I have some bad news that I’m sure your bank account has already noticed, and it’s that car insurance rates currently suck. You’re not crazy, car insurance has been getting more expensive for at least a decade. The American Property Casualty Insurance Association has its explanations for why you’re paying more, but that’s doesn’t make the squeeze any better. Of course, insurance companies are in the game to make money and have admitted to rising rates in the race for profits.
So, what can you do to ease the pain? Aside from the usual stuff like upping your credit rating, V10omous has a pretty simple “hack:”
Reminder that shopping around and switching insurance companies every few years can help mitigate this.
I switched home/auto/umbrella last year after State Farm raised rates and ended up below my 2019 prices with Allstate (same level of coverage).
It’s annoying and stupid but it does work. I expect to need to switch again in ~2027 now.
Now, I won’t say that this will work for everyone, but I have used this method for years with success. For example, a few years ago, Geico nearly doubled my rates at renewal time. I responded by moving to Progressive, which has more or less kept me at the same rate. Every once in a while I do some shopping around for lower rates. Sometimes, I’ve ended up insured by small companies, just to eventually end up back at the huge national brands. It sucks and it takes time, but you might be able to save money by switching.
Now for something funny. David Tracy bought a Pontiac Aztek tent without actually having an Aztek to sleep in. He’s gearing up for the possibility that he’s going to live in a Pontiac Aztek for some time and we’re all getting excited for it. Dude Drives Cars got us hard with this line:
If David stays in this abode later in the year, he could title it: The Winter of Our Discount Tent.
(If you have no idea what’s going on, it’s a reference to John Steinbeck’s last novel, The Winter of Our Discontent.)
Finally, there’s a Facebook post going around about a really long Toyota Tundra. A lot of folks thought it was a joke and maybe an edited photo, but it was indeed a real truck. Still, the jokes are great, like this one from Pisco Sour:
When the breakover angle approaches the curvature of the earth…
Have a great evening, everyone!
Since we live in the fire-prone flammable foothills of California, one thing I do NOT want to do is rock the boat on insurance coverage. We just heard that yet another insurance company, State Farm or is it Farmers I always mix them up, is dropping coverage California. So, apparently since we have two cars bundled in with our house, they are prone to leaving us alone. Interesting as it is our two hobby cars, not the newer ones. Anyway, since we are still covered, we ask no questions, just pay the bill quickly every year.
Insurance: 100% switch every couple of years. Also, when doing that switch double check any unique circumstances that might get you a deal. Costco membership can get you a deal, I would guess Sam’s Club would too. Certain professions that support the public good can often get a deal too–teachers, nurses, police, firefighters, military etc.
Also, can I just say that I come back to this site daily in some part because it just generally seems like one of the few non-toxic places left on the internet? The comments section is thoughtful, funny, supportive, and intelligent. It is refreshingly free of truly terrible shitposters, but also doesn’t feel like a ditto-fest where everyone is in lockstep agreement about everything. The site has ads, but it doesn’t feel like the ads have just devoured the site. Keep it up everyone!
I sincerely detest industries that operate this way, although my State Farm premiums have always been competitive when I’ve shopped around, despite having been with them for almost 20 years now.
Now my Progressive RV insurance? Premiums tripled in the course of a few years. They got dropped with prejudice.
I also detest my garbage company for this, but unfortunately I’m grandfathered in to a plan where I get weekly recycling pickup, which no other company in the area offers at any price (they’re all bi-weekly, which is a problem because if you miss a pickup you end up with a month’s worth of recycling piled up). I would pay good money to not have to call every couple of years and threaten to cancel so my bill doesn’t get sky high, but alas.
This is why insurance brokers and multiple line agents exist. Find a good one and let them do the hunting. That’s what they’re paid to do. They also can have access to companies that only deal with agents. I’d never heard of my insurer before, but they’ve been fine.
Yeah I need to shop for insurance. Car insurance hasn’t budged much, but I know my homeowners is ridiculous. USAA just hopes you don’t think about switching because they are USAA.
I had a house fire a few months ago. Everyone is okay, thankfully, which is the most important part; but more good news for me is that I will never willingly leave USAA. They may be a bit more expensive, but we haven’t had a single problem with them.
Sure, I don’t want to just find the cheapest, but I’ve also not heard great stories recently about USAA. Seems they are regressing to the mean, focusing on making money like every other company, rather than maintaining the highest standard for their members. Good to hear you had a good experience, or as good as a house fire can go.
I’m not entirely surprised to hear about them falling more in line with other companies, just disappointed. Obviously, I’m a sample size of 1, but at least it’s as good a result as I can reasonably expect.
Can attest to switching…I’m in a quasi-urban area and was paying ~$400/6 months with Geico, then at one renewal they quoted $500. Instead, I was able to get $405 for similar (or possibly incrementally better) coverage with StateFarm. It’s still climbed incrementally since then, but not as drastically as Geico’s.
The trouble is, my insurance renewal is on the 27th of December, and I can never be bothered to do chores like insurance shopping at that time of year.
You don’t have to wait for the renewal date to switch. You can switch at any time and your previous company should refund the remaining prorated premium.
You just have to be over 2 years with the current provider, you can switch anytime though. If you’ve paid ahead, they’ll refund you
I’m hopefully moving house soon, so I’ll wait until then, because they’ll charge me £20 just to change my address anyway.
Ideally I want my MOT, car tax, and insurance all evenly spaced 4 mouths apart.
The Winter of our Discount Tent was a Red Green sketch, too!
https://youtu.be/L7FzV9irqfY
Was literally about to cite that. Good work and good taste.
It was also a visual joke in Deadloch, which you can find on Amazon Prime, and should because it is awesome.
15 minutes on The Autopian could save you 15% or more
I dig that longbed Toyota!
That truck could really use that under-chassis tank track system.
Screw that — LONG BED TECHNICAL.
“The winter of our discontent originally comes from Shakespeare – the opening lines of Richard III.
Now is the winter of our discontent
Made glorious summer by this sun of York;
And all the clouds that lour’d upon our house
In the deep bosom of the ocean buried.
Steinbeck borrowed the line, of course, just like The Grapes of Wrath was borrowed from Julia Ward Howe’s poem, The Battle Hymn of the Republic.
Also, I approve of the pun and vote David Tracy should adopt it as the title for his series.
Came here to say this. So now enjoy Ian McKellen delivering these lines.
https://www.shakespeareontoast.com/2011/01/05/now-is-the-winter-of-our-discontents-in-original-pronunciation/
Thank You
Oh my! I guess that shows how much I paid attention to Shakespeare in school…