These days it is so easy to get an instant quote online comparing all the major insurance companies wherever it is that you live.
The beauty of using an insurance comparison site is that you can pick and chose what factors you want to decide on your exact level of coverage in your policy.

This way you only pay for what you need, and automatically cut out excess expenses.
The other main way to get the best deal is to use a broker. An insurance broker gets special deals from providers all around the country, and will usually provide you with the most suitable and cheapest insurance quote.

You can even read the whole policy then and there, sign up and get the best deal right then and there.
You have nothing to lose, and only money to gain and save. Go get a quote from multiple insurance companies or brokers and visit a comparison site and compare insurance now to make instant savings!

So here are the cheapest rates nationally. How does your policy compare?

Nashville: $978

Boise: $990

Richmond, Va.: $1,038

Burlington, Vt.: $1,039

Evansville, Ind.: $1,045

These rates include comprehensive, collision, bodily injury, property damage and uninsured motorist coverage.
The higher rates are likely due to higher rates of crime in a particular area, and high rate of accidents per type of car, but it definitely doesn’t mean everyone is paying the very expensive rates nor the cheapest, these are only average insurance costs, there are in fact much cheaper policies available.

Even If you live in these cheap cities for auto insurance, there are ways you can avoid paying the average higher rates. Always shop around with other insurance companies, and look for a better deal. There are hundreds of companies out there waiting to provide you with a cheaper insurance rate. They are begging for your business, and the more companies you speak to, the more you are likely to save on insurance.
Don’t put up with paying too much to insure your car, go check out competitors quotes now.

Luxury car maker Mercedes-Benz South Africa announced on Monday that it was recalling 3085 cars, including the C Class and the E Class versions as part of the world wide effort to repair over 85000 cars with faulty steering columns.

This recall arose less than 2 weeks after their opposition BMW South Africa issued a recall statement on their own vehicles.

Shirle Greig, director for Mercedes-Benz, pronounced the car manufacturer will notify any affected drivers and owners, and the any required repairs to the effected machinery or parts mentioned in the recall will be fixed free of charge by local Mercedes-Benz dealers.

The vehicle, Greig said, still remains drivable and steering is stable.

If you do drive a Mercedes Benz, the manufacturer has the following notes for you, or if you know any such drivers and said vehicle:

Greig pronounced the new steering system on Mercedes-Benz C and E-Class models manufactured between Jun 2009 and February 2010 may give rise to some minor leakages of steering fluid at the connection where the tall pressure line and the siphon meet.

The fluid leakage on affected cars also usually has a whistling and whining high pitched noise. THis can put pressure on the steering, and you may find it harder to control steering due to the extra forces, mostly noticeable when performing parking of the car.

It is a minor issue in the big scheme of things, and the vehicle remains steerable at all times, Greig said. They are mostly concerned about the violation of their luxury brand status as flawless German engineering. That image has been blown out the window

In South Africa, BMW SA is recalling about 3700 cars as share of the global drive to repair 350 000 vehicles, which more consists of 5 eight hundred Rolls-Royce Phantom models.

On September 1, German-based parent BMW AG released a press release stating that it was recalling 5, 6 & 7 Series models powered by V8 and V12 engines as well as Rolls-Royce Phantom models (Rolls Royce is owned by BMW). The problematic cars have also had braking systems that leak fluids, causing minor control problems.

Do you fully understand your car insurance cover policy and the terms and conditions? Issues such as recalls may void your insurance policy if you do not act on them. If you continue to drive around and then get into an accident after a recall was issued, but you did not get the required fixes made to your car, not only may the failure of the vehicle not be your fault, but you will also have to bear the cost of any repairs and damage to other vehicles. Not only that, you could injure pedestrians, passengers, or yourself as the driver. Make sure your insurance coverage covers such acts, but keep an eye on your car maker’s website and newspapers for any recalls. Even Toyota recently recalled it’s green vehicle the Prius for acceleration issues last year.

There are specialty luxury Car Insurance companies for South Africans, United states, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and the rest of the world, check with your local insurance broker to get the best car insurance that suits you and your automobile

It approved rate reductions averaging 10.15 per cent at 31 companies. Their combined share of total premiums collected in 2002 was 55.5 per cent. 29 of the 31 insurers won approval to reduce rates by 10 per cent or more, so now it is up to you to shop around for a better car insurance deal.

