Credit Rating: How Does It Affect Your Auto Insurance
There are a number of factors that can affect the cost of your auto insurance; these include your age, sex and prior accident history. You may be surprised to learn, however, that in recent years, the credit rating has also become an important factor in determining your auto insurance premium. While credit rating will not always come into play and the rules for the use of a credit rating as a determinant may vary from one state to another, the Federal Trade Commission found that “credit” is a useful guide for setting premiums.
Why is credit rating affecting your auto insurance cost?
A credit rating is an evaluation of your credit risk established by the credit agencies. It is based on your past credit history, which includes the number of credit cards and loans that you have had and how diligent you are in paying your dues. It is generally accepted that most people who are responsible for their credit and finance will be responsible in other aspects of their lives. Someone with a good credit rating is motivated to minimize the risk, and someone who has a tendency to minimize the risk is less likely to get into a car accident, which also means they are not likely to file a claim. For those who are not more likely to file an auto insurance claim for compensation are more desirable to auto insurance companies, these people may obtain more favourable auto insurance rates.
How does the credit rating affect your auto insurance costs?
If you live in a state where the credit rating is considered a factor in determining auto insurance rates, you can expect this to have a credit score of 700 or higher and may definitely affect your auto insurance policy rate positively. On the otherhand, a note under 600 may affect your auto insurance rate negatively. Remember that while the credit rating is a factor, it is only one of several factors; and how it is weighted may depend on your auto insurance company.
How can you use the credit rating to get better auto insurance rates?
In simple terms: improve your credit rating. You can discover your credit rating from one of the three rating agencies. If your score falls on the negative or unfavorable range, or not quite in the favorable range, try to put off buying an auto insurance until you can repay some loans. The best thing is to have sensible, regular payments on your loans and credit cards. If you do this, your credit rating is likely to go up. Since an auto insurance premium is something you will be paying regularly for a long time, it is generally worth the effort required to improve your credit rating in order to obtain a favorable auto insurance premium.
Most Related Auto Insurance Articles
-
Credit Rating: How Does It Affect Your Auto Insur...
Updated February 21, 2008
-
Credit Rating: How Does It Affect Your Auto Insur...
Updated February 21, 2008
