When you get married, several things cross your mind. Car insurance, however, is generally not one of them. Truth be told, the effect of your marriage on car insurance premiums is something that probably didn’t cross your mind at all.
That being said, you must put your car insurance policy on your to-do list – at least once wedding and honeymoon is done with. Believe it or not, your marital status has a huge bearing on your car insurance policies, and a combined one usually is more effective and less expensive for both of you – bar a few exceptions.
Combining Insurance Policies Will Help You Save Money
Even without changing your car insurance policy, chances are that your ‘married’ status itself will reduce your rates once your current policy is reviewed. Even with other factors being the same, your premiums are bound to go down by around 10-12 %. This usually happens because married couples tend to file a lesser number of claims as compared to single drivers.
When Is It Idea to Combine Policies?
If you’re really looking forward to getting a better discount on your car insurance premiums, you will benefit from combining the separate car insurance policies of you and your spouse’s into a single one. Even better if you are both in possession of good driving records and no coverage gaps.
Furthermore, when you combine your car insurance policy, you get more than one vehicle insured on a (later) single car insurance policy, which often allows you to avail multi-car discount from car insurers. Although you are still eligible for discounts if your family has a single vehicle.
Last but not the least, if you combine your car insurance policy with that of a homeowners or renter’s insurance policy – and from the same insurance company, you can get an even better rate of discount, which will only lead to your saving.
Insurance Quotes for Married Couples
While driving records are a major factor affecting insurance premiums, they are only one of several equally important factors. For instance, in some states, the car insurance company will determine your determine premiums by keeping your credit score in view as well, making your and your spouse’s financial history an equally important factor.
In order to get the best idea as to how your premium will get affected, you must make sure to quotes – both for adding yourself to your spouse’s policy and vice versa. You should also try out other insurance companies to get a good view of comparative rates.
When NOT to Combine Policies
Even with the general benefits, there are certain situation when combining policies is not ideal at all and will in fact do more harm than good. For instance, if any one of you has a low credit score or less-than-ideal driving record, it is best for both of you to keep your policies separate. The combination of a high risk and low risk driver will only serve to increase the car insurance rates of the low-risk driver. Furthermore, the insurance company may decide to not combine a high-risk driver regardless of the price you and/or your spouse may be willing to pay.
In most cases, combining your car insurance policies when you’re married is a great idea. If one spouse does have minor violation on their driving record, these can be mitigated by the combination of policies. That being said, if any one of you is indeed a high-risk driver, you are better-off keeping your records separate.
Before combining your policies, make sure to get proper quotes from multiple companies and work out a policy that functions well with your current requirements and your budget.