ING Insurance Company Canada, the second-largest insurer with 7.8 per cent of the market, will have a 12 per cent reduction on renewals starting yesterday. One insurer had rates approved for the first time, while Trafalgar Insurance, with about 1.38 per cent of the market, was allowed a 4.5 per cent increase.

Mark Yakabuski, Ontario vice-president of the Insurance Bureau of Canada, said the average premium per private Ontario passenger vehicle was about $1,275 before the approved changes.
With only 55 per cent of the market covered, about half of their customers or a quarter of all drivers, could see a larger reduction in rates than 10 per cent while a roughly equivalent number could see a smaller reduction.
It won’t feel like a reduction for some, Yakabuski acknowledges. They will get a blend of the average 10 per cent reduction and any increases approved between the time of their last renewal and when the Liberals temporarily froze further increases.

The insurance regulator broke from its usual practice and did not mention that it had recently approved a 28.5 per cent average rate increase for the Facility Association, the industry-sponsored pool for the worst drivers. If the Facility’s rate change had been included, FSCO could not have announced an average reduction of 10 per cent, which was a key promise leading up to the last election.

“We specifically do not want the Facility Association included in these calculations,” said Sorbara. “We did not expect a rate reduction. In fact, we expect the Facility to be a special case. We want to try to get people out of the Facility and into regular insurers.”
The Facility lost more than $400 million in Ontario last year, and by December was insuring about 3.8 per cent of vehicles, according to its president, David Simpson. It would have collected a larger share of premiums, because its rates are so high.

Kingsway’s Star said his rates are about 15 per cent less on average than the Facility, yet has been losing money serving the same class of drivers. In the last three weeks, new applications for coverage at Kingsway have increasedfrom 115 a day to 190.
Opposition party critics predicted yesterday that the public will not see that the Liberals have lived up to their election promise. Conservative critic Bill Murdoch told the Star’s Caroline Mallan that he is suspicious that the auto insurance rate reductions will not be reflected in year-over-year premiums.
“It sounds good if you can believe it, if it works,” said Murdoch (Bruce Grey-Owen Sound). “I’m a little skeptical because they do say a lot of things and nothing seems to ever happen and it’ll be whether it affects the ordinary people out there.”

NDP critic Peter Kormos (Niagara Centre) said the Liberal contention that premiums will not rise by as much as they otherwise would have is not what they promised during last year’s election campaign.
“That’s a con game, that’s a scam; it’s the oldest gaffe in the book because the fact is, premiums are going up,” said Kormos, a long-time advocate of public auto insurance. “The Liberals promised premium reductions; the final observation is Liberals didn’t tell the truth about reducing premiums.”

Kormos said the appeal of public auto insurance is growing as provincial governments realize that their efforts to control premiums charged by private companies are not working.

“The conclusion is the private, for-profit auto-insurance sector cannot be regulated, cannot be reeled in,” he said.

“And that leads us, of course, as New Brunswick Liberals and Conservatives are being led, to public auto insurance.”

Detroit: $4,945

Philadelphia: $3,666

Newark, N.J.: $3,557

Los Angeles: $3,258

New York: $2,762

These rates include comprehensive, collision, bodily injury.
The high rates are likely due to the high rates of crime, and high rate of accidents, but it definitely doesn’t mean everyone is paying these very expensive rates, these are only average insurance costs, there are much cheaper policies available.

If you live in these expensive cities for auto insurance, there are ways you can avoid paying the higher rates. Always shop around with other insurance companies, and look for a better deal. There are hundreds of companies out there waiting to provide you with a cheaper insurance rate. They are begging for your business, and the more companies you speak to, the more you are likely to save on insurance.
Don’t put up with paying too much to insure your car, go check out competitors quotes now.

Instead, insurance allows us to share the risk of something bad happening with other people, by each paying a premium into a much larger pool of money, out of which those poor unfortunate people who do suffer a big loss are reimbursed.

