After you file a claim, your car insurance premium is normally expected to get higher. This is so because the car insurance company now considers you as a liability. They have to compensate for the loss whenever you get involved in an accident, therefore they raise the premium rate to ensure that it covers all the expenses and gets profit for them.
To what extent your car premiums will go up is really difficult to comprehend. One of major factors is the number of claims you have had already. If your driving record shows instances of past accidents then premiums will increase further. If the frequency of accidents is more then you are considered a driver with high risk, and you may have to pay highly for it.
Your insurance may also be affected by how frequently the car accidents took place. If you had two car accidents in a year, without much gap in between, your premium rates can escalate higher. Regardless of where you search for, your insurance will be influenced by your driving history in this fashion, though it is possible that you might get a better rate if you look around.
The highest premiums are saved for young male drivers. Although it is a bit of a stereotype, insurance companies have done research to find the drivers that are most likely to get into an accident. Since their driving record is fairly new, young drivers are instantly more of a liability. If they get into a car accident the premiums will skyrocket until several years afterward with having a clean record.
At times, your premiums may not be very much affected. This happens only when the fault was not on your side or when you have had a really good driving record of many years. However there are some insurance companies which may still escalate your rate despite of this.
To understand how the rates are set you need to know a little about ISO symbols. ISO stands for Insurance Services Offices, Inc. and they assign every car a certain symbol or number that relates to how much the care is worth. This is what makes the insurance companies ratings fair and equal for everyone. If your ISO rating is high it means that you have an expensive vehicle and it will cost more to repair. Vehicles that cost more to repair are required to have higher premiums. If you get into an accident your premiums will go up relative to what your ISO rating is as well.
Your car insurance will not be taken away after an accident, but it may go up so high that you will have to cancel it. Don?t worry, even if you cancel your insurance after an accident the insurance will still have to cover your claim. The exact time of the accident is very important. If your accident occurred even a minute after your insurance expired, you will have to pay the damages yourself.
Knowing this you now realize how much a claim affects your premiums. You may therefore see it as unnecessary to file a claim for small accidents, seeing as you may end up paying double or more in higher premiums. In most cases it is better not to file a claim if the damage is under $750 dollars. You may also want to avoid putting in a claim if you have another accident on your record that same year.
Graham McKenzie is the content syndication coordinator for Carinsurancesa.co.za. South Arica?s leading car insurance portal.
Tags: Auto Insurance, Automotive, Car Insurance, Insurance, Insurance Cars, Personal Finance, vehicle insurance, vehicles
Facebook
LinkedIn
Twitter
Youtube
"OUR BLOG"