Tips for buying auto insurance

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• Many auto insurance companies give discounts for good grades--usually As and Bs.  Check with your company to see if you qualify.
• Some insurance companies also give discounts for taking either their driver training program--or other driver education programs. 
• If you have a choice, put the new teen driver as the primary driver or family driver on the oldest and least costly vehicle.  This will save you on the rates.
• Before buying a new or used car, check with insurance company to see what the rate will be for the teen.  Sports cars and other expensive cars may have higher rates.  So know what you're getting into before you buy.  At the link in the box below, you can get rates from a number of companies to compare.
• Also check the crash safety rating and average repair cost for any car you might buy--that will impact the insurance rating, too.
• If getting new insurance, check the rates at a number of companies--you can click on the ads below and search many companies for the best rates and services.
• Before buying a used car, check the insurance rates for that model, year, and color.  Insurance rates, safety ratings, and costs to repair can vary alot on used cars. 

• Use your smart phone or keep a disposable camera in your car in case you're in an accident to record the damage to all cars and the actual placement of the cars--But be sure and get out of the traffic when you (or someone else) is taking the picture.  You don't want to be hit while documenting the accident.
• If you're involved in a minor crash, you might want to have it fixed without reporting it to the company.  For a teenager, having an accident--even a minor one--may cause your rates to increase (maybe even more than the cost of repairing the minor damage.) Although some states and insurance companies require you to report all accidents--check with your state.
• See if your insurance company has an app for reporting accidents.  Some do--and make it easy to get all the necessary information right on the spot.