Premiums are set according to the expected outgoing costs from the fund – how many cars in total are likely to get nicked – and individual risk: how much more likely is if your car will get nicked compared with, say, your mum’s Corolla. The value of your car can also be a factor.

Complaints about insurance companies usually centre on the exorbitant cost of the premiums, or the shortfall between actual and expected payouts when something does go wrong.

Insurance companies aren’t charities but if they get greedy and overcharge on premiums, their customers will go elsewhere, just like any other business. Well, that’s the theory and it’s the practice too if we shop around and compare prices, which these days is as easy as typing ‘car insurance quotes’ into Google, you can easily find a better than average deal.

Insurance companies increasingly specialise in market segments and some may not particularly want your business, in which case they’ll quote an uncompetitive premium. This is especially the case for younger drivers and older cars, which is why specialist insurers like Shannon’s (modified cars and classics), Piranha (race cars) and Just Car (young people) were made for people like us.

If the premiums are too low, the insurance company will get a lot of business but will eventually go bankrupt when the claims exceed premium income. This is what happened to HIH Insurance, and it caused enormous hardship to a lot of people whose valid claims could no longer be met.

When setting individual premiums, insurers assess risk by reviewing claims made in the past. The key determinants that insurance companies have found useful in predicting future claims are the make and model of the vehicle; its age; business or private use; locality; driver age and record; car finance; modifications; and previous insurance history. Occupation, anti-theft devices and number of kilometres travelled may also be relevant.

Insurers reward loyalty and good claims records with ‘no-claim bonuses’, which can reduce your premiums by up to 65 per cent. Typically, a discount of 20 per cent is offered on comprehensive insurance after one year, then 10 per cent per year after that. In many cases, these no-claims bonuses are transferable, and further discounts may be available from specialist insurers for multiple cars.

Premiums are also affected by how much ‘excess’ you are prepared to pay: a standard policy may require you to pay for the first $1000 worth of damage, which you can reduce by paying a higher premium. Vehicles with notoriously high theft histories typically have very high excesses, as do young drivers.

Most disputes arise when there are shortfalls in expected payments, or claims are refused entirely; the devil is often in the detail, so it always pays to read the fine print. In 60 per cent of complaints, people think they are insured for a particular event and find they are not – third party insurance is a classic example – so take a careful look at the type of car insurance you have, what they cover, and be sure to compare other providers to see what is on offer.

We recently compared Average Insurance Costs state by state to find the cheapest. For more car insurance cost information see our website for this and other very interesting data and comparisons before you buy or pay for your next auto policy. The likelihood is you will find a better deal if you shop around, we will help save possibly thousands of dollars on a cheaper quote.

Insurance has a very long history, well before the first car or telephone or even hospital. If you’ve ever made a successful claim you may be very thankful for the invention of insurance, others see it as a form of hedging your bets, a kind of gambling with the gods.

The idea of paying money up front to hedge against the risk of a future catastrophe and contingent financial loss — insurance — can be traced back to the ancient world.

According to the Babylonian Code of Hammurabi, dating back to 1750BC and touted as the first written laws in human history, ancient sailing merchants took out basic insurance policies.

Merchants would borrow money to fund their shipments of goods and pay the lender an extra sum of money (premium) to ensure that, if the shipment was stolen or damaged at sea, the lender would be willing to write-off the loan.

The tablet containing the prologue of the original Hammurabi is currently on display in the Louvre Museum in Paris. How many other insurance policies are in there I wonder? This is not your average policy document. If someone has a photo of the policy, I would love to see it. How did they show proof of loss we wonder? What would the average cost of excess be on a ship or yacht filled with gold? How many people pulled insurance scams?

Insurance Tip:

Never just accept the price when your renewal notice arrives in the mail. Grab an online quote and compare the price — it’s often lower. You may have completed a driver / rider-training course, had an alarm fitted but, if nothing else, you’ll certainly be a year older. Then jump on the blower and see if you can’t get it lower again. You often can!

In regards to insurance, what should you do immediately after an accident to ensure you cover all bases? The last thing you want to do is jeopardise your cover simply by not following proper procedure.

Firstly, never admit fault or liability, even if you think you’re in the wrong, or clearly are in the wrong, admitting this can cause liability problems when you go to phone to make a claim with your insurer.

