This guide will mainly include advice for those on their own plan. If you are still on your family member or guardian's plan, that's great - the main factor will be the car you're insuring and your previous history for accidents. Otherwise, the main rules of car insurance apply to everyone: you can't control most of what affects your premium, but you can control how much you pay.
When it comes to choosing an insurance plan, there are two main factors that will affect your premium: your driving history and your vehicle. Your driving history is the thing that people don't like to think about since it's something out of their control, but it's basically a zero sum game. The more accidents you have, the higher your premium is going to be. If you've been a good driver with no accidents, then you'll be rewarded with lower premiums.
The second thing that affects your insurance premium is the vehicle that you're insuring and the age of that vehicle. The older and more expensive the vehicle, the higher your premium is going to be, and it will likely go up with its age.
Please follow this guide:
Your insurance will be based on a few key variables: Your age, your gender, and your zip code. It will act as such:
Male = costs more than female (women pay less on average)
Your age - more expensive the younger you are. (25 year old gets significantly more than a 17 year old, but then drops off significantly when they hit the mid 20s)
Zip code - every area is different. The closer you live to large cities (which see a lot more accidents), you will pay more.
State - some states are far cheaper than others - in fact, 3 of the 6 cheapest states are in the South. (LA is #1) Your driving record (good or bad) and your driving history also come into play.
Your driving record is the 2nd part of insuring your vehicle. You have a certain amount of accidents and points you can build as punishment. You'll have to search your individual state to see how your license points are working.
Example:
Driving Record
A: 6 accidents = 3 points on license (2 year expiration)
B: 2 accidents = 1 point on license (5 year expiration)
There are a few ways to reduce your insurance costs:
1.) Get a quote online or speak with an agent about what your best options might be for lowering your premium costs.
2.) If you're accident free - this will reward you with lower premiums.
3.) Buy a cheaper car. (SUV's are generally more expensive and they're not as safe)
Make sure you are getting adequate insurance - if you go for the "cheapest" option, it may cost you heavily down the line.
Deductible is what you're paying from the event of an accident or a replacement cost in the event you need to replace your car. This will be a set amount of money and can vary by company.
Say that your deductible is $1000, then if you have an accident and it costs $3,000 to repair the damage, then you will pay $1,000 out of pocket.
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