If you’ve recently gotten an auto insurance premium quote and are happy with the amount you need to pay for the policy, then pat yourself on the back for being a good driver – because that probably has a great deal to do with your rate.

One of the easiest ways to structure a cheap auto insurance policy is to buy a policy with a high deductible. Deductibles are the amount that you must pay out of pocket when you have an insurable incident in your car. If the cost of repairing your car doesn’t exceed your deductible, then there is no insurance benefit to be paid out.

When you buy a new automobile, not only do you have a monthly car payment to make, but you also have an insurance bill to pay. Because you know that going in, you have a glorious bit of power that you should exercise, and that power is to buy an automobile that insurance companies will love to insure so that you can get a cheap auto insurance quote.

Many people, when looking for health insurance quotes or other types of insurance premium pricing information, begin to feel like they would be better off just saving their money rather than sending it to an insurance company to make a premium payment. They often feel this way because they think that the likelihood that they will actually use the insurance that they are paying for is low, so they will spend all this money on premiums and then have nothing to show for it, which leads many individuals to decide that it would be better save their money and put it into an interest-bearing account and forgo the insurance policy.

Not all discounts require you to take action in order to get them, some are given simply because of who you are and what kind of driver you’ve been.

Contrary to popular belief, car insurance rates are not an inflexible number. There are many ways that you can get car insurance discounts just by being who you are and taking advantage of the good driving record you have.

Senior discount: If you are 55 or older you may qualify for special discounts through your car insurance company. Car insurance rates for seniors can be quite low since they have a lot of experience driving. Also, they generally have extensive driving records which give a clear indication to insurers about whether or not they are safe drivers.

Good grade discount: On the flip side, if you are younger than 25 and are a full time student in either college or high school you may qualify for car insurance rates that are lower as a result of your good grades.

Farm use: If you own a farm, then your farm vehicles must be insured. But if you restrict their use to farm use only, then your insurance company could give you major discounts. After all, using your vehicle exclusively on the farm limits the risks that you and your equipment are exposed to which limits the likelihood that your insurer will need to pay any claims.

Clean driving discount: If you have a clean driving record then you will qualify for many discounts, depending on the number of years that it has been clean. Clean driving means that you have had no tickets or accidents that were your fault.

Retiree discounts: If you are retired then you no longer involve yourself in the daily grind of driving back and forth to work during rush hour. This means that you are much less exposed to risks and also means that many insurers will offer you a discount. They may even give a retiree discount on top of a senior discount, so be sure to ask.

The best thing you can do when looking for car insurance rates with discounts is to ask. Make sure you disclose all information about yourself and your life that you think may qualify you for a discount.

Choosing a deductible for your auto insurance quote might seem like an easy task, but it is actually a very big decision that should not be taken lightly-especially since your deductible has a big effect on the premium you are charged and because you must have enough money in the bank to cover it, should you have an insurable incident.

When you are searching for auto insurance rates, finding cheap auto insurance often becomes your sole focus. But you need to do some research on the insurance companies you consider doing business with before committing to the first cheap auto insurance rate you find because if the company insuring your car is not financially sound, they may not be there to pay your claims when you need them. And even if you buy cheap auto insurance from a financially sound company, that doesn’t mean the insurance policy is right for you.

If you were to go shopping for an expensive new pair of boots, chances are you would not just run into a store and grab the first pair you see. Expensive boots are an item you want to carefully invest in and rely on for years to come and that means that their purchase requires some research and comparison shopping. You might compare the merits of leather and suede against manmade materials or compare care instructions and you would definitely look around and compare prices to make sure you got the best deal. So why should shopping for auto insurance rates be any different?