How to get car insurance before buying a car reddit

I'm sure I don't have to tell you that having auto insurance is extremely important -- not to mention the fact that it is illegal to drive without it in nearly every state. So if you own a car, you have to balance the right insurance coverage for your vehicle and situation with your ability to afford that coverage.

Reddit is an online news aggregator and discussion website, and it's chock-full of helpful information and tips about all kinds of personal finance concerns, including car insurance. Anyone can post and answer questions on Reddit, which means you often have to take advice with a grain of salt (and do some further research before acting on it). However, there are many excellent pockets of information, sometimes even posted by current and former insurance company employees. Let's dive into some of the best auto insurance advice from Reddit's r/personalfinance.

Shop around for policy rates

It can be very easy to give in to inertia and keep the same car insurance company for years, because it can be hard to find the time to compare policy prices. Thankfully, the internet age has made this easier; drivers no longer have to call insurers or visit agents in person to get quotes. The best way to ensure you're not overspending for car insurance is to shop around and see what insurers will quote you for a policy.

Buy more insurance than your state requires

Nearly every state requires a certain minimum amount of auto insurance coverage. Unfortunately, those minimums may not be enough to cover a driver, their vehicle, and any other vehicles, property, or people damaged or injured in a crash. Insurance may be required by law in your state, but it's also there to protect you as the driver and vehicle owner. If something terrible happens when you're driving, you want to be able to pay for the damage and protect your assets from legal action by anyone you may have harmed.

Don't lie to the insurance company

It's always a bad move to hide the truth from a company you're doing business with, for a number of reasons. If a driver tells their insurer they drive far less than they actually do, just to save money on their coverage, the company will find out. It will also find out if the driver has a speeding ticket or an accident on their driving record. It's not worth it to have a policy canceled over a lie.

Get rental car coverage

Many auto insurers offer an add-on that will cover the cost of a rental car if a car is out of commission due to a covered accident or mishap. This is worth paying for, according to Reddit, and I will co-sign this point as well; I have been without my car for periods of time due to it needing repairs, and I needed a car to get to school or work at that time, so having a rental car covered by my insurer was a lifesaver. This may be especially crucial if a car is to be out of commission for several weeks; rental cars are not cheap.

Embrace the discounts

Many auto insurers offer myriad discounts for drivers in a variety of situations. You can get discounts for being a safe driver, for being in the military, and even for getting good grades, if you're a student. One of the best ways to save money on car insurance is by bundling your policy with other insurance, if you have it. For example, I keep my renters insurance and auto insurance together, and this move saves me enough to cover the renters policy in full. When you're getting policy rate quotes, see what discounts you might qualify for.

Adjust your deductible (but make sure you can afford it)

Another way to save some money on auto insurance is to increase the deductible. A deductible is the amount of money the policyholder must pay out of pocket on the claim before the insurer will pick up the tab for the rest. If a deductible is higher, the policy costs will be lower, and vice versa. If a driver has a robust emergency fund and knows they will be able to afford a higher deductible in the event of needing to make a claim, this is a good strategy to save money every month. However, if they're at all concerned that they can't afford a higher deductible, or if the money saved by increasing it isn't worth it, it's fine to keep it lower.

We Americans love to drive our cars; the romance and freedom of the open road is a major part of our culture. Car insurance may not figure into this fantasy, but since it's both legally required and financially beneficial, you may as well embrace it and try to get the best coverage for your money.

When buying a car for the first time, how EXACTLY do you handle getting insurance for it and driving off the lot? from personalfinance

Buying and running a car is expensive for anyone, but this is especially true for new drivers and young people.

You’ll have lots of things to think about when buying your first car, but making sure you’ve got the right one for you is the most important thing.

We’ve taken a look at the cheapest cars to insure for 17-year-old drivers so you can make some informed decisions about which car is right for you and your bank balance.

How much is car insurance for a 17 year old?

No matter what car you choose to buy, the most important decision you make after your first car purchase will come in the form of the car insurance you choose to buy. Car insurance for 17-year-old drivers doesn’t come cheap, but shopping around can help you find the best deal for you. This shouldn’t put you off buying a car at 17 though – it’s not always fair, but unfortunately that’s just how it is!

Car insurance costs are based on a number of things. The value of the vehicle itself is one, but it’s not the only factor to take into consideration. One of the easiest ways to figure out which cars will be the cheapest to insure is by looking at their group rating. The lower the group rating, the cheaper the insurance will be.

For even cheaper car insurance for 17 year olds, it’s worth thinking about black box insurance too. With black box insurance, you’re rewarded for how well you drive and if you are a safe driver you could even be rewarded with lower premiums. When buying a first car as a 17 year old, it’s easy to feel you’re being punished with high costs because of other people’s bad driving. Most black box insurance providers offer free theft tracking too, so having one can even be an added security measure.

Knowing roughly how much you’ll be spending on your average annual premium is a must before you buy. To give you a bit of help, we’ve created the below table which shows the 10 cars that were on average cheapest to insure for 17-year-old Admiral policyholders from July to September 2021.

The cheapest cars to insure for 17 year olds

Take a look at the table below for some good first cars for 17 year olds to insure.

Car Average annual premium*1Škoda Citigo£760.622Volkswagen up!£760.793SEAT Mii£765.024Ford Ka+£771.435Fiat Panda£786.626Citroën C1£789.217Hyundai i10£794.358Toyota Aygo£816.249Peugeot 107£820.6810Vauxhall Viva£820.71

*Car models with 50 or more policies on our system

What other costs will I have to pay for my first car?

Before deciding what to buy, you should consider all the other costs that come as part and parcel of car ownership too.

Car tax

Unless you choose a Band A vehicle, it’s electric or built before 1973 you’ll have to pay car tax. Comparatively, this is a relatively small cost for lower band cars but can climb to as much as £535 as a one off payment for Band M cars which have the highest CO2 emissions.

MOT

An MOT checks your car’s road worthiness and safety, usually done by either the dealership or a garage. All cars over three years old have to be legally tested every year – though this could soon increase to every four years – and MOT fees can vary so it’s worth shopping around. You can also save money by looking after your car as best you can and driving it in a safe and careful manner.

Fuel

Unfortunately, this is a bit of an expensive one – so choosing a car with good fuel consumption should be a high priority before you buy. Not only does better fuel consumption save you money, it’s good for the environment too.

Think about car sharing as well. If you’re making the same journey as somebody else every day, or even just sometimes, you can save money by doing it together.

Tyres

With a good set of tyres, you should be able to get around 20,000 miles out of them. It’s important to check tyre pressure regularly and make sure you don’t skimp on safety – tyres are what keep you and your car on the road surface.

Repairs and services

However good a driver you are, problems will always arise over time and car maintenance is a safety essential. Most cars only need a thorough service once a year so this is something that can be easily budgeted for.

TIP: When you’re buying your first car, make sure the service record and logbook are provided with the car so that you have a paper-trail of previous services and repairs.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help!

The likelihood is, you’ve got friends and family who have bought cars themselves and plenty of parents have probably been asked ‘what’s the best first car for my 17-year-old child?’ so they’ll be expecting to get involved. Make sure you use this to your advantage and take on board any expertise they might have! There will be things to look out for when buying your first car that you may not even have thought of.

If you’re looking for the best car for 17 year old drivers and are lucky enough to know someone who really knows their cars, getting them to come along and check out the vehicles you’re looking at can be hugely helpful as well!

For up-to-date information, visit our Car Insurance Pricing Index. We update this monthly to show the cheapest cars to insure across multiple age groups, so you'll know what car is best for you as you get older.