Canadian Auto Insurance

Summertime is here, the winter but a bad memory! One of the features of summertime in Canada is the sight of convertibles once again becoming commonplace. Very few car owners can say they haven’t daydreamed at one point or another of cruising down the highway, wind whipping in their hair and the horizon stretching in front of them!

However, for the pragmatists amongst us, issues such as practicality and car insurance premiums invariably come into any purchasing decision. Do convertibles or soft tops cost more to insure? The perception is that they do, let’s see if this holds true.

First off, how are insurance quotes for a particular model calculated in the first instance? All insurance quotes are based on empirical evidence of claims made for that type of vehicle, rather than the characteristics of the vehicle itself!

So the same holds for soft tops, whether or not they are claimed on more than their hardtop counterparts is what decides whether their premiums are higher or not.

Insurance comparison website Kanetix, undertook some research on this very issue, and the results they found surprised many. Using their free online car insurance comparison tool, they came to the following conclusions. For the following models a price comparison was completed.

·         Audi A4 Cabriolet
·         Pontiac G6 GT Convertible
·         Toyota Solara SLE Convertible
·         MINI Cooper Convertible
·         Ford Mustang Convertible
For each vehicle, the number of quotes provided ranged from 9 to 12 from the various insurers available through kanetix; and in each case the average quoted price was less for the convertibles than their non-convertible version.

If this wasn’t suprising enough in itself, it was actually found that buying a convertible may actually help you save in certain cases! Differences of almost 2 per cent less to up to 10 per cent less than their ‘hard-top’ counterpart were observed. An expensive myth to be sure!

As to why the soft tops cost less to insure, we again return to the issue of less claims made. Perhaps the fact they are only driven during the summer months and avoid the winter driving conditions make for less claims, in any case it is a myth and an expensive one too!

So if you always dreamed of burning down Highway 66 in a soft top, get multiple quotes from competing suppliers for car insurance via Kanetix, and see whether or not buying a convertible will necessarily hit your pockets! And even if the softop doesn’t work out, be sure to compare quotes on your current vehicle, and see if you can find the best car insurance for your personalized needs!

Cheapest Auto Insurance = The best option??

In the rush to save pennies, we must not forget the adage, that if you always pay peanuts, you will sometimes get monkeys. With this in mind we examine whether the cheapest auto insurance is always the best option for individual consumers.

By choosing the cheapest quote we take into account only the price.  While it is always desirable to save money , we must avoid robbing Peter to pay Paul!

Quite apart from the price, the current economic climate has introduced new concerns for consumers looking to purchase insurance policies. A few high profile bailouts of prominent institutions now mean the man in the street is worrying about the financial integrity of his or her insurance provider.

Research!

A good starting point is cyberspace, which will help you to ascertain the financially soundest companies via one of the many informational sites out there. It is good to remember that the financially strongest companies may also be the most competitive when compared-more on that later.

Once you have reassured yourself that your would-be insurance providers won’t be disappearing into a hole in the ground tomorrow, you can start the next phase of your research.

Gauge the Zeitgeist

When we purchase insurance we all hope that the next time we need to interact with our provider is upon renewal. But accidents will happen; so it is important that you take this into account when researching.
A quick telephone call to your jurisdictions insurance regulators office will allow you to uncover any major complaints made against a particular company, and certainly separate the customer service wheat from the chaff.
Consumers now have access to information such as rankings on overall customer satisfaction, claims payment history, pricing, and communications via the internet. Use these resources to see who offers the best customer experience. There are a myriad of consumer sites in cyberspace where consumers share their customer service experiences and these will help you get a feel for who is popular amongst your auto insurance purchasing peers.

Online Auto Insurance Quotes!

All that is left at this point is to seek out the cheapest auto insurance quote. Kanetix.ca is a free online price comparison service that has been helping Canadians search for their cheapest auto insurance provider since 1999. The good news is that Kanetix also offers the same sister for our US brethren!

For our American Friends…...
Kanetix.com offers the same service to US based customers via their free user friendly service. Not only is the service free, but it allows you to get multiple personalized quotes from competing insurers by only entering your information once. So you can search for not only the cheapest auto insurance policy, but one that corresponds to your individual needs.

Online Price Comparison is Key!
In closing, it’s clear that the cheapest auto insurance quote may not always be the best option, as it only takes pricing into account. Your personal profile and expectations are what will determine what the best quote for you is, therefore robust research and a personalized price comparison are the tools you need to choose the best policy for your needs at the cheapest price.

There are a multitude of ways to secure a lower auto insurance rate, the good news is some of them are as easy as 1-2-3!

Drive Carefully

The second most effective way of lowering your premium. Careful drivers have less accidents, therefore less insurance claims, therefore they are seen as less of a risk by insurers, therefore they pay less!

Drive a low risk Vehicle!

