10 Ways to Lower Your Auto Insurance Bills

Hands down, the best way to save money on your auto insurance premium is to be a safe driver. The fewer accidents and traffic violations you have, the more insurers you'll have bidding for your business and the lower their rate quotes will be. However, not all of us have a perfect record, so we need to look at additional ways to save money. Here are a few:

1. Take a driver safety course. If you've been ticketed for an accident or some other violation, the state will remove it from your driving record when you take a driver safety course. The required course length, content and limitations vary from state to state, but if you want to keep your driving record as clean as possible, this is a relatively easy route to take. In addition, almost all insurance companies will lower your premium just for taking the course. So even if you haven't been ticketed, you can still take a driver safety course to save money.

2. Increase your deductible. Ask your insurer for premium quotes using different deductible levels to see how much you could save by covering a greater portion of an accident cost out of your own pocket. It may be worth it to go with a higher deductible, particularly if you're a safe driver who is less likely to be in an accident or if you've got the financial capacity to pay a higher deductible in the event of an accident.

3. Forgo comprehensive and/or collision coverage. If the value of your vehicle is not that high, you might want to consider going without comprehensive and/or collision coverage. For instance, if your car is more than 10 years old or if it already has significant body damage, the cost of these coverages over a year or two could exceed the value of the vehicle entirely.