Obtain the other party’s information including their name, address, licence number, make and model of their vehicle, registration number, their insurance company’s name and policy number. This will make the process run smoothly, and you will both be able to contact one another if need be.

If there are witnesses, obtain their names, addresses and telephone numbers. This is very important, and will help you reduce your costs when it comes time to pay. If the other driver makes any admissions of fault, write those down. These must be true statements. If the court or insurer finds these are false statements, you will not be paid out on your claim, and you may get into a lot of trouble for fraud. As long as you have a reliable witness, although not always necessary, this will make the claims process easy on you.

This article is purely related to insurance, in regards to the safety and health of others, of course this should be your moral priority. No amount of money of insurance policy can buy back the life of a loved one.
If somebody is injured, or there is damage to property, notify the police and call an ambulance. It may also be a good idea to take photos of the incident which may help you to prove your case when you make a claim to fix your car or vehicle. Contact an auto insurance provider now to understand your cover in such circumstances, and to get a cheaper quote.

Insurance companies know that, for example, in 2008 there were 7800 motorcycle thefts which accounted for 11 percent of all motor vehicle theft. Just over half of those bikes were unregistered off-road machines and there was an overall recovery rate of just 34 percent.

So, if you reduce the risk of theft by retrofitting an alarm system or immobiliser, or dyna-bolting a floor-anchoring lock into your garage floor, you’re all-of-a-sudden less risky than the bloke who parks his uncovered bike out on the street and your premium should be lowered.

There’re plenty of these variables (see sidebar on page 80) to consider, so make sure you’re aware of all them before negotiating a policy.

“Insurance premiums are driven by the cost and frequency of claims,” NRMA’s Robert McDonald explains.

“Premiums take into account factors such as the rider’s age and experience, the type of motorcycle and where the machine is garaged.”

He also says that building a good insurance history can result in considerable savings.

“Most insurers offer some form of no claim bonus and loyalty rewards, so the multi policy discounts you could receive by insuring your car, home, contents and motorcycle with one company can lower your premium,” he says.

There are also things that will instantly void your insurance, regardless of the level of cover you take out. Obvious things like riding under the influence of alcohol or drugs will automatically see you on the side of the road high-and-dry with, more often than not, with a hefty bill which you’ll have to cover yourself — there goes those plans for a new bike.

Riding on a track is generally considered a no-no by insurance companies, but there are a few motorcycle-specific insurers who will cover track riding to a certain extent, especially if it’s deemed as a skills training exercise. Always ask the question and you’ll never be left with a nasty — and expensive — surprise.

Comprehensive plans can also offer coverage for some medical expenses for you and or your pillion who might be injured in an accident. Some policies will cover your income lost during the time you are unable to work following an accident and, in some cases heaven forbid, funeral expenses.

Ask, too, about things like covering your legal expenses if things get messy following an incident, and roadside assistance if you find that your always-serviced pride and joy decides to throw a piston through the side of the cylinder at the most inopportune time. Make sure you always find out exactly what medical cover your policy will provide you. Find out if your insurance will cover your medical bills up front or if you will have to fork out hospital and doctors’ expenses up front, and seek reimbursement from your insurer later.

Even look out for things like ensuring there is a 24-hour hotline you can contact, because motorcycle accidents don’t always occur during normal business hours, and you don’t want to be in the lurch until 9am on the next working day before you get the medical ball rolling.

If your bike is missing one morning when you walk into the garage and you need to file a claim, you will generally be reimbursed either the fair, or in some cases, the agreed market value of your motorcycle. But generally not the value of the loan you still owe to the bank if you’re paying it off.

Gap insurance can be a good option in if your bike is financed. It will cover the difference between the motorcycle*s actual cash value and the sum you owe the finance company.

So ask about gap insurance to prevent any nasty surprises — they can be avoided if you’re aware of it before buying a policy. But this isn’t always available through the motor insurer, but generally available through your lender.

What does NRMA’s Robert McDonald regard as insurance’s best-kept secret in terms of motorcycle cover?

“When shopping around for insurance, don’t just look at the price but compare feature for feature,” he advises. “For example, is the excess the same? Is the policy agreed value or market value? Market value policies are cheaper, but if your bike is a total loss, your payout may be less than you expect.