Ever wonder why a Ferrari costs more to ensure than a 1 litre hatchback? Well, in general, the claim history of Ferrari’s are higher than 1 litre hatchbacks, they get stolen more, driven at higher speeds and are in more accidents! Keep this in mind when buying your car!

Anti Theft Devices

Any device that lowers the probability of a claim being made on your insurance policy will also lower your premium. Thus, devices that decrease the chance of a vehicle being stolen and subsequently claimed on (as in the case of an Anti-Theft device)  are likely to lower your premium!

Line Discounts

Scratch  insurer’s backs and they will scratch yours. The more business you send their way, such as including your home/life insurance with your auto insurance, the bigger a discount they will offer you!

Lower your deductibles

Deductibles are inversely proportional to insurance premiums. In plain english, the higher your deductibles the lower your premium and vice-versa. So if you can afford to pay for a $1000 dollar repair job if needs be, raise your deductible to that level and save on your premium!

Shop Around

The best way to save money. By shopping around you make insurance companies compete for your business. It need not be time consuming, simply compare prices from rival insurers with a free online comparison. Rates can vary wildly,  see who will offer you the cheapest quote! Click on http://www.kanetix.ca/auto-insurance and see what you can save!

Auto Drivers - Get Low Cost Car Insurance by simply comparing quotes from multiple providers.
Our number one recommendation for low cost car insurance, is to obtain a quote from many different auto insurance providers. It’s simply amazing how much the price for car insurance can differ from one company to another for essentially the same product. Now you’re probably thinking “sure, who has the time to sit on the phone for hours or days calling different insurance providers” or “even on the internet, it could take hours to do the research.” However, by simply clicking on www.kanetix.ca/auto-insurance, you’ll quickly see why this is the only tool you really need for low cost Canadian car insurance. Give it a try. We’d be very surprised if you aren’t delighted by what you find.

There are of course other things you can do to obtain low cost car insurance. Here are a few suggestions beyond the usual “lower your deductible” ideas that you may wish to explore:

Lower Car Insurance Costs by Going Hybrid
Consider a hybrid fuel-efficient car for your next automobile. It could definitely help you get low cost auto insurance as well as having a number of obvious and not so obvious benefits. The Government of Canada has issued an ecoACTION program initiative and various provinces/territories have introduced programs that work towards getting consumers to reduce emissions of pollutants. One way the BC, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, and PEI governments are encouraging environmental responsibility, is by offering incentives through a tax rebate or credit of up to $2000 for your purchase of a fuel-efficient vehicle.

Lower cost car insurance for drivers of hybrids seems to be a trend that is underway with some auto insurance companies like Aviva.

While insurance companies only have a few years experience under their belts with hybrid vehicles, it seems likely that more and more of them will offer discounts to clients with hybrid vehicles in the future. Both government and corporate sectors are rapidly moving towards incentives for energy efficient vehicles. This could mean that in the very near future, especially with increasingly global incentives to participate in “going green,” Canadian hybrid drivers will get more and bigger financial breaks by switching to hybrids. No doubt many auto insurance companies will want to identify with this trend, and will increasingly offer low cost car insurance to those that own fuel efficient vehicles.

Low Cost Auto Insurance and How You Can Get it by Driving Less
As a Canadian auto driver, there may be a way for you to do your part in helping with air quality, climate change, and global warming overall, as well as serve your wallet with lower cost car insurance. You could take more public transit, do more carpooling, biking or walking whenever appropriate, A reduction in the use of your vehicle can usually lower your car insurance bill, because you are generally perceived to be a lower risk by the auto insurance companies than if you did more driving. The great thing about driving less is that it typically results in lower cost car insurance, as well as a more active and healthier lifestyle.

Low Cost Auto Insurance by insurance comparison shopping – seriously, give it a try
As mentioned earlier, the very best bet for low cost auto insurance for the average consumer is to compare prices and policies from a wide variety of insurance providers. Most people obtain their first auto insurance policy through a referral from a friend, family member or through their financial institution, and then simply renew year after year. They never shop around because of the perceived difficulty of comparing quotes and policies, and they are unaware of how widely car insurance prices can vary from one company to another.

Comparing quotes is perceived as a low value activity without much benefit and requiring a large amount of time. At kanetix, the process is fast and incredibly easy to do. If you haven’t yet tried their free service, we strongly urge you to do so. Find out if you already have low cost car insurance, or if you could do a whole lot better.

If you have 5 minutes to spare, click here to get started: www.kanetix.ca/auto-insurance

Auto Insurance Rates and Auto Theft: What You Need To Know!

It is commonly thought that high-end luxurious and expensive cars are much more expensive to insure, while cheaper family cars are much more affordable to insure. At face value, this makes sense. More expensive cars are more eye-catching for thieves, usually have more expensive parts and accessories in the case of repairs or damage, are faster and more risky vehicles, and generally are not easy to replace if there is significant damage.
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