Auto insurance is one of the larger expenses for many households and is an even bigger struggle for those on a fixed income. Many people, including senior citizens, are looking for ways to save money on their car insurance. The American Association of Retired Persons, commonly known as AARP, airs commercials for auto insurance claiming that it can save you money and give you more benefits than other companies offer.
The money advisor from Consumer Reports did a survey of four different auto insurance companies including AARP, three of which offered lower rates than the rates from AARP. AARP’s rates were lower than the competitor in only one of the four cases.
One of the examples that was used in the survey was a 64-year old man with a spotless driving record who got a quote from AARP of $908 and $660 from Amica Mutual which was $248 less. Another quote offered by AARP was $2,059 compared to Geico’s quote of $1,330, which is a $729 savings.
It is important to get quotes from a few different companies to make sure you are getting the best deal. One of the benefits offered by AARP auto insurance is that they offer 12-month rate protection instead of 6 months that is typically offered by other companies. In many cases, you can get quotes from various companies from their websites.
The company that the AARP auto insurance is offered through is The Hartford. Policies offered are bodily injury protection, property damage liability, uninsured motorist bodily injury and uninsured motorist property damage. A medical payment policy is part of the full coverage policy that pays reasonable and necessary medical expenses, directly resulting from an auto accident up to the selected limits. This includes medical care, recovery, rehabilitation and remedial care. You can also get features added to your policy that covers towing and rental reimbursement if your car becomes inoperable and you need to rent a car until yours is repaired.
Some of the factors that may affect your auto insurance rates are how many miles you drive annually, where you live and your driving record. In theory, the more miles you drive, the better chance of getting into an accident. Also, living in a large city, you may have a larger chance of having an accident than if you live in a smaller town or rural area. If you have had a number of previous accidents or traffic violations, you have a larger risk of getting into an accident.
In addition to organizations such as AARP, check rates from other organizations you may belong to such as USAA for military families, unions and trade groups. One of the benefits that has been advertised from USAA is that insurance can be handed down to other family members over the years.
Comparing auto insurance rate quotes is an important part of saving money on vehicle insurance. Just because commercials claim that a company can offer the lowest rates doesn’t mean that they are the lowest prices.