was relatively short — just be a decent driver and avoid having tickets. Insurance companies treat such policyholders better as they don’t tend to report claims and demand a pay-out.

Don’t get used to one company

If you’ve had the same auto insurance provider for years, you could be overpaying. Other companies could substantially lower your policy rate. We know it’s not something you’d like to spend your day off on, that’s why we created Gabi. Sign up here and get a free rate comparison across top US providers. Our customers save hundreds of dollars on average — why don’t you join them?