The law simply requires that all vehicles in the United States should be insured before you drive around with them. If you get caught driving without proof that your vehicle is insured, you could face fines and penalties.

The penalties you could be charged with depends on each state, but it could range from 20 to 5000 US dollars. Aside from the fines, there are states like Arizona, New York, Rhode Island, and many more that would also suspend your license for driving without vehicle insurance.

Surely, owning and driving an uninsured vehicle can cause a lot of trouble, but all of these can be easily avoided if you make sure that you own a car insurance. It’s imperative that you secure your own car insurance.

The truth is that it could be a bit expensive to pay for vehicle insurance. In fact, in the US, car insurance can cost you up to 800 dollars a month for a six-month policy. Basically, you may have to spend over a thousand dollars on can insurance each year.

Many factors are considered to determine how much you should be paying for it each year. Your location, age, the year, make, and model of your vehicle all have something to do with this. Thankfully, there are actually ways for you to save money on car insurance, and here are some tips you could follow.

#1 Work on improving your credit

States like California, Hawaii, and Massachusetts do not allow insurance companies to quote premiums based on credits, but if you live outside these states, then your credit score is a big factor that insurance companies consider when quoting your monthly premiums.  Raising your credit score can take a while for some, but the higher your credit is, the better monthly premium will be.

#2 Look or shop around

Know that car insurance companies do not price their insurance coverage the same way. It’s best to shop around first before you seal the deal. It’s best to always get a couple of quotes from multiple companies each year to make sure that you always get the best deal.

#3 Choose insurance companies that offer great discounts

Insurance companies have discounts as a way to market their products and to reward their customers. Interestingly, you can get up to a 35% discount from these companies. Some of the biggest insurance companies would even give you upfront or sign-up discount of up to 5%

#4 Consider having a usage-based insurance

This is great for people who don’t drive a lot. There are now many insurance companies that charge for the monthly premium depending on the mileage of your vehicle. It’s also called the pay-per-mile program wherein they could also charge you based on your driving behavior.

If this is something that you choose for your vehicle, the insurance company will get your permission to install a device in your car. This device will transmit your driving data to your insurance company. If your mileage is low for this month and you’re considered to have safe driving habits, you can even get discounts.

#5 Raise your deductible

This could be one of the easiest ways for you to lower your monthly car insurance payment. The deductible is something you have to pay for repairs before your insurance covers the remaining balance. Typically, your car insurance only has a deductible worth $500, but you can have it increased up to $1000 to lower your monthly premium.