March 7, 2011

Why Auto Insurance Continues To Cost More For Family Cars

Car insurance for a family vehicle can often be expensive, but many drivers are unaware of the reasons for the price differences. To put it simply, auto insurance quotes are determined by risks, and family car insurance carries a higher risk than insurance for vehicles that don’t carry passengers. If you have a family vehicle and you’ve noticed higher auto insurance coverage quotes, recognizing the reasons for the high premiums can help you to avoid them.

Family car insurance policies are mainly expensive because of the cost of personal injury protection. Insurance companies sometimes offer specially designed policies for families, and these are usually heavy on the PIP–that’s because personal injury protection pays for injuries to any passengers in a vehicle, and family vehicles are assumed to have a higher than average chance of carrying passengers. There’s a higher risk, and that means higher auto insurance quotes for policy buyers who have family vehicles if they choose the ready-made coverage offered by their insurance providers. Even if they don’t, buying personal injury protection can be more expensive if you have a family vehicle, because there’s a higher chance of a claim.

This is often mitigated by the fact that family cars are much safer than other vehicles. Families with children don’t really buy fast and expensive sports cars. They’re more likely to look into vans, SUVs, and trucks, which are vehicles that tend to have better than average insurance risks in numerous areas of coverage. Occupants of an SUV, for instance, are unlikely to file an expensive personal injury protection claim, because SUVs often have very good safety ratings. This is by no means true of all SUVs, but people generally exercise more care and look into safety ratings more often when they’re choosing a family vehicle. They may also opt for larger vehicles, which by nature tend to be safer.

If you’re looking for family car insurance, you can decrease the cost of your coverage in a few ways. Contact your insurance company and see if they offer any special discounts for families. Some insurers do this because their actuarial tables show that parents and homeowners tend to be safer drivers. Think about adjusting your personal injury protection coverage and deductibles to get your premiums down. You can also compare car insurance quotes online before you buy a policy and carefully look into your options when choosing a new vehicle. Family car insurance can cost more in certain instances, but these costs can easily be managed, and you can fit a very protective policy in to your family’s budget.