This question is asked by almost every consumer who buys car insurance and has a vehicle that may be 5 or more years old.

At some point, you begin to wonder if the cost of full coverage car insurance is worth it since you may have never had a claim on that car.

The first step in making this decision is to get an accurate vehicle value from a service such as Kelley Blue Book. Once you have an approximate value of your vehicle, take a look at what you are paying for comprehensive (also called Other than Collision) and collision coverage. Read the rest of this entry

In order to license your car, you must prove your financial responsibility by providing proof of liability insurance to your state licensing department.

What are you required to carry liability insurance on your car?

It’s really quite simple. Liability insurance protects OTHER people when you drive your car. So imagine a society where no liability is required in order to drive a 5,000 pound vehicle at 75 miles an hour.  Accidents can and DO happen. And they are not always accidental. Read the rest of this entry

You may have heard the term ‘deductible’ used by your agent or car insurance company, but maybe you never knew exactly what it meant until you had a claim.

A deductible is essentially the amount of money you agree to pay BEFORE your insurance company will pay any portion of a claim.

By agreeing to ‘shoulder’ the first portion of any claim you may file, you bring down the cost to your insurance company and in return your car insurance premium is lower.  The larger your deductible, the lower your policy premium. Read the rest of this entry

Your tires take a lot of abuse and you may eventually find yourself with a flat or damaged tire from a road hazard such as a pot hole, a sharp object or a curb.

If you’ve had to replace a tire, you know that a new tire with mounting and balancing can cost anywhere from $80 up to several hundred dollars depending on the cost of your tire. Read the rest of this entry