“If you have other insurance policies with different insurers, make sure you really are getting the best deal. While you may think you have a good deal with multiple insurers, you could save more by combining your policies and receiving a multi-policy discount from a single insurer.”

Be honest, tell insurance companies everything and be especially clear with exactly what cover you need

You’re all-of-a-sudden less risky than the bloke who parks his uncovered bike out on the street

ALLIANZ

13 10 00 www.allianz.com.au

EBIKE

1300 880 510 www.ebikeinsurance.com.au

JARDINE LLOYD THOMPSON

1300 655 931 www.jltspoet.com.au

GIO

13 10 10www.gio.com.au

INSURE MY RIDE

13 24 53 www.insuremyride.com.au

NRMA

13 21 32 www.nrma.com.au

QBE

13 37 23 www.qbe.com.au

SHANNONS

13 46 46 www.shannons.com.au

SWANN INSURANCE

1800 251 122 www.swanninsurance.com.au

VARIABLE ROUTE

There are many variables which you should inform your insurer of when negotiating your premium. Here’s a quick rundown of the factors that have the ability to either reduce or increase your premium. But don’t lie. Insurance companies deem this as fraud and you could find yourself high and dry at a time when you’ve never needed a safety net more.

EXCESS

You can decide between a voluntary or compulsory excess value, or opt to raise it which will ultimately reduce the price of the initial premium outlay.

AGE

So you can’t change your age, but in theory the older you are, the cheaper your premium will be.

GENDER

Insurance companies discriminate. Because according to insurers, blokes take higher risks, more often. And more often than not, they’re right.

DEMOGRAPHIC

Insurance companies will take into account where you live and where the bike will spend most of its garaged time. If insurers deem your town or suburb as a high-risk area, they will charge you a higher premium.

CLAIMS

Companies will also take into account the amount of claims you’ve made in the past If you’ve never claimed on insurance, you will be rewarded.

ELECTRONIC SAFETY FEATURES

Never assume that the insurance company knows that your bike comes standard with things like anti-lock brakes or electronic stability control. These features should go towards reducing your premium.

DRIVING RECORD

If you have a shaky driving record, alarm bells will ring in insurance company’s offices and you’ll end up paying for it well after the event.

STEED CHOICE

It goes without saying that the more expensive your bike, the more expensive it will be to insure — not that this should ever impact your decision, but it may.

ANTI-THEFT DEVICES

Insurers look kindly towards you taking steps to actively reduce the risk of theft. Things like a retrofitted alarm system, DataDot identification technology or a ground anchor locking device can all impact on the bottom-line price of your premium.

RIDER TRAINING

If you’ve participated in a rider training course, tell your insurance company. This sort of proactive behaviour can make insurance companies very happy.

MULTIPLE POLICIES

Insurers reward loyalty. If you have CTP, home, health or car insurance already, talk to these insurers first

PAYMENT PLAN

While pay-by-the-month insurance may seem more attractive than forking out a lump sum, a single payment often works out cheaper in the long run.
Australia — number of motorcycle thefts and theft rates by states and territory, 2007/08

Legend for Chart:
A – Jurisdiction
B – Number of Thefts
C – Number of Thefts 2006/07
D – Change in Thefts From 2006/07
E – Number of Thefts Stolen Not Recovered
F – % of Thefts Recovered
G – Theft Per 1,000 Registrations*
H – Theft Per 1,000 Population
A B C D E F G
H
ACT 106 72 34 59 44.3 10.99
0.31
NSW 2,507 2,179 328 1,714 31.6 17.52
0.36
NT 172 141 31 89 48.3 35.14
0.79
OLD 1,386 1,000 386 875 37.0 9.71
0.33
SA 571 573 -2 385 32.6 12.66
0.36
TAS 78 79 -1 42 46.2 5.98
0.16
VIC 1,506 1,355 151 1,157 232 10.52
0.29
WA 1,468 1,318 150 742 49.5 19.22
0.69
Australia 7,796 6,717 1,079 5,063 35.1 13.48
0.37
* Must be regarded with caution as a large and unknown proportion of
motorcycles are not registered.