While you may not often come across “cheap” auto insurance, you can certainly find affordable cover. This is because insurance companies don’t like to market their products as being cheap products, because the vast majority of people associate “cheap” with poor quality. Instead, insurance providers prefer terms like “low-cost” or “affordable” even though the average motorist is very open about wanting to find cheap insurance.

Of course much also depends on your own circumstances, because what may be cheap for one person, may not be cheap for the next. The good news though, is that you can almost always find cover to suit your budget, providing you’re willing to shop around, and providing you take certain precautionary measures. If you’re currently paying through your neck for auto insurance, the chances are you never shopped around, or else you’ve had a series of convictions. If it’s the latter, there’s not really much you can do about it, at least not for a few years. Unfortunately, insurance companies just don’t like high risk drivers, which is why it pays to maintain a clean driving record.

Also, if you’ve been making regular claims, all insurance companies will see you as being high risk, and it’s going to show in the quotes you get. If you’re having difficulty finding cheap cover, it could also be your age counting against you. Generally, if you’re under the age of 21, or in some cases 25, you’re going to pay more for auto insurance. Many drivers in this age group argue that their reflexes are sharper than they are in older people, and yes, it’s true. The Insurance companies aren’t denying this, but they also know that a young driver is more likely to speed and drive recklessly. Unfortunately, statistics show that young drivers between the ages of 17 and 25 are the most likely drivers to be involved in an accident. If you are in this age group, you can still find relatively cheap cover if you shop around, but it may be worth your while getting one of your parents to insure the vehicle and then have you as a named driver.

If on the other hand you’re a senior citizen, you will almost certainly qualify for reduced rates, and even more so if you don’t use your vehicle very often. Insurance companies see older people as having had plenty of driving experience, so therefore there’s less chance of them having an accident. Senior citizens also tend to drive less than young people, so their cars are not on the road as often, which again means less risk to the insurance company.

If you’re just a regular driver, in that you’re neither a youngster nor a senior citizen, then you have the same challenge as everyone else. What this means is that you’ll need to take certain steps in order to qualify for those great rates. For example, make sure your vehicle has an alarm and an immobilizer. In fact, you may even want to get a GPS tracking device installed. You also need to avoid leaving your vehicle parked out in the road at night. Even though thousands of cars get stolen while parked on their owners properties, there’s more chance of your car getting stolen if it’s left out on the street.

Lastly, you need to get several quotes from the different insurance companies. Don’t be tempted to opt for one company just because friends or family have recommended them. While that company may have been offering the most affordable car insurance last year, that’s not to say they can give you the best deal this year. In fact, shopping around for quotes is the single most important thing to do when it comes to getting a great deal on auto insurance.