How To Get The Cheapest Car Insurance In Alberta
You shouldn’t make any decision in haste when it comes to your finances. Car insurance is both mandatory and important regardless of the state you reside in. Moreover, car insurance can sometimes be very costly depending on your location, age, and a few other factors.
If you are a new driver, you probably aren’t acquainted with the new-age insurance hacks. These simple tips can help you save a lot on your insurance without compromising on the protection.
Car insurance in Alberta is indeed expensive. So, if you want to know how you can land the cheapest car insurance then you are at the right place. Today, we are going to discuss seven practical hacks that can help you get a discount on your premiums, especially in Alberta.
You also need to shop around a little and compare the prices of different policies to check who provides the best quote. However, when it comes to an investment as big as auto insurance, it’s always wise to opt for reputed companies like Surex.
5 Reasons Why Car Insurance Is Costlier In Alberta
Everyone loves to get a discount on insurance products regardless of the state and province they reside in. But for citizens from Alberta, getting a discount becomes even more important.
The reason behind this is that car insurance in Alberta is really expensive. The reasons include:
- Fluctuating weather and higher probability of natural disaster
- increasing accident rates with each passing year
- Inflation in the overall repair cost of cars
- An increase in the crime rate has led to a higher number of auto theft in Alberta
- The crime rate has also induced a surge in the number of auto insurance frauds.
7 Practical Tips To Land A Cheap Car Insurance In Alberta
The following insurance tips can come in handy for people of every state if they want to save on their premiums. But note that certain tips will only work for citizens of Alberta and other states having similar laws.
1. Use Winter Tires
While the provincial laws of Alberta do not require you to have winter tires, they can help you get a discount on your premium. The reason is that Alberta’s transportation authority regards winter tires as a key safety feature for driving during winters.
This ensures that there is less chance of you getting into an accident when you drive on the snow-clad roads. The reduced probability of an accident affects your policy and the premiums go down naturally.
2. Install An Anti Theft Device
Anti-theft devices are useful in protecting your car regardless of your insurance and its premiums. Installing an anti-theft device can help you get a rebate on your premium anywhere in the world. However, the importance of an anti-theft device increases exponentially in Alberta owing to its crime rates.
The number of auto theft recorded in Alberta is rising each year. Hence, the chances of your car being stolen go down and so does the premium you have to shell out when you get an anti-theft device installed.
3. Pay Your Premiums Annually
If you can afford to do it, consider paying your premiums annually. Most insurance providers will offer you a rebate on your premiums when you switch to an annual plan instead of a monthly plan.
The reason is that when you switch to an annual plan, you help reduce the company’s administrative costs. Hence, they offer you a tiny share of that benefit by reducing your premiums.
4. Research On The Car You Want Before Buying
We’ve already mentioned before that the overall insurance auto cost in Alberta is going up. In a 2018 collision Cost update, it was seen that the cost for repairing collision damage has increased by 25% from 2010-2017 in Alberta.
There are three reasons for this:
- Increased labor charges
- An increase in the cost of spare parts
- Advanced car models with hi-tech features
While you cannot do anything about the first factor, you can certainly manipulate the next two factors in your favor. If you feel that you are not prepared for costly insurance at the present, go for a regular car.
Cars with high-tech features like sensors and cameras naturally cost higher and have high repair costs. All these factors together will affect your premiums and you will end up with an expensive auto insurance policy.
5. Drive Safely And Maintain A Clean Record
We cannot stress this point enough. No matter where you are in the world, driving safely and maintaining a clean driving record will help you land cheap insurance policies. However, the importance of a clean driving record increases substantially in Alberta. If you see the 2018 Alberta Traffic Collision report, you will notice a sharp rise in the accident rates in Alberta.
This overall increase in the accident rate has affected the price of car insurance. So, it’s important to have an exceptionally clean driving record if you want to land a cheap Homeowners insurance policy.
6. Take A Driving Course
The previous point hints at the importance of taking a driving course. As we mentioned before, the overall accident rate in Alberta is rising. Hence, insurance providers by default take drivers as high-risk property.
However, certain things like a clean driving record and taking a driving course reduces your probability of raising a claim. And as that goes down, so does your insurance premium.
7. Bundle Your Policy
Homeowners insurance and auto insurance are the two commonly bundled policies in Alberta. When you buy two or more insurance products from the same company, they tend to give you a discount for the higher investment. This also works if you have more than one car and get both of them insured by the same company.
Final Thoughts
Several factors influence your insurance costs. Factors like your age, gender, and location have a huge impact on your premiums but unfortunately, they cannot be tweaked. Hence, to land the cheapest deal, it is important to make the most of the other factors that we’ve mentioned above.
