Car Insurance for College Students

A student requires making decisions about the car insurance policy right before they join a college. Insurance companies may allow students to stay on their parent’s plan or have a personal insurance cover.

The premiums are slightly higher for college students compared to the other ages. Additionally, most students do not have a stable financial income hence the need to stay on a parent’s policy.

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Contacting your Insurance Provider

You may consider notifying your insurance provider before leaving for college. Below are some reasons why you should inform your insurance provider:

• Your insurer requires knowing the location of your car to adjust the rates and advice on the necessary rules in case you are attending school in another state.
• There are numerous discounts that you qualify for the moment you join college which may reduce the overall insurance rates.
• In case you are using a different address, you may be required to have your insurance coverage. Your insurance agent will advise you on the best options available.

Obtaining the right Coverage

If you will be driving your car to school, it is quite essential to make a visit to the campus ahead of the reporting date to gather more information about the area.

This information gives you an idea of the security of the area around the school thus getting the ideal insurance coverage for your car. Most of the car thefts happen in colleges.

Therefore, it is perfect for you to get a third party fire and theft insurance which is cheaper than a comprehensive cover. You also need to get the minimum liability insurance and collision policy to cover for your vehicle’s repairs.

Various insurance companies offer different premiums for college students. You may need to shop around online to get the one with attractive rates and many discounts based on your performance and the course you’re taking.

Getting Your Insurance Policy Versus Being Listed as a Driver on Your Parent’s Policy

College students may choose between getting a personal policy or remain on their parents’ plan. In most cases, it is ideal for them to stay in their parent coverage to cut down on the costs that come with getting the expensive insurance cover.

Students may need to get their insurance policy if they are relocating permanently and getting a new address.

A student may also need to get their coverage if they have their names on the vehicle’s title.

In this case, the parent should consider including their names to the vehicles titles, which gives the college students an opportunity to be on the parent policy.

Factors Affecting the Cost of Students Insurance

College students insurance is higher due to some factors that vary from one insurance company to another. Some of the factors include:

• Age and gender – insurance rates are high for anyone below 25 years old. Most college students are below that age hence the increase in insurance rates. It is worse when you are a male college driver since they are renowned for causing more accidents than their female counterparts.
• Location – you may pay less insurance coverage if your college is in the rural areas compared to the cities. The cities have more traffic and many obstacles on the roads like pedestrians which may increase the probability of causing an accident.
• Car Model – an expensive car would attract more people hence being a target for thieves. Additionally, some car’s spare parts are higher making them expensive to repair after an accident.
• Driving record – you may consider maintaining a good record to avoid adding more money to the already high premiums. Remember, a speeding ticket would lead to an increase in your premium rates.
• Credit history – a good credit history would save some of your insurance money. Most college students do not have a stable means of income meaning that their credit history is a bit lower. However, you may have your parents include you as an authorized signer on a charge card.

Why You Should Always Retain Coverage

There is an instance where you reside in school, and you only use the car during holidays. In this case, the parents should have you on their insurance policy besides the temptation to cancel the coverage.

Reasons why you should retain coverage include:

• The students would require driving after returning home from college.
• To maintain a continuous coverage because a gap in coverage makes you appear as a high-risk driver leading to increased premiums.

Car insurance premiums may be higher for the college students, but they have other ways to save on the auto insurance costs. They include:

• Discounts – insurance companies offer numerous discounts to the college students. Some of the discounts that they have are the good student discount, resident student discount, safe driver discounts, driving school cut, and the anti-theft discount.
• Pay-per-mile insurance – this policy is ideal for the people who live near their schools or inside the school. The insurance company charges the policyholder depending on the miles that they cover every month.

The policies and rules for the college student insurance coverage vary from one insurance company to another. Therefore, it is ideal to look for different insurance companies instead of jumping at the first policy that you get.

You may also avoid lending your car to your friends on campus due to the risks involved if your friend causes an accident while uninsured